How to use Wave Mini as a mold risk indicator

Placement

For the most accurate readings, the device should be placed where mold is most likely to grow. The most vulnerable areas are often the coldest and least ventilated.

Next to a wall or on a windowsill

Next to a wall or on a windowsill

Underneath or behind furniture

Underneath or behind furniture

Towards the floor on external walls

Towards the floor on external walls

Next to underground external walls

Small enclosures (such as behind an access door or wall)

Small enclosures (such as behind an access door or wall)

Common rooms with mold risk:

Rooms with cold external walls and/or poor insulation
Rooms with poor ventilation

Basement
Attic
Bathroom
Garages
Shed
Crawl space

Other assets with mold risk:

Campervans
Recreational vehicles
Boats
Second homes/cabins

Understanding your wave mini graphs and data

What do my mold risk levels mean?

0-3

Good. Little risk for mold growth, but there is always a possibility for mold above 0.

3-5

Fair. Mold will grow especially on vulnerable materials such as textiles and wood.

5-10

Poor. There is a high mold risk for all kinds of materials.

Mold risk graphs

Airthings-Wave-App-iPhone-X-Mini-Mould-Risk-Processing-data

Airthings-Wave-App-iPhone-X-Wave-Mini-Mold-Graph-Yellow

Airthings-Wave-App-iPhone-X-Wave-Mini-Mold-Graph-Green

It will take about 2 days for the mold risk indicator to give you an indication of your mold risk. “Processing data” will display when ready or when it is syncing using Bluetooth.

The mold algorithm depends significantly on time, which means that long term monitoring of your mold risk is essential.

When your graph is growing steadily, the risk of mold is increasing. You should take action before it gets worse.

When your graph turns green after some time in yellow or red: mold will start to die, however, the process is slow. Make sure to remove visible mold.

This is a very typical reading. If your humidity is always less than 80% in the most humid location in your room, you likely have no risk of mold. If you think there is a high likelihood of mold, move the device closer to the suspected mold risk area.

Understanding the limitations of the mold risk indicator

Mold prevention

The mold risk indicator will not detect actual mold spores in the air. However, it will tell you when the conditions in a space are at risk for mold growth. This means it is a great device to use to prevent mold or to proactively watch out for the chance of mold. However, once mold has started growing and is visible, it should always be removed. This can be easily done on your own. If you are unsure if what you are seeing is mold, then use a mold test kit or contact a mold professional.

How does the Airthings mold risk indicator work?

The mold risk sensor uses an algorithm based on the temperature and humidity sensor to measure how fast mold can grow under the current conditions. Since the material where mold is growing is an important condition to the speed of mold growth, we have assumed the more vulnerable materials in our equation: wood and textiles. Therefore, if your device is showing yellow in an all tile bathroom, there is less chance of mold growth.

Our scale

We have used the criteria for moisture control in buildings based on ASHRAE standards (a global society advancing human well-being through sustainable technology for all buildings). Their mold index scale is from 0 (no mold) to 6 (full mold growth population) and it takes into account material types to describe the total accumulated mold after a certain time. We base our indicator on the rate change of the mold index: 0 means declining index, while 10 means maximum increase to the index.

GOOD: 0-3

FAIR: 3-5

POOR: 5-10

What it does not do

It does not detect mold spores in the air.
It does not detect mold risk due to high humidity inside constructions (leaks in roof, flooding, within walls, or incorrect construction).
It does not estimate mold risk in areas away from the device (therefore the middle of the room is not a proper placement).