How to Test Paint for the Presence of Lead

The first step in preventing lead contamination in your home is to determine if there is lead in the paint around your home, or if any household items such as dishes, cookware and toys contain lead. If your home was built before 1978, there is a risk that there is lead in the paint in your house. Home test kits are the easiest and most economical way to test painted surfaces for the presence of lead.

Things You'll Need

• Paper towels

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Instructions

• 1

  Purchase a home lead test kit at your local hardware store. The simplest test kits that offer immediate results include dipping swabs, indicator solution (a chemical solution that changes color if it comes into contact with lead), a color chart, plastic containers and test bags. This is everything you need to quickly test home surfaces and items for lead.

• 2

  Clean the area that you want to test with water. Wipe away any dust, dirt or debris with paper towels.

• 3

  Wipe the area with the test strip paper or cotton swab supplied in your test kit.

• 4

  Examine the chemically treated paper for color change. If using a cotton swab, place it in the test solution to see if it changes color.

• 5

  Read the insert in the lead test kit package to determine what the color means on either the test strip or the cotton swab. This will tell you whether or not the surface you tested contains lead.