Determining Accuracy in a Home Lead Paint Test

If you’ve been doing your routine fall maintenance, you might want to add one more task to the list. Doing a home lead paint test, if you have never done one before, and especially if you live in an older home, may be a smart way to ensure your home is as safe as you assume it is.

There are a few different techniques on the market to help you do a home lead paint test. The first home lead paint test uses a solution of sodium sulfide to indicate the presence of lead in paint. You simply take your sample, put the solution on it and wait to see if it changes color. You may be more familiar with a swab, which does the same thing. It is rubbed onto the surface of the area in question and changes color once the process is complete.

Another home lead paint test requires special equipment containing radioactive material. It should only be handled by a trained inspector. The equipment is a fluorescence X-ray that will determine whether the paint contains lead.

Home Lead Paint Test Will Keep Your Home Safe

The problem with doing a home lead paint test is that the testing results are inconsistent. Different tests may yield different results making the at home testing products unreliable. The best way to test your home is to have a credible lab check your samples. It may not be the easiest or least expensive alternative but in a laboratory, a technician can do a more thorough search of the samples. If you run a home lead paint test and it is positive, you may want to consider a lab test to make sure you know exactly what you are dealing with.

The walls of your home and drinking water are not the only lead paint hazards you must be aware of in the household. It is also important for your children’s health to keep up with safety recalls in toys. Right now lead paint is being found in various kids’ toys.