Six Easy Steps to Get and Mail a Dust, Particle, or Mold Test Kit to a Mold or Forensic Lab for Analysis and Report
     

SIX EASY STEPS - to Collect and Mail a Mold Test Sample

Assuming you are testing mold growing on surfaces in your living area please consider using the protective gear described above. Instructions are for right-handed people; reverse hands if you're a Leftie. Follow these steps to collect a mold test sample to send to our 24-hour "toxic mold test kit" laboratory

Step 1 CHOOSE SAMPLE SURFACE - the location to be tested

CHOOSE a representative spot of mold growth on a surface such as a wall, cabinet, ceiling or floor. Collect one tape sample per location; do not use the same tape to sample from multiple locations.

There are always multiple mold species present in any environment. We sample mold which looks different (color, texture), which is growing on different surfaces (drywall, paneling, wood trim, ceiling tiles), or which is growing in widely different areas of the building (basement, living area, inside a wall cavity) as often these will be different species. Don't collect and send 50 samples. You're looking for 1. the dominant species present and 2. particularly allergenic or toxic species present in your environment.

Our photo (left) shows three tape samples being collected from mold on drywall. Each of these mold samples collects surface mold of a different color and texture: most likely each of the samples will identify a different genera/species of mold.

How to find mold and where to stick the tape: check out the "More Information" links at left. Photographs and text there explain the importance of choosing carefully just where to collect a tape sample. Samples are more accurate when they collect particles which represent the large areas of mold that may be present. Our advice on how to look for mold reduces that chance that you'll miss important but hard to see toxic or allergenic mold on building surfaces. See MOLD APPEARANCE - WHAT MOLD LOOKS LIKE and also MOLD APPEARANCE - STUFF THAT IS NOT MOLD.

Collecting settled dust for a mold or allergen particle screen: if you are preparing a screening sample (as opposed to sampling actual visible mold) the sample area can be just about any horizontal surface that will have settled dust on it. We prefer to screen areas where people spend the most time, such as bedrooms or a family room, or areas of suspected but not visible problems such as basements. Sample a surface that has at not been cleaned recently so that it represents particle settlement over a longer time interval. Do not sample surfaces that are so dirty that the tape will be thick and opaque with debris.

Collecting dust or debris from an air filter or from a return air register inlet grille is another useful way to perform a rough qualitative analysis of what particles and debris have been present in the building's indoor air.

Have ready tape, scissors, and new clean plastic ZipLok® type bags. (Heavy-weight quart size freezer-type is best but any will do).

Step 2 GET TAPE READY

• PULL OUT 1 to 2" of tape. Use CLEAR TAPE *NOT* the FROSTED, *NOT* the INVISIBLE type.
  DO NOT TEAR it off yet!
• MAKE A TAB: FOLD the tape under against itself, sticky-side to sticky-side to form a "non-stick tab" that you can hold. We need this tab later in the lab to pull the tape back off of the plastic bag.
• HOLDing the "TAB" that you've made, now
• PULL OUT and TEAR off 2 to 3" of tape.

Including the "non-stick tab" the total tape length will be 2 1/2 to 3".

If the tape flops over and sticks to itself throw it away and start over with a shorter piece or use tweezers to keep the free end out of trouble.

If you are not sure if your adhesive tape is good for dust, surface, or particle sampling, review How to Test Adhesive Tapes just below. Otherwise continue with Step 3 PUSH TAPE ON SURFACE.

How to Test Adhesive Tapes for Suitability for Mold, Dust, or Particle & Debris Sampling

Try this test of your clear adhesive tape:

1. Get a plastic bag: Select one of the plastic baggies onto the outside of which you intend to place one or more tape samples.
2. Pull out and prepare a few inches of your tape using the method we describe starting at Step 2 GET TAPE READY above.
   
3. Stick your test-tape onto the plastic bag as we describe at Step 4 STICK TAPE ON BAG (yes we are skipping step 3 which describes using tape to actually collect mold or dust.) Press the tape onto the bag surface along its length. Just smooth it down with your finger.
4. Now try to pull the tape off of the baggie using the folded-to-itself tape tab.
   • Good mold sampling tape: If you can completely remove the test-strip of adhesive tape and it does NOT leave any of its adhesive stuck to the baggie, this is a good type of tape to use for surface and particle sampling.
   • Bad mold sampling tape: If when you pull off the tape from the plastic baggie it comes away but leaves some or all of its adhesive stuck to the plastic bag, then this is not a great tape to use for sampling.
   • Bad plastic bag: If when you pull off the tape it tears the baggie and leaves plastic stuck to the tape, either your plastic bag is too thin and weak to use, or the tape adhesive is too strong

We work with whatever tape and samples people send to our lab. But if the sampling tape won't separate from the plastic bag in the lab, or if the tape pulls away leaving its adhesive stuck to the bag, then preparing good microscope slides from the sample is difficult, hydrating the particles with our lab chemicals may be impossible, and the process of particle identification will be less thorough.

Step 3 PUSH TAPE ON SURFACE - to be tested

• HOLD the tape by the "tab" in your right hand, ONLY by one end - don't put your fingers all over it. Using a finger from your left hand and touching only the non-sticky side of the tape,
• COLLECT THE SAMPLE: PRESS the sticky side of the tape gently ONTO THE MOLD or area of settled DUST to be sampled, using a finger (or a Q-tip) to press gently to imbed the mold sample onto it.
  
  HOW HARD TO PRESS: Press the tape into the mold hard enough to get a good visible amount of mold on the tape, but do not press so hard that everything is squashed into a solid gooey mass as that will obscure important identifying characteristics of the mold structure in the sample. If you're not sure, prepare two or more samples of increasing amounts of mold on each tape.
• Still holding the end of the tape in your right hand, gently
• PEEL away the tape from the moldy or dusty test surface WITHOUT TOUCHING the sticky side of the tape containing the mold. (If you accidentally touch the tape just at the free end you can snip that end off before storing the tape on the ZipLok bag.) You can use tweezers if necessary to help control the tape.

ONE TAPE SAMPLE PER SAMPLE LOCATION please.

Step 4 STICK TAPE ON the OUTSIDE of the BAG - on the outside of a plastic freezer bag

• Still holding the end of the tape in your right hand, using a finger of your left hand,
• PUT THE TAPE ONTO THE OUTSIDE OF A PLASTIC BAG: PRESS the tape, sticky-moldy-side down, onto the OUTSIDE of the CENTER of a NEW, UNOPENED, SMALL clear ZipLok™ bag. Freezer bags work best as they are a bit thicker and will keep the tape flat.
  
  As you press the tape onto the bag, stick down first the free end that you didn't touch (or snip off that part if you touched it), then press down the rest of the tape onto the bag by pressing on the non-sticky side of the tape.

How to provide a good tape sample of mold or dust particles:
Do NOT cut off the adhesive tape "tab" as we need it later to assist in removing your tape from the plastic bag surface.
Do NOT turn the bag inside out;
Do NOT put the tape sample inside the bag.
Do NOT stick the sample onto the white-inked write-on label that might be present on one side of the bag - the ink may ruin the sample.
Do NOT stick the moldy (sticky) side of the tape to itself as we won't be able to get it back apart to prepare the lab slide.

We repeat because people do weird things with tape and ZipLok™ bags: please just stick the TAPE sample onto the CENTER of the OUTSIDE OF THE BAG on the side of the bag that has no printing on it.

You now have 1-2" of moldy tape stuck mold-side-down onto the center of the outside of a ZipLok bag.

Step 5 FOLD BAG INTO 2nd BAG - put the bag with the tape into a second bag

FOLD the small ZipLok™ BAG in half or depending on where you put the tape, fold the bag sides over to cover the tape sample and

PUT that folded sample BAG containing the sample INSIDE a second (larger or same size bag is ok) NEW ZipLok™ BAG. If you have multiple tape samples and you've kept your sampling bags clean, it's fine to place all of your individual tape sample bags into just one outer plastic bag for mailing, provided you have identified each individual sample.

GET THE AIR OUT: Press gently on the outer bag to expel air and close and SEAL the outer bag - usually this is done just by pressing the closing edges of the bag top together or by "zipping" the bag closing mechanism over. .

WASH YOUR HANDS if you got unknown mold or debris on your self and if you were not wearing disposable gloves.

Step 6 MAIL THE SAMPLE - Write down and include this data with your sample(s)

• Chain of Custody Form - Single Sample - Printer Friendly - PDF document version of form just below
• Chain of Custody Form - Single Sample - HTML version of the form just below, on a page by itself
• Chain of Custody Form - Multiple Sample - Printer Friendly - PDF document for multiple samples

1. Your telephone number for voice contact in the event that we need to call you.
2. Your email address to receive an emailed-copy of your report.
   We will also mail a printed copy to the mailing address you provide.
   

Our Mold Test Lab Fees, to Whom you Make Check Payable, and the Lab Mailing Instructions are given below.

• Mailing Instructions Printer friendly version of mold sample mailing instructions
• Chain of Custody Form Printer friendly chain of custody form for identifying & submitting multiple samples
• PLEASE DO NOT REQUIRE A SIGNATURE on packages sent to the lab -- If using Express Mail sign the box used for Waiver of Signature. Failure to follow this suggestion will delay processing of your sample and may result in the sample being returned to you without processing. If you are using the U.S. Post Office's Express Mail be sure to check and sign the signature waiver box on the mailing label.

LAB FEE SCHEDULE - for mold test samples

Pro-bono professional assistance pro-bono consulting may be provided to elderly, disabled, limited-income individuals, veterans, victims of disasters, or for religious institutions. Just contact us by email and explain your pro-bono request. We also provide limited pro-bono forensic laboratory services such as mold testing and dust particle analysis for the same cases.

Unique in this field, our lab services and report include (when appropriate) emergency response with email or telephone notification, and always include explanatory text summarizing known health or other concerns which have been reported for the species identified. Photo-documentation of the sample contents is also normally provided with the printed report.

MOLD SAMPLE PROCESSING TIME: sample processing turnaround time: is normally 24-hours or less from time of receipt of the sample at our lab.

PAYMENT - Instructions for Payment of Mold Test Lab Fees

Pro-bono professional assistance pro-bono consulting may be provided to elderly, disabled, limited-income individuals, veterans, victims of disasters, or for religious institutions. Just contact us by email and explain your pro-bono request. We also provide limited pro-bono forensic laboratory services such as mold testing and dust particle analysis for the same cases.

MAILING INSTRUCTIONS - Instructions for Mailing Mold Test Samples

Mailing Instructions - Printer Friendly

PROVIDED THAT YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY CONTACTED US BY EMAIL and that we have AGREED to PROCESS PRO-BONO Environmental Samples you can MAIL SAMPLES & DOCUMENTATION TO

Daniel Friedman
Vassar College Box 419
124 Raymond Ave.
Poughkeepsie NY 12604

UPS / FEDEX / US Post Office EXPRESS MAIL Deliveries are accepted but -

PLEASE DO NOT REQUIRE A SIGNATURE on packages sent to our forensic laboratory -- If using Express Mail sign the box used for Waiver of Signature. Failure to follow this suggestion will delay processing of your sample and may result in the sample being returned to you without processing. If you are using the U.S. Post Office's Express Mail be sure to check and sign the signature waiver box on the mailing label. Otherwise the postal carrier will not leave your sample at our lab drop box.

What We will Do With Your Mold (or other particle) Sample: Lab Analysis to Identify Mold, Pollen, Allergens, Bioaerosols

On receipt of your sample the lab will prepare one or more treated slides using your material samples. We will examine them for airborne bioaerosols, mold, etc. and will perform identification using any of several low power stereoscopic and high-power light microscopes in our lab.

Mold culturing for speciation, as well as other specialized particle identification techniques are available in our laboratory and can be special-ordered by telephone or email consultation.

Genera/species identifications are made based on experience, education, reference texts and keys, and by comparison with our very extensive library of known particle samples.

While certain molds are well documented and may be identifiable some are not so we do not guarantee that we will identify all components found on the tape. There are more than 80,000 mold species which have been identified and an estimated 1.4 million remaining to be identified. However it's quite possible to identify a number of species of particular concern and which have received considerable media attention lately (such as Stachybotrys and Penicillium/Aspergillus.)

Clients should also understand that there are multiple potential health hazards in buildings and that a client-selected remote-lab analyzed sample is absolutely not comprehensive. Other hazards may be present.

Ordinarily a written lab report will be provided within 24 hours of sample receipt. In a few cases (lab closed for cleaning, holidays, complicated samples needing more analysis) we need more time to complete the analysis.

If we recognize a dangerous material we will also notify you immediately. Our report will include an identification of particles and a statement about mold or other particle allergenicity or toxicity.

If you have questions about the best mold test or building dust particle sample collection procedure for your situation, Contact Us by email.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about how to test for mold contamination in buildings

Question: which is the best mold self-test kit to use?

Can you recommend the best Mold self-test Kits to use. There is so much negative information about mold testing, how reliable are they? - G.C. 10/15/2012

Reply:

At MOLD TEST KITS for DIY MOLD TESTS we describe how to use clear adhesive tape for mold and dust sampling. This methods uses very inexpensive materials (clear adhesive tape, a clean plastic bag) + a lab fee (you can use any qualified mold or forensic laboratory) to examine the samples. In addition to low cost, this approach, by collecting actual physical mold from a building surface, or by collecting settled dust that will represent what has been in building air over some time, we avoid the problems of looking or testing for mold in the wrong place, testing for mold in air when it happens not to be significant at the moment of testing, or testing for mold using a culture that does not grow the problem mold that is present. A shortcoming of this approach is that the location from which settled dust or suspect-mold is collected must be chosen intelligently.

At VALIDITY of MOLD TESTING METHODS is a complete survey of mold testing methods and their accuracy and reliability properties; You will read that NO mold "test kit" that relies on "culture testing" nor on "air testing" is fundamentally reliable as a building screening methods since air testing results vary by several orders of magnitude from moment to moment and depending on test conditions, and since culture based mold tests, by definition, are unable to detect 90% of molds that could be present (as they don't grow on culture), and since culture based tests grow best molds that like the culture media best, not necessarily molds that are most problematic or at greatest level in the building. There is a useful place for these tests in the hands of an expert or in the laboratory, but not as a general building screen for the presence or absence of problematic mold contamination.

The most reliable approach combines an inspection by an expert (who considers not just visible mold but building history, leaks, occupant complaints, risk levels, etc) and perhaps some screening using settled dust that is more reliable than an instantaneous air test; "Tests" alone without an inspection are simply unreliable, risking "finding" mold that is not the principal building problem, missing hidden but significant mold reservoirs, or often, involving significant costs (for expensive "test only" mold "inspectors" who don't inspect) that leave you with not the slightest diagnostic advice (how to proceed, where is the problem, what caused it) even if the "test" does suggest that there is a mold problem; and finally, leaving the risk of a false negative - missing a problem that is actually present.

Also see AIR TEST FOR MOLD: ACCURACY and MOLD CULTURE TEST KIT VALIDITY

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