What Is an Instascope Air Test — And What Do Your Results Mean?

Instascope results come back fast, but they take a little context to understand correctly. The device measures particle levels in each room and assigns a color based on how they compare to outdoor air. Use this rubric to interpret every part of your report with confidence.

What is the Instascope?

The Instascope is a real-time bio-aerosol monitoring device originally developed by the British military to detect airborne anthrax. It uses laser particle counting to identify and measure biological matter in the air — including mold, bacteria, viruses, and pollen.

Claro - Complete Mold Remediation is one of the few mold companies in the country using one. These machines are expensive with a waitlist to purchase, which is why most mold companies can't offer this level of testing. When we show up for your inspection, we bring ours and test your air on the spot.

everywhere

How it works?

1

Outdoor baseline

The machine first takes a reading outside your home. This establishes how much mold is naturally in the air that day — which varies by season, weather, and local ecology.

2

Interior readings

We then test each room or area of concern. The machine records mold particle counts in real time and compares each interior reading against the outdoor baseline.

3

Color-coded results

Each room is automatically assigned a color — green, yellow, or red — based on how its levels compare to the outdoor air. You get the results before we leave.

Color System Explained

Only the mold chart uses color coding. Each color is relative to the outdoor baseline taken that day, not an absolute number.
Green
No action needed
Mold levels inside are at or below outdoor levels. No indoor mold growth detected. This is what a healthy home looks like.
✓ All Clear
Yellow
Further investigation
Slightly elevated above outdoor air. Mold is likely growing somewhere inside this space. We recommend additional investigation and usually treatment.
⚠ Investigate
Red
Treatment recommended
Very elevated levels. Almost certainly active mold growth originating from inside your home. Mold treatment is recommended.
✕ Act Now

What results actually look like

These are representative examples based on real inspections we've performed in the Nashville and Franklin area.
✓ All Clear

Every room came back green

All interior mold levels were at or below the outdoor baseline. No indoor mold growth detected. No mold treatment suggested by Claro.

ℹ️ All interior rooms returned green — mold levels at or below outdoor air.
✕ Active Mold Growth

Multiple rooms flagged red

The Instascope confirmed active mold growth before we opened a single wall. We proceeded with a full investigation to locate the source and recommended treatment.

🔴 One of the worst results we’ve seen. Some rooms were 62× above outdoor baseline.

Pros & Cons of Instascope

What it does well

Results in real time, right during your Mold inspection. No waiting for a lab.

Highly accurate measurement of total biological matter in the air.

Automatically compares indoor levels against outdoor air — so you know if the problem is inside your home.

Pinpoints the exact source of mold by room — higher spore counts in specific areas guide the investigation directly to the water or moisture problem driving growth.

What it doesn't do

Does not identify specific mold species — it tells you there's a problem and where, not which mold is present.

May not detect mold that hasn't aerosolized into the air yet.

It identifies airborne impact, not the underlying moisture problem driving the growth.

InstaScope detects fluorescent particles — not whether spores are viable, actively growing, or producing mycotoxins.

Back to The Claro Rubric
How to Read Lab Air Test Results