An accurate new mould test for UK properties.
HouseTest’s qPCR test for mould detects and identifies the DNA of mould growing in buildings, helping UK householders and landlords identify and resolve indoor air quality problems.
HouseTest have over a decade of experience testing for mould, and their test is considered the gold-standard for mould testing by surveyors across northern Europe.
Reliable. Rapid. Respected.
Mitigating the health risks of mould
The NHS and the World Health Organization (WHO) offer clear warnings about the health risks associated with mouldy buildings.
Moulds can produce allergens, irritants and toxic substances, all of which have negative health effects.
HouseTest’s technology accurately measures a building’s level of mould contamination, helping to ensure that the right action can be taken to eliminate health hazards caused by mould.
Detecting hidden mould
Potentially harmful mould often grows out of sight in buildings. This means that problematic mould growth can be hard to diagnose conclusively.
HouseTest’s DNA test for mould in the UK solves this problem because it is so sensitive that it can detect the invisible presence of mould spores in a room.
HouseTest can also detect mould growing out of sight in hidden spaces, such as behind wallpaper, under floors or behind plasterboard in dry-lined walls.
The sensitivity of HouseTest’s can also help show whether mould contamination has invisibly spread from one room to another.
A quick and easy test for mould
HouseTest’s laboratory uses the latest qPCR testing technology to analyze mould DNA found in samples of dust or air. Samples can be taken both by householders and specialist surveyors and we analyse them as soon as they arrive at our lab.
Taking a sample is a quick and easy process.
HouseTest sequences mould DNA using the qPCR method, which is the same gold-standard technology used in Covid-19 testing and international microbial research.
Taking a dust sample for HouseTest involves brushing a cotton bud over a flat surface. Taking a sample requires no special training.
HouseTest can also analyse air samples taken by specialists using their own equipment.
About HouseTest
HouseTest was founded in 2011 by Dr Jonas Lindgreen and Ann Dorthe Pørneki, two microbiologists working at the University of Southern Denmark.
HouseTest received public funding to develop a qPCR test for mould and bacteria in buildings, and the test that they developed is now widely used in Scandinavia by householders and indoor air quality specialists, including those who work within commercial facilities management and within the housing sector. It is now available in the UK.
HouseTest’s analysis is highly respected within the expert community. As well as operating commercially, HouseTest collaborates with universities and non-profit research programmes focusing on indoor air quality and health, both internationally and in the UK. In the UK, HouseTest’s research partners include the Property Care Association and University College London’s Centre for Moisture in Buildings. In Denmark, HouseTest has partnered with the University of Aarhus and the Danish National Research Centre for The Working Environment.
HouseTest’s qPCR test features in several recent international studies on mould and health, and HouseTest’s founders continue to publish their own research on mould in international peer-reviewed journals.