This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you have health concerns, please consult a medical professional.
DIY mold test kits
Most kits are settle plates: a dish left open that grows whatever spores land on it. Because mold spores are present in nearly all indoor and outdoor air, these plates almost always grow something.
Without an outdoor comparison, a controlled sampling volume and laboratory identification, the result is hard to interpret.
Professional testing
Professional air sampling uses calibrated pumps that pull a measured volume of air through a spore-trap cassette, usually with an outdoor control sample for comparison. An independent laboratory counts and identifies spore types.
Just as important, an inspector looks for the moisture sources and conditions that explain the results.
DIY kit vs professional testing
DIY settle-plate kit
- Grows something in almost every home
- No outdoor comparison
- No measured air volume
- Doesn't find the moisture source
AirCare 365 AirCheck
- Calibrated pump, measured air volume
- Outdoor control sample
- Independent lab identifies spore types
- Inspector finds moisture sources
Almost every DIY plate grows something. The real question is whether there's a moisture problem, and where.
AirCare 365 · Bay Area
Want real numbers for your home?
Inspection, lab-analyzed air samples and a digital report. $520 online, $0 today.
Which should you choose?
A DIY kit may satisfy curiosity, but it rarely answers the real question: is there a moisture problem, and where? If you have a specific concern, a leak history or a home purchase coming up, professional testing gives you information you can act on.
The EPA notes that when visible mold is present, sampling is often unnecessary — the priority is finding and fixing the moisture source.
$0 today. Pay only when a visit happens.
AirCheck
$520
at the visit · 1 visit
AirCare 365
$437.50
per visit · 2 visits / yr
Premium
$405
per visit · 4 visits / yr
Want measured information about your home?
AirCare 365 provides mold air sampling and mold and indoor air quality testing across the Bay Area.
Sources
Serving San Francisco, San Mateo, Menlo Park, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Oakland, Fremont and the rest of the Bay Area.
Read next
- Mold Spores: What They Are, Where They Hide in Bay Area Homes, and How to Test for Them
- Signs of Mold in Your Home
- How Much Does Mold Testing Cost in the Bay Area?
- Mold Inspection vs Mold Testing: What's the Difference?
Looking for a visit? Explore Bay Area mold testing.