Now accepting HSA/FSA. Pay with pre-tax dollars at checkout
Nestwell
Combustion Byproducts Wipe Test
3
Lab markers
15
Days until results

Combustion Byproducts Wipe Test

Dust lab test kit

Price

$144

What a fire left on your surfaces: soot, char and the particles that identify what burned.

  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Free shipping in 3-5 business days

What’s included

  • All sampling materials
  • Easy-to-follow instructions
  • Full contaminant details for your address
  • Prepaid 2-day return shipping
  • Accredited lab network
  • Regulatory analytical methods
  • Per-location results
  • Scored against EPA + CDC standards
  • HSA/FSA eligible via TrueMed

It’s worth testing for if…

  • Wildfire smoke reached inside the building
  • There has been a fire in or near the structure
  • You are documenting damage for a claim

What are Particles and fibres?

3 measurements
Combustion Byproducts Wipe Test

Smoke residue is not uniform — what burned determines what settled. Wood smoke leaves char and creosote; plastics and synthetics leave different particles entirely; a structure fire leaves a mixture that includes the building's own materials. This identifies the particles on a surface and what they indicate, which is the question when smoke has been inside and you are deciding what cleaning is actually required.

How to Test

Wipe the marked square of the template across a hard surface — a sill, a floor, a counter — and seal the wipe in its tube. The template is what makes the result comparable to a standard.

Every measurement, explained

At Nestwell, we provide science backed ranges for all the exposures in your home, allowing for personalized suggestions of in home remediation.

3 measures.

Soot, char and other fine particles, identified by what they are and where they likely came from — which is the question after a fire or a smoke event.

Also measured

Ash · Char · Soot

Designed To Understand Your Whole House

A single kit answers one question properly rather than several vaguely. Whichever you start with, it is the same lab, the same methods, and the same reporting — so results from one kit sit beside results from the next, in one place, on the same scale.

Accredited labs, regulatory methods

Every sample is analyzed by an accredited environmental lab with the same methods regulatory testing uses.

Numbers with regulatory context

Results come back as a measured value next to the standard it is judged against, not just a "detected".

One box, no home visit

Everything arrives at once and we tell you both where and how to sample, no outside home inspection needed.

How Nestwell Testing Works

How Collection Works

Understand the science –›

  1. Collect

    Wipe the marked square of the template across a hard surface — a sill, a floor, a counter — and seal the wipe in its tube. The template is what makes the result comparable to a standard.

  2. Mail

    Everything goes back in the same box with the prepaid return label. No appointment, nobody in your house, and easy to send back when convenient for you.

  3. Read

    Results land in your Nestwell dashboard in about 15 days, each scored against the standard that applies to it.

A sample bottle being filled at a kitchen tap
Wiping a surface to collect a sample
Nestwell kit boxes on a kitchen counter

Why Nestwell?

CapabilityNestwellHardware Store StripsIn Person Inspector
Samples from across your homeYesOne sample, one placeYes
Real exposure concentrationsYesPaper colour keySometimes
Accredited lab, regulatory methodsYesNoSometimes
Nobody has to come into your homeYesYesNo
Results tracked over time in one placeYesNoOne time result

A number is only useful next to its limit.

At Nestwell, we provide science backed ranges for all the exposures in your home, allowing for personalized suggestions of in home remediation.

Accredited labs only

Samples are analysed by accredited environmental laboratories using the analytical methods used for regulatory compliance work: the same reading a professional consultant would order.

Each result has a standard

A number on its own is not an answer. The EPA action level for lead in water is 15 ppb; the CDC states there is no safe level of lead exposure for children. Each finding is shown against the limit that applies to it.

Where there is no limit, we say so

The EPA sets no numeric limit for mold, and moisture control is the real remedy. Mold results are reported as what is growing and at what relative level, never as just a pass or a fail.

Medical advisors

Built with leading medical experts

Dr. Malathi Srinivasan

Dr. Malathi Srinivasan

Clinical Professor of Medicine, Primary Care and Population Health

Stanford University

“Our physical & home environment is a direct determinant of our health, and is immunoregulatory. In a year, we breathe about 6 million times, drink 250 gallons of liquid, and eat almost 2 tons of food, with hundreds of compounds interacting on our skin and immune systems. Small environmental changes make a big difference, especially in early childhood development and for vulnerable adults.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions? Find answers to common customer concerns below.

What does the Combustion Byproducts Wipe Test actually measure?

The panel runs 3 measures, covering Particles and fibres. Every one is listed on this page with its detection limit, so you can check for a specific substance before you buy.

How do I take the sample?

Wipe the marked square of the template across a hard surface — a sill, a floor, a counter — and seal the wipe in its tube. The template is what makes the result comparable to a standard. It takes about 5 minutes, and everything you need comes in the box.

How long until I get results?

The kit reaches you in about 3 days. Once the lab receives your sample, results appear in your Nestwell account in about 15 days. Return shipping is prepaid and included.

Who analyses the sample?

An accredited environmental laboratory, using published analytical methods — the same methods and the same labs used for regulatory and commercial testing. Nestwell does not run the analysis itself.

What happens if something comes back high?

Your results are shown against the relevant reference values rather than as a bare number, so you can see which measures stand out and by how much. The lab reports what it measured; it does not diagnose, and a lab result is not medical advice.

Can I pay with an HSA or FSA?

Most Nestwell kits are HSA/FSA eligible through Truemed. Eligibility is shown on the kit page at checkout, and where it applies you can pay with pre-tax dollars.

Free. 3 minutes. No card required.

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$144