Homax 5250 Household Lead Test Kit
|
List Price: Our Price: $10.44 You Save: $1.55 (13%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $6.49 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
|---|
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Homax 5250 Household Lead Test Kit
Customer Review: Confusing results
Summary: 2 Stars
We tried these on some antique china, and one swab left a red mark on one teacup, but none of the others. But then we retested it to be sure, and it wouldn't give the same result! Very frustrating.Customer Review: Easy
Summary: 5 Stars
I couldnt find anything in this price range at the local harware stores (the cheapest lead test kit was 25 bucks!) This one was easy to use, gave instant results, and didnt leave a big mess behind.
I found out my house was painted with lead :( bummer. Glad I tested it!
Customer Review: Easy to use
Summary: 4 Stars
I found these very easy to use. Just crush, shake and rub on what you wish to test. I was a bit confused when I got a yellow/orangish color as some others also mentioned but I found their site online which explained that. Apparantly the yellow color is just the chemical in it and you should see that. Pink or red is what you hope to not see. That means lead! I wish they explained all that in the insert a bit more but it is online in detail should you need it...Customer Review: FALSE POSITIVES
Summary: 1 Stars
We rented an older home (built 1940) and we were concerned about lead paint as I was deciding to refinish some interior doors. The latex coating on the "impact areas" of the home (chair rail, trim, moulding, doors) was flaking exposing the old PASTEL paint underneath. (Most lead-based paints from earlier decades are pastel...as that was en vogue and a dead giveaway of what we were up against!) So I trek off to my big-chain home improvement store to find this test since I was a concerned parent and renter. Holy Crap! Nearly everything I tested...the paint underneath to the latex on top, the doors, the exposed stucco on the wall lit up! So I became more and more freaked out. Another trip to afore mentioned store and armed with eight tests I began meticulously testing every surface. Window sills, the bathtub, fixtures...our banister turned to the danger colors from pale pink (it IS obvious whether it is the control orange or the lead pink-red range) to crimson. To make a long story short my very kind Landlady shelled-out BIG bucks for a lead tester to survey the house and provide a report but also a risk assessment. At the very end of this very long ordeal we find out that yes the house has lead paint, but very little of it. Now there may be some of you who would say that ANY lead paint is a deal-breaker, but that is simply NOT realistic in an older home or major city. The detectable levels were WAY below the EPA threshold and many of the things I tested that were "positive" according to the kit were completely undetectable. Maybe these kits are hyper-sensitive...I don't know. The reality is that if your house has lead paint that is in good condition and undisturbed (like under eighteen layers of paint on the walls or trim work that has been repainted correctly) then you are in no harm. The areas of concern in his report were around the outside sills and trims of the exterior doors and our covered porch. Our soil was fine, water fine...not just below "the danger zone" but WAY below or completely nonexistant to the EPA guidelines. Our tester -- who was recommended by our capitol's hazardous waste/lead safety office -- was a little shocked when we talked about the tests I did, these were considered the most accurate, I THINK even given a stamp of approval by Consumer Reports and the EPA, itself. It would be very beneficial if a ppm range were given and not just a yes/no color change as what it was at the time. Yes I felt better after the surveyor cleared our house and property, but I also felt very swindled by homax. Hopefully this is helpful, if you have the money and time, there is no better definitive test than a professional. Maybe this test would be better for toys or things put in the mouth of babes (I did not test my children's toys, btw) as any lead there would be unsafe and unwanted. Just be careful with this before you call the abatement crew to come in and demo your house!Customer Review: Great, but needs better instructions.
Summary: 4 Stars
Like a previous reviewer, I received an "orange" result after testing a vintage (late 1960s) enamelware pot. I searched around and found out that means it likely contains barium. Since Barium is a lead substitute in enamelware, I am fairly confident that the inside of the pot is lead free. Tested the outside of the pot where there is a bright orange stripe, and the swab came back immediately pink, indicating lead. I felt happy with the clarity of the positive result. I wish the instructions had explained about the possibility of an orange result, though.