Consumer Reports: Are DIY lead test kits worth it?

With concerns about lead popping up in everything from toys to cookware, many people are looking for quick ways to check for it in their homes. For many people, that means using a do-it-yourself lead test kit. But do they actually work, and are they reliable? Consumer Reports put nearly a dozen popular kits to the test to find out.

Cookware, spices, protein powders, even faucets—recent headlines about lead showing up in everyday products may have you wondering what in your home could be a concern.

A lot of people are concerned about lead in their homes, especially in vintage dishes or toys.

Consumer Reports safety experts noticed more people filing complaints with the Consumer Product Safety Commission after home test kits flagged toys and other household items for possible lead. That raised a big question: how accurate are these kits? CR put eleven of the most popular DIY lead kits to the test.

Pretty much all the test kits did very well in clearly detecting high levels of lead. Lower levels that could still be potentially harmful, the test kits didn’t do as well. In some cases, the kits failed to detect lead in a toy known to contain it. That shows testers that if you get a negative test kit result, you might still have potentially have a problem.

What can parents do then to reduce their kids' lead exposure? A good place to start is to avoid vintage toys, cribs, and painted furniture. Newer toys are generally safer, thanks to stricter regulations enacted after 2008.

If you’re concerned about something in your home, Consumer Reports says the safest option is to send it to a certified lab to have it professionally tested or simply keep it away from kids.

Consumer Reports reached out to all eleven test kit manufacturers. Many of them said their products are meant for a quick initial screening, not as a substitute for professional lab testing.