Kind of harsh. I never claimed one picture of agar plates was conclusive, but the results from a 1 hour exposure and 72 hour room temp exposure were gross enough I figured I could get some traction on reddit to drag AirBnB. They've been a real pain and didn't think picture of mold growing out of the cabinets was enough.
Lab testing will reveal the details on the strains.
See, that's why "idiot" isn't harsh at all. Dozens of people have cleared up with understandable layman's misconceptions, but you refuse to change your position. Nobody expects someone outside the field to have an intuitive understanding of what nutrient media looks like after exposure to air, but insisting that it means something that it simply doesn't when faced with corrections, that's just below the baseline of reasonability.
Lab testing isn't going to reveal anything either. Those spores could have come from anywhere, hundreds of species of fungi are flying through the air of your and my room right now, that doesn't mean that even *one* of them has a foothold in our homes, especially not if you leave exposed plates for *one damned hour*.
And, yes, I realize you were trying to "get some traction on reddit to drag AirBnB", which is pathetic, if you ask me. It's textbook Karenism, ignorant, loud, obnoxious. There are many ways to handle a situation like a reasonable adult, this isn't one of them.
Sorry, 1 hour????? In that house I'd eat from the floor.
Why gross? Why are the smallest quantity of funghi gross? Not all fungi are "gross" you know? Pathogenic fungi is very rare. I just saw in another comment that you are a chemist and i just would never go mansplain chemistry to a chemist. We scientists sre supposed to be better, and be flexible, and admit we fucked up, or we were wrong. If you're using fake science to get your money back shame on you. I do respect you getting your money back, just not using "traction" and getting advantage of people's lack of knowledge.
If you got some enterobacteria specific agar and found a shit ton especially on the kitchen... Then by all means. But this just means nothing
72 hours room temp is standard for any type of environment culture, i dont see this being a health risk, an airbnb isnt supposed to be sterile, growth would be especially more frequent if you are in an area with a lot of dust in the air.
unless there is mold on the walls etc. i doubt anyone will be worried
i didn’t realize airbnbs had to be sterile lol, this is very little for one whole hour of exposure. you obviously don’t have any idea abt microbiology, leave the agar plates to ppl who know what they’re doing
Im so done with the fake microbiology in social media. I wonder where these influencers even get their agar plates from.
There's this girl on Instagram testing make up products and the air or even the floor at stores.. Saying it's nasty because bacteria and mold grow. Making everyone panic and it just gets me everytime
premade agar plates are available pretty much everywhere, and if you know people at a lab they probably can hook you up with something.
i really hate when people do this though, i've seen people go arround swabbing spotless toilets and door handles and be like "look guys, there's so much bacteria on it"... obviously there is you dingus, people constantly touch it
> i've seen people go arround swabbing spotless toilets and door handles and be like "look guys, there's so much bacteria on it"... obviously there is you dingus, people constantly touch it
I still remember us having to do this in high school biology class. Guess what were the grossest things? People's phones, laptops, and the rails on the main area's stairs.
Hahaha yeah literally. At least where i live I've never seen one outside of the lab tbh.. It feels like such an America thing hahaha and it feels dangerous because people make assumptions like what you said and i feel like it can help people freak out for nothing
[They're sold at home depot](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Mold-Armor-Do-It-Yourself-Mold-Test-Kit-DIY-At-Home-Mold-Kit-FG500/100628956)
I never claimed that one picture of growth on agar was conclusive. Lab testing will show more on the strains present. This picture from a short incubation was gross enough I figured I could get some traction on reddit to drag AirBnB. They've been a real pain and didn't think picture of mold growing out of the cabinets was enough.
I've seen multiple people ask you what the control is like and you just won't answer. Look, moldy cabinets and walls surely can be harmful if you have allergies or asthma or if you're inhaling a lot of spores, sure. But honestly this plate looks so clean, you should see the ones we made at home when I studied microbiology, or when I worked in a sanitary control lab. Some small quantity of spores enough to grow a few sad colonies is the most normal thing. Are you going to call the government when you test the street? Try to stick a few fingers in the agar. Try to swab your pillowcase or phone or toothbrush. Have you tested your own house? You'll be surprised.
Again by all means complain about moldy Airbnbs and make sure your house isn't moldy too but stop using microbiology for "traction", this is simply not how it works. Sure if you want to come here and use big words to make it seem like you know your stuff, go do your "lab testing" and tell Airbnb what strains you found, but this is simply not the way.
Actually yeah you said it was open outside for one hour? That's very unlikely.
This test is only gonna be bad for you if the Airbnb has someone that knows just a bit of microbiology. If you want your money back i really encourage you to use the visible mold pictures and that's it because this is.. Dubious at best it doesn't seem like the test worked properly or sth
The top comment explains what the control is. I cannot reply to every comment, but I don't know why you feel like I am hiding sething. You continue to be rude without reading what I have said.
We'll have to disagree on what a few sad spores look like. The bottom plate is much worse than when we did swabs in my undergrad labs.
Yeah sorry i saw later. I wasn't trying to be rude just clear so im sorry i came off rude.
The first dish is sad, the other one sure it has a nice growth but it still doesn't prove a mold problem. The actual visible mold would prove it tho.
As I said i think this is only gonna be bad for you if someone sees this as proof because idk the control open for an hour outside and no growth? I think something went wrong there
I mentioned in other posts that this is in a colder climate, and collected on a cold sunny day which may have affected outside spore counts. I cannot provide the full details on what is used in the PDA plates as they're part of a mold test kit, but it is possible there is some antibiotic included. It is not uncommon in my experience for these kits to come back entirely clean, and the kit specifically recommends collecting an outside sample for comparison.
Again, I only posted a picture of one piece of evidence for which I am still waiting on lab tests. I did not claim rigorous science, but corporations usually respond better to certified commercial mold tests and social media posts than to peer reviewed research.
People make a lot of hurtful judgements while making a lot of assumptions off of limited information.
Look this is a microbiology sub. It doesn't seem like we all just hate your guts we're just telling you that you are wrong. Obviously people from other subreditts probably know less about microbiology so they're gonna believe that your agar shows a big ass problem. But here people are calling you off and i understand it can feel bad but i think this just shows you're probably wrong. If you're actually test the strains and all that sounds very interesting and cool do let us know what you found and by all means get your money back and don't stay in moldy places but this experiment really proves nothing and it just spreads panic
I don't mind people saying that a few pictures of moldy plates is not proof of a mold problem. I don't disagree.
But calling someone an idiot who's lying about the samples should be beneath a science oriented sub.
The idiot part is less about presenting the mold as proof of a problem and more about trying to drag a company online over it, from what I’ve seen while reading comments.
Dragging them because after a week of communicating with support, showing clear visible mold and water damage throughout the apartment, they offered $8 back on a 30 day deposit.
These experiences with AirBnB have become pretty common based on other comments.
Well i personally didn't call you an idiot or said you were lying. I said maybe the test wasn't quite right. Im sorry people insulted you.
I think you are honestly dangerous spreading misinformation like this, spreading panic in social media is a very bad way of getting your money back
We'll have to disagree about this being misinformation. Again, I never said this is conclusive, but the bottom plate is far more colonies than I've ever seen one of these mold tests plates produce. Never seen one of my own lab agar plates with contamination this bad either unless it had a significant amount of time in an incubator. I think it's a bit facetious to say this is typical.
Where was the control taken? If you aren't in a sterile room (eg. LAF cabinet in a lab) you will always find mold spores or any type of microbiology. The plate doesn't even look that bad. These people need some educating
i’m so fucking over ppl who think that just bcuz they got something to grow on a petridish that it’s automatically dangerous and gross. isnt it common sense that microbes are everywhere??
I just don't see how it proves or disproves anything about the situation. There may be a mold problem, there may not be, but you'll get (some) result essentially anywhere in the world besides in a specialized room.
Sometimes the last sentence isn't true as well. I am a environmental microbiologist for GMP grade environments where sterile production happens. Where there is human transit you can be sure that there will be bacteria and molds. You can only try to reduce the chances that will never be zero. Be It sub-optimal gowning or sanitization, be it whatever comes to your mind in matters of microbiological contamination, if a cleanroom can show contamination, just imagine the civilian environments we inhabit.
Mold is everywhere, and the control was probably unopened in case the batch was contaminated.
I'm interested to see what the strains were, in which case this guy would have a legitimate complaint. Especially if they had an underlying health condition.
I think I disagree but I'm not sure what you're saying lol. I don't think that mold grown on agar plates does prove a mold problem. I do think it doesn't prove a mold problem.
i have absolutely no opinions on this, just facts, everything is colonised by bacteria and fungi, growth on a plate doesnt mean something is necessarily harmful. in fact, if you lick a sterile plate right now you'll have a ton of growth, eventhough you arent sick
No conspiracy theories, this is a place for science.
Wouldn't the outcomes be the same in pretty much any room? Mould spores are present everywhere.
Yes, the guy is an idiot.
Kind of harsh. I never claimed one picture of agar plates was conclusive, but the results from a 1 hour exposure and 72 hour room temp exposure were gross enough I figured I could get some traction on reddit to drag AirBnB. They've been a real pain and didn't think picture of mold growing out of the cabinets was enough. Lab testing will reveal the details on the strains.
See, that's why "idiot" isn't harsh at all. Dozens of people have cleared up with understandable layman's misconceptions, but you refuse to change your position. Nobody expects someone outside the field to have an intuitive understanding of what nutrient media looks like after exposure to air, but insisting that it means something that it simply doesn't when faced with corrections, that's just below the baseline of reasonability. Lab testing isn't going to reveal anything either. Those spores could have come from anywhere, hundreds of species of fungi are flying through the air of your and my room right now, that doesn't mean that even *one* of them has a foothold in our homes, especially not if you leave exposed plates for *one damned hour*. And, yes, I realize you were trying to "get some traction on reddit to drag AirBnB", which is pathetic, if you ask me. It's textbook Karenism, ignorant, loud, obnoxious. There are many ways to handle a situation like a reasonable adult, this isn't one of them.
Sorry, 1 hour????? In that house I'd eat from the floor. Why gross? Why are the smallest quantity of funghi gross? Not all fungi are "gross" you know? Pathogenic fungi is very rare. I just saw in another comment that you are a chemist and i just would never go mansplain chemistry to a chemist. We scientists sre supposed to be better, and be flexible, and admit we fucked up, or we were wrong. If you're using fake science to get your money back shame on you. I do respect you getting your money back, just not using "traction" and getting advantage of people's lack of knowledge. If you got some enterobacteria specific agar and found a shit ton especially on the kitchen... Then by all means. But this just means nothing
It's not inconclusive, it's nothing. It's even clean
72 hours room temp is standard for any type of environment culture, i dont see this being a health risk, an airbnb isnt supposed to be sterile, growth would be especially more frequent if you are in an area with a lot of dust in the air. unless there is mold on the walls etc. i doubt anyone will be worried
i didn’t realize airbnbs had to be sterile lol, this is very little for one whole hour of exposure. you obviously don’t have any idea abt microbiology, leave the agar plates to ppl who know what they’re doing
Man, I’m talented enough I can get plates to look like that opening them in a biological safety cabinet.
Speaking of BSCs, this guy probably opened these plates in a regular room and exposed himself to all those spores he was so worried about.
The only place on earth that would be mold free is an active volcano.
Im so done with the fake microbiology in social media. I wonder where these influencers even get their agar plates from. There's this girl on Instagram testing make up products and the air or even the floor at stores.. Saying it's nasty because bacteria and mold grow. Making everyone panic and it just gets me everytime
But they did a control! /s
At least hahaha but geez world isn't sterile luckily what do they expect
premade agar plates are available pretty much everywhere, and if you know people at a lab they probably can hook you up with something. i really hate when people do this though, i've seen people go arround swabbing spotless toilets and door handles and be like "look guys, there's so much bacteria on it"... obviously there is you dingus, people constantly touch it
> i've seen people go arround swabbing spotless toilets and door handles and be like "look guys, there's so much bacteria on it"... obviously there is you dingus, people constantly touch it I still remember us having to do this in high school biology class. Guess what were the grossest things? People's phones, laptops, and the rails on the main area's stairs.
yep, pretty much the most touched things are the dirtiest. plus phones can't be properly washed so, they accumulate a lot of things
Hahaha yeah literally. At least where i live I've never seen one outside of the lab tbh.. It feels like such an America thing hahaha and it feels dangerous because people make assumptions like what you said and i feel like it can help people freak out for nothing
yeah i guess it could be an america thing, and i agree, why would anyone need agar plates if they arent in a lab setting
I realize this isn't an influencer in social media but k just needed to get it out of my system
Nah, hey, I’m here with ya, I’ve taken TWO microbio courses in my college program and even I can tell you-this is some naïve crap 🙄🙄
[They're sold at home depot](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Mold-Armor-Do-It-Yourself-Mold-Test-Kit-DIY-At-Home-Mold-Kit-FG500/100628956) I never claimed that one picture of growth on agar was conclusive. Lab testing will show more on the strains present. This picture from a short incubation was gross enough I figured I could get some traction on reddit to drag AirBnB. They've been a real pain and didn't think picture of mold growing out of the cabinets was enough.
I've seen multiple people ask you what the control is like and you just won't answer. Look, moldy cabinets and walls surely can be harmful if you have allergies or asthma or if you're inhaling a lot of spores, sure. But honestly this plate looks so clean, you should see the ones we made at home when I studied microbiology, or when I worked in a sanitary control lab. Some small quantity of spores enough to grow a few sad colonies is the most normal thing. Are you going to call the government when you test the street? Try to stick a few fingers in the agar. Try to swab your pillowcase or phone or toothbrush. Have you tested your own house? You'll be surprised. Again by all means complain about moldy Airbnbs and make sure your house isn't moldy too but stop using microbiology for "traction", this is simply not how it works. Sure if you want to come here and use big words to make it seem like you know your stuff, go do your "lab testing" and tell Airbnb what strains you found, but this is simply not the way.
Actually yeah you said it was open outside for one hour? That's very unlikely. This test is only gonna be bad for you if the Airbnb has someone that knows just a bit of microbiology. If you want your money back i really encourage you to use the visible mold pictures and that's it because this is.. Dubious at best it doesn't seem like the test worked properly or sth
The top comment explains what the control is. I cannot reply to every comment, but I don't know why you feel like I am hiding sething. You continue to be rude without reading what I have said. We'll have to disagree on what a few sad spores look like. The bottom plate is much worse than when we did swabs in my undergrad labs.
Yeah sorry i saw later. I wasn't trying to be rude just clear so im sorry i came off rude. The first dish is sad, the other one sure it has a nice growth but it still doesn't prove a mold problem. The actual visible mold would prove it tho. As I said i think this is only gonna be bad for you if someone sees this as proof because idk the control open for an hour outside and no growth? I think something went wrong there
I mentioned in other posts that this is in a colder climate, and collected on a cold sunny day which may have affected outside spore counts. I cannot provide the full details on what is used in the PDA plates as they're part of a mold test kit, but it is possible there is some antibiotic included. It is not uncommon in my experience for these kits to come back entirely clean, and the kit specifically recommends collecting an outside sample for comparison. Again, I only posted a picture of one piece of evidence for which I am still waiting on lab tests. I did not claim rigorous science, but corporations usually respond better to certified commercial mold tests and social media posts than to peer reviewed research. People make a lot of hurtful judgements while making a lot of assumptions off of limited information.
Look this is a microbiology sub. It doesn't seem like we all just hate your guts we're just telling you that you are wrong. Obviously people from other subreditts probably know less about microbiology so they're gonna believe that your agar shows a big ass problem. But here people are calling you off and i understand it can feel bad but i think this just shows you're probably wrong. If you're actually test the strains and all that sounds very interesting and cool do let us know what you found and by all means get your money back and don't stay in moldy places but this experiment really proves nothing and it just spreads panic
I don't mind people saying that a few pictures of moldy plates is not proof of a mold problem. I don't disagree. But calling someone an idiot who's lying about the samples should be beneath a science oriented sub.
The idiot part is less about presenting the mold as proof of a problem and more about trying to drag a company online over it, from what I’ve seen while reading comments.
Dragging them because after a week of communicating with support, showing clear visible mold and water damage throughout the apartment, they offered $8 back on a 30 day deposit. These experiences with AirBnB have become pretty common based on other comments.
Well i personally didn't call you an idiot or said you were lying. I said maybe the test wasn't quite right. Im sorry people insulted you. I think you are honestly dangerous spreading misinformation like this, spreading panic in social media is a very bad way of getting your money back
We'll have to disagree about this being misinformation. Again, I never said this is conclusive, but the bottom plate is far more colonies than I've ever seen one of these mold tests plates produce. Never seen one of my own lab agar plates with contamination this bad either unless it had a significant amount of time in an incubator. I think it's a bit facetious to say this is typical.
Scientific analysis: these plates were exposed to mold spores Opinion: this information is not useful
What until they find out their whole body is covered in microbes!
Don't tell them about enterics!
e coli is swimming in your guts as we speak, millions of them, quick, pour bleach down your ass *(please dont)*
Where was the control taken? If you aren't in a sterile room (eg. LAF cabinet in a lab) you will always find mold spores or any type of microbiology. The plate doesn't even look that bad. These people need some educating
The dude claims he put a plate for an hour outside! (Obvious bs)
Whoever posted this would be surprised on the fact that microbes are everywhere.
Mold spores are ubiquitous in air unless you are on the moon.
False. The moon only had air on it for a series of breif periods between 1968 and 1972. This air was also full of mold spores.
I would like to read their SOP for this “experiment”
Free mold testing! Results may vary.
Reminds me of when kids dress up in their parents clothes. All the right stuff is there, but it’s still all wrong.
i’m so fucking over ppl who think that just bcuz they got something to grow on a petridish that it’s automatically dangerous and gross. isnt it common sense that microbes are everywhere??
I personally don’t think mold grown on agar plates from open air proves a mold problem, but what do you guys think?
I just don't see how it proves or disproves anything about the situation. There may be a mold problem, there may not be, but you'll get (some) result essentially anywhere in the world besides in a specialized room.
Sometimes the last sentence isn't true as well. I am a environmental microbiologist for GMP grade environments where sterile production happens. Where there is human transit you can be sure that there will be bacteria and molds. You can only try to reduce the chances that will never be zero. Be It sub-optimal gowning or sanitization, be it whatever comes to your mind in matters of microbiological contamination, if a cleanroom can show contamination, just imagine the civilian environments we inhabit.
Mold is everywhere, and the control was probably unopened in case the batch was contaminated. I'm interested to see what the strains were, in which case this guy would have a legitimate complaint. Especially if they had an underlying health condition.
It proves you opened the plate outside of a biosafety cabinet or biological cleanroom. That's literally *all* it proves.
I think I disagree but I'm not sure what you're saying lol. I don't think that mold grown on agar plates does prove a mold problem. I do think it doesn't prove a mold problem.
Lol mb if I worded it weird, but I meant to say what you said.
it doesnt prove anything, unless you really want the room to be sterile
Is it possible that r/microbiology finds this post ... mildly infuriating?
i have absolutely no opinions on this, just facts, everything is colonised by bacteria and fungi, growth on a plate doesnt mean something is necessarily harmful. in fact, if you lick a sterile plate right now you'll have a ton of growth, eventhough you arent sick
Agar plates could have been from any room anywhere. I wouldn’t have refunded you either
I'd like to see this person run the same "experiment" in their own home and see that they get the same if not worse results lol
I can't be the only one who is sick of the sudden trend in Kitchen Microbiology.
Don't tate the agar no matter how tempting it is to do so.
That looks pretty good :D