Sampling guide
How to collect a dust sample with a Swiffer cloth
The Swiffer method collects settled dust by wiping surfaces around the home, school or workplace.
Before you start
- Sterile Swiffer cloths are available from NSJ EnviroSciences. They have been gamma-sterilised to remove background contamination, so using standard wipes from the cleaning industry is not recommended.
- Do not combine basement or crawl-space dust with upstairs living-space samples.
- Before starting the process, identify the surfaces and areas covered with visible dust. Try to avoid areas where you see visible mould growth, as this will bias the result to show particular mould species elevation instead of a general overview.
Areas worth sampling
- Surfaces of tables, chairs, bookshelves, cabinets, etc.
- The tops of doors, cubicle dividers, blackboards, door frames and window frames, and the top surfaces of fluorescent lights.
- The tops of electronic devices such as monitor screens, printers, computers and telephones.
- Window sills, skirting boards, tops of doors, upper walls, and other untouched areas above the floor.
- Surfaces of vents or pipes.
- 1 Wearing clean gloves (supplied), take a Swiffer cloth out of its plastic bag and wipe it on the selected area(s) of the dusty surface(s) to be tested. For multiple surface areas, wipe the first area, fold the cloth to expose a clean area, then wipe the next surface, and so on.
- 2 Wipe in one direction only, approximately 1 metre in length. Ten different locations are recommended. Please also avoid rubbing or scrubbing the surface or wiping in a circular motion.
- 3 Please collect enough visible dust to cover at least 50% of the cloth, as a minimum of 5mg of dust is required for a valid analysis.
- 4 Fold up the cloth and reseal it in its plastic bag. Write your sample name/information on the bag with a marker.
- 5 Make a note of the sampled areas and fill in all the necessary information on the Chain-of-Custody (COC) form.
- 6 Send the bag(s) back to NSJ EnviroSciences for testing.
The samples you want in one analysis should be on one cloth. For example, if you want three areas analysed, then the dust for each analysis should be on three separate cloths and returned in separate bags. Please note that the price increases as the number of analyses increases.