Top At-Home Mold Tests (What Each One Detects, and Which Is Best for Your Situation)

Walk down the “home testing” aisle or scroll online for mold kits, and you’ll find a dizzying number of options. Some look scientific, some look suspiciously cheap, and some promise the moon. But what do these tests actually detect, and how do you pick the right one for your situation?

Some tests rely on settle plates—you set out a petri dish, wait a few hours, and see what grows. These can show you what might be floating in the air, but they’re extremely sensitive to drafts, movement, or someone walking past the plate. They often detect outdoor molds that drift in naturally, which doesn’t necessarily mean you have an indoor problem.

Other tests use air cassettes attached to small pumps. These collect airborne spores more scientifically, but they can be pricey and sometimes require lab analysis that’s overkill for the average homeowner.

Then there are surface test kits, which allow you to swab a specific area—perfect when you’re staring at a suspicious spot on drywall or tile. These are far more targeted because they analyze exactly what’s growing on that one location. The Detekt Home Mold Test Kit falls into this category and is ideal if you want clarity about mold species without investing in expensive professional equipment. It also can be used to test for HVAC air quality and mold presence.

A few “instant read” tests promise quick color changes, but these rarely offer reliable species-level insight. Most molds simply don’t behave that way.

So what’s best for your home?
If you’re dealing with a visible spot: choose surface testing.
If you only have odors but no visible growth: choose air-focused testing or start with a surface test in the most suspicious areas.
If you just want a general reading: avoid gimmicky kits and stick with methods that actually collect real samples.

Testing doesn’t have to be intimidating. When you pick the right test for your situation, the path forward becomes much clearer.

By A. Anagnos, Biomedical Engineering Specialist