Currently out of stock. For a mould assessment, see our professional mould inspection service.
Settle plate air sampling kit for home mould screening. Place pre-poured agar plates in rooms around your home, let airborne spores settle onto the growth media for one hour, then seal and post to a NATA-accredited laboratory in Adelaide for incubation and species identification.
The Mould Air Test Kit uses gravity settle plates to capture airborne mould spores from inside your home. Unlike surface sampling, which only tells you what is growing on a specific spot, settle plates capture whatever is floating in the air you breathe — giving you a broader picture of indoor mould exposure.
Each kit contains three pre-poured agar plates (petri dishes with growth media). You open the plates and place them in different rooms around your home — typically a bedroom, living area, and a high-moisture area like a bathroom or kitchen. The plates are left open for one hour. During that time, airborne mould spores settle onto the agar surface by gravity.
After the exposure period, you seal the plates and post them to a NATA-accredited laboratory in Adelaide using the included pre-paid satchel. The laboratory incubates the plates in a controlled incubator at 25°C. Over the following days, any captured spores grow into visible colonies. The laboratory identifies the species and counts the colonies on each plate, then sends you a simple results report.
Your report will list the species identified on each plate along with colony forming unit (CFU) counts. The report includes general guidance on reading the counts. Settle plates are indicative only. If you have health concerns, talk to your doctor.
This kit is a screening tool — it is not equivalent to professional air sampling. Settle plates show what species are present in your indoor air, but they do not precisely quantify airborne spore concentrations the way professional impaction-method air sampling does. Settle plate results are influenced by air movement, temperature, and plate placement, so they provide indicative rather than quantitative data.
If your results raise questions, consider a professional mould assessment to identify moisture sources and determine the extent of contamination.
Settle plate results are not suitable for insurance claims, legal disputes, or tenancy tribunal evidence. Professional assessment with calibrated air sampling equipment is required for those purposes.
Examples of moulds that may grow on the plates and be identified by the laboratory:
Usually linked to long-term water damage
Indicator of water damage
Many species, common indoors
Common indoors
Water-indicator species
Very common in outdoor air
Common outdoor/indoor species
Water damage indicator
Common on painted surfaces
The report explains what was found. It is a screen and does not assess health risk.
Kit delivered to your door with everything you need
Open plates in rooms and leave for 1 hour
Seal plates in bags, return via pre-paid satchel
A NATA-accredited laboratory analyses the plates and your report is emailed to you
This short video guide will walk you through the full process — from unboxing through to posting your plates back to the laboratory.
In the meantime, full written instructions are included in your kit and in the How to Use tab above. Questions? Contact us.
| Sampling Method | Gravity settle plate (passive air sampling) |
|---|---|
| Plate Type | Pre-poured agar (Sabouraud Dextrose Agar or Malt Extract Agar) |
| Exposure Time | 1 hour (as directed) |
| Samples Included | 3 plates |
| Laboratory | NATA-accredited laboratory, Adelaide |
| Analysis Method | Incubation at 25°C, colony identification and count |
| Results | PDF report emailed after incubation |
| Report Contents | Species identification, colony counts per plate, general interpretation |
| Report Format | PDF via email |
| Storage | Room temperature, away from moisture — use before expiry date on plates |
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Settle plates contain pre-poured agar growth media. You open a plate in a room and airborne mould spores settle onto the agar over 1 hour. The plate is then sealed and posted to a NATA-accredited laboratory, which incubates it so that any spores grow into colonies that can be counted and identified.
Leave the plates open for 1 hour with doors and windows closed. Avoid air-conditioning vents and fans, and place plates at about table height, not on the floor or high shelves. Use one plate per room. Label each plate with the room name before sealing, and post them as soon as possible, ideally the same day.
A NATA-accredited laboratory identifies the moulds that grow on your plates and counts the colonies. Common indoor moulds include Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium and Alternaria. Other moulds that may be identified include Stachybotrys, Chaetomium, Fusarium, Ulocladium and Aureobasidium, several of which are linked to water damage. The report is a screen and does not assess health risk.
Results are emailed as a PDF report once the laboratory has incubated and analysed your plates. The report lists the moulds identified and the colony counts on each plate. The laboratory incubates the plates at 25°C so captured spores grow into colonies. The report includes general guidance on reading the counts, and settle plate results are indicative only.
The plates are analysed by a NATA-accredited laboratory, but a settle plate kit is a screen, not a professional air sampling assessment. Settle plates show which species are present but do not precisely quantify how many spores are in the air. Results are indicative only and are not suitable for insurance claims, legal disputes or tenancy tribunal evidence.
It depends on your results. The kit is a screening tool. If your results raise questions, a professional mould inspection can look for the moisture source and the extent of mould growth. Settle plate results are not suitable for insurance claims, legal disputes or tenancy tribunal evidence, which need professional assessment with calibrated air sampling equipment.
