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FAQ

About the Kit

Taking Samples

The cost for sample lab analysis is $39 per sample for a standard turnaround time of three (3) business days from when the laboratory receives the samples. Fees are paid at the time of online sample registration through www.MyMoldDetective.com/ Register before mailing samples. The fee includes analysis, interpretation, next steps, and access to our Network of Indoor Air Quality professionals.

Sample results can be expedited to a turnaround time of one (1) business day for an additional $15 per sample. Results can be achieved in as little as 48-hours or two (2) business days by selecting expedited analysis at the time of sample registration and overnighting samples to the laboratory.

The samples you take using My Mold Detective’s mold detection kit are sent to a third-party and nationally-accredited laboratory for processing, analysis, and reporting. Each sample processed incurs a fee from the lab at the time of analysis. Because sample quantity could vary from property to property, we are unable to include lab fees in the cost of the product.

Typically 2-4 business days depending on your geographical location. Products are shipped from Atlanta, GA.

After registering your samples online at Portal.mymolddetective.com you will receive an email with a summary of your order. If you do not see the email, please check your spam folder and settings–be sure to add MyMoldDetective.com to your safe sender’s list. You will receive your lab results by email once the laboratory has analyzed your samples and are ready to view. If for any reason, you feel you have missed the email, you can always log into your account at portal.mymolddetective.com to view the status of your lab report as well as the results once they are ready. For additional questions or concerns on your lab report, please do not hesitate to contact our team.

Yes! You can reuse your MMD Air Sampling Pump as much as you need. Additional air and surface samples are available for purchase under the Products page on our website. 

The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), the American Conference for Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), along with accredited laboratories and IAQ Industry professionals have developed the requirements and procedures for “outdoor vs. indoor” air cassette testing and analysis.

Our partnering laboratories charge us for each sample analyzed regardless of whether samples are from the indoor or outdoor air. The outdoor analysis is just as important as the indoor. Without it, there is no analysis. We must have an outdoor control sample to compare your indoor sample to. This is how MMD and the IAQ industry determine whether the test results are Normal, Slightly Elevated, or Elevated.

Also, please keep in mind that our Air Sampling Pump is reusable, perfect for seasonal testing. Remember, mold contamination in a property can occur for many reasons (see www.epa.gov/mold for more information). Therefore, incorporating seasonal testing in a home and office is becoming more popular when maintaining a healthy environment for you and your family along with HVAC filter changes. Because our device is quality grade and reusable, all future testing costs will be drastically reduced for you.

To accurately test for mold in your air, you will need to perform at least one indoor air sample and one outdoor air sample as a control. All samples must be taken within the same hour for accurate results.

Outdoor: We recommend taking the outdoor air sample first. Ideally, you want the sample about 10 feet away from the structure, out from under any overhangs or trees and about 3 -5 feet off the ground. Some popular locations are front walkways, driveways, or open lawn space. An extension cord will likely be required and a chair or a stepladder make a great tool to keep your pump off the ground.

Apartment, condo or commercial properties may require special considerations. Utilizing a balcony, outdoor fire escape, or roof access may be advisable. For further questions please call or email us to discuss the best solution for you if none of the above are possible.

Indoor: Your indoor air sample can represent up to 800-1,000 square foot room. Rooms are areas that have no dividing walls, case openings, doorways, or other wall or half wall-like structures separating the space. Such separations should be considered a different room and represented by a different air sample. Again, you will want your pump about 3-5 feet from the floor. Tables, countertops, or utilizing a book on a bed to create a stable surface for the pump are some common tools used for indoor air samples. Samples should be performed in the middle of the room.

The pump will run for 5 minutes during the air sampling process, and will automatically turn off upon completion. Please remember to mark your samples on the label so you know where it came from.

**Remember to register your samples online at portal.mymolddetective.com, write the confirmation number you get at the end of the registration on your envelope and mail your samples.

In order to determine if your indoor air sample from the mold kit is elevated, it requires using the outdoor sample as the baseline for comparison. Indoor mold concentrations and types should be consistent with the outdoor environment.

Surface samples are not required, but they are recommended. Surfaces can be sampled to determine the presence of fungal growth and spores to see what genera and species are present. Surface samples can also indicate whether there is active mold growth on the surface and/or if spores have settled on a surface since the surface was last cleaned.

Yes. Samples can be taken even in sub-zero temperatures. Be sure to wait at least one (1) hour after rain or snowfall before taking outdoor air samples.

The collection of spore-trap samples in low outdoor temperatures should be performed whenever possible for comparison with indoor concentrations. It may not seem that the outdoor results would be very useful since they would likely be low in concentrations, but it is the accepted and standard method to determine what contribution the outdoor microflora may have on the indoor environment (if any).

Outdoor Air Samples are required for every set of samples submitted to MyMoldDetective®. Because mold concentration levels are in constant fluctuation outside, and because indoor air is made up of outdoor air, it’s industry standard to compare indoor air samples to outdoor air samples. In order to determine whether the mold levels inside your property are normal, slightly elevated or elevated, they need to be compared to the natural levels outside.

Online Registration

Accounts are associated with your email address. If you think you may have created an account and don’t remember your password, please click the “forgot password” link on the login page and enter your email address. If you do not have an account established with that email address, a message will appear letting you know. If you do have an account, the message will read that an email has been sent to you to reset your password. You can then go to your email and follow the link to reset your password and login.

The tracking number is 12 digits and can be found directly below the barcode on the label.

No. Registration acts as an electronic chain of custody for the laboratory receiving the samples. Neither the client, MMD, nor the laboratory can make changes to the chain of custody once the information has been submitted and a confirmation number is generated. If you did make an error in the registration of your samples, a new registration will need to be completed. Please call MMD’s office immediately and prior to completing a new registration of your samples. MMD will need the old and new confirmation numbers in order to redirect the laboratory on the analysis of the samples. If the laboratory has not already received the samples, the original laboratory fees can be refunded. If the laboratory has already received or analyzed your samples, no changes can be made. For this reason, we strongly recommend double-checking the information entered during the registration process prior to finalizing.

The registration of your process creates an electronic chain of custody for the laboratory. As such, it is imperative the chain of custody be complete and accurate. If you have not already sent your samples in, create a new registration that has all of the samples registered. Write the NEW confirmation number on your package. Call MMD’s offices to void the incorrect confirmation number and refund the fees. If you have already sent your samples in, please call MMD’s offices first so the laboratory can be notified prior to analyzing the samples. Once samples have been received or analyzed by the laboratory, no changes can be made to the electronic chain of custody.

Lab Report

Your lab report can be found in your portal.mymolddetective.com account created during registration. Simply log in and go to View My Lab Report. You’ll notice the header of the report contains all the property information you put in at the time you registered your samples including, address, property history questions, and occupant questions. Below this you’ll see a summary. The summary shows a quick view of all the samples you registered and identifies if each sample is normal, slightly elevated or elevated as you progress down the report the information becomes more detailed. The next section gives you a linear view of some of the key types of molds identified in your samples and illustrates how each air sample compares to the outdoor air. If a room is not listed on one of the lines, it is because that type of mold was not present in that particular sample. Below the color bars you have a section called MMD’s Conclusions. This section we take into account the spore counts and property questions to give you recommendations on what to do next. Below the Conclusions, you’ll find the Lab Analysis section. First, for air samples and below under another Lab Analysis heading will be surface samples. The lab analysis section has detailed data of all the spore types and concentrations found in each sample. All Slightly Elevated and Elevated counts are highlighted in yellow and red respectively, anything not highlighted is considered Normal. Definitions of common spore types can be found in the footer section of the report. If you’ve been notified that your sample results are ready, but your report says “Check back for results” for more than three hours, please notify us.

My Mold Detective will help guide you through the next steps until your property is restored to its natural, healthy state. If the sample results from your mold kit indicate an Elevated mold condition, My Mold Detective will connect you with one of its pre-screened, qualified, certified and insured in-network Indoor Environmental Professionals (IEPs) to come out to your home or office to perform an onsite assessment of your property and, if necessary, develop a written Remediation Protocol.

Yes, MMD’s partnered laboratories test for hundreds of different Genera of mold. The laboratory will report back all the different types of molds that are identified in your samples. If a specific genus of mold is not listed, that does not mean the laboratory did not test for it, but rather it was not found in your samples. What is known as “Black Mold” has the genus name of Stachybotrys.

The information on your lab report is the information that was entered during the registration process. Once the sample results have populated online, no changes can be made to the information on the report as it creates a disparity between the information on the chain of custody for the samples received by the laboratory and the data reported. If your samples have not been analyzed by the laboratory and you are viewing the report heading prior to the laboratory receiving or analyzing your samples, please contact MMD’s offices for further instruction.

Shipping Questions

Upon checkout, you must specify a physical street address. Your item(s) will be shipped to the shipping address you provide. Please confirm the information you enter is correct before processing your order. Once your order has been prepared for shipment or has shipped we are unable to change the shipping address.

Unfortunately, delays can happen. My Mold Detective will do everything possible to ensure timely shipping of your product orders, however, My Mold Detective is not responsible for any delays experienced as a result of the shipping carriers. Please see terms and conditions for full details.

If you’ve been notified that your sample results are ready, but your report reads, “Check back for Results” for more than three hours, please notify us.

Mold Knowledge

Spore trap cassette, also known as air sampling, is the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) industry’s most widely used and scientifically proven method of testing for mold: It accurately identifies and counts the mold concentrations in your breathable air. Spore/air sample cassettes should be analyzed by an AIHA- accredited independent laboratory (www.aiha.org). My Mold Detective’s mold detection kit follows these guidelines and provides proven scientific results for mold detection.

Yes! Mold is an allergen and affects each individual differently. Some molds, such as Stachybotrys or “Black Mold” are known to produce mycotoxins and have been linked to serious health conditions. Other molds such as Cladosporium, Aspergillus, and Penicillium may commonly occur both indoors and outside in nature, but higher concentrations in the home may cause negative health effects. For more information regarding how mold can affect your health, please consult your physician.

Regardless of the type or genus of mold identified, if the mold levels are elevated in comparison to the outdoor air samples, the action is recommended. My Mold Detective can help you with the next steps if your report comes back with the action recommended.

The laboratory data is generated by an independent, nationally accredited laboratory. As such, the data is sound. However, a court may question the bias of the person who performed the sampling. In such circumstances, the standard practice would be to have a non-biased, certified and insured IAQ professional perform additional sampling to verify the results and remove any question of bias in the performance of taking the samples. If you need a local Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) professional to perform additional sampling, please contact our office and MyMoldDetective can help. For additional legal questions, please consult with your attorney.

Returns & Warranty

Yes, MyMoldDetective has a one-year manufacturer’s warranty on the air sampling pump. Any warranty claim must be submitted to My Mold Detective within one (1) year of purchase, as evidenced by the sales receipt. You must use reasonable care in the operation and maintenance of the Mold Testing System (as further described below and in the other packaging materials). Please see terms and conditions for full details.

Yes, MyMoldDetective® does accept product returns. MyMoldDetective® guarantees all merchandise against defects and faulty workmanship. Any shipping damage must be reported to the carrier for inspection and a claim filed by the recipient within 2 days of delivery of the shipment. If you find a problem with your purchase, call us at (866) 948.9056 and ask for the Returns Department, Monday through Friday between 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST within 48-hours of receipt. An RA (Return Authorization) number will need to accompany the return of the product. Please see terms and conditions for full details.

A 15% restocking fee will be charged on all acceptable returns and exchanges. If poly-bag protecting samples has been opened, neither a credit nor an exchange will be granted. Please see terms and conditions for full details.

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