Testing with SimpleLab is Easy

SimpleLab is simplifying the complexities of laboratory testing. Instead of trying to identify laboratories, pick panels of contaminants, negotiate prices, manage sampling and shipping logistics, and navigate report results, SimpleLab streamlines the decision-making process so that anyone can collect a high quality sample and get back meaningful results. 

Explore how testing with SimpleLab works below.

Table of Contents:

• What Does SimpleLab Test for?
• What’s Included in a SimpleLab Test Package?
• What to Expect While Awaiting Results

What Does SimpleLab Test For?

With SimpleLab, you can test for almost anything in your environment. We currently have panels to measure contaminants in:

• Drinking Water
• Food
• Soil
• Air
• Dust & Surface
• Textile
• Food Packaging
• Cosmetic
• Groundwater
• Surface Water
• Sediment
• Wastewater
• Other Solids

Why SimpleLab?

Environmental exposures come from many sources. The SimpleLab platform allows businesses and individuals alike to manage their tests and analytical results across multiple matrices in one dashboard. Serving teams that sample as part of their organization and residential customers needing a single report, there is no other platform available that pairs user experience with streamlined logistics and a nationwide network of certified, independent laboratories.

If you do not see your testing needs listed, we process custom test kit requests and will — in most cases — be able to serve your needs.

Laboratory Expertise, Do-it-yourself Ease

Laboratory testing can be logistically demanding for an individual, especially when sampling across matrices like water, dust, or food. That’s why environmental sampling and analysis has historically been the purview of experts. But laboratory analysis is considered the best way to test because it provides accurate, controlled, and reproducible results.

Do-it-yourself test kits on the other hand — such as color-changing strips, color disk kits, etc. — appeal to consumers because they pair affordability with practicality. Marketed as a simple way to detect contaminants, DIY kits trade the controlled environment and technical expertise for ease-of-use.

With SimpleLab, you don’t have to compromise. Decisions like what container(s) to use, how and where to collect a sample, where to ship a sample, and how to digitize result data are streamlined so that laboratories can do what they need to do — handle the testing and quality control — and you get the ease-of-use through simplified instructions, proper sampling equipment, and approachable, interpreted results.

What’s Included in a SimpleLab Test Package?

Each SimpleLab test package includes everything you need to collect and ship your sample to one of the 200+ certified laboratories in SimpleLab’s network. Every matrix (water, dust, solid, etc.) has unique requirements for proper sampling and analytical requirements. Here is a list of key components included in most kits:

Labeled Sampling Collection Equipment

Different analytes and methods require different types of sampling equipment. Sampling collection equipment is a critical aspect of accurate analysis, but the vast number of analytes and methods across matrices makes management of sampling materials complex. 

Lab facilities may also have their own specific requirements for sampling equipment that differ from other labs. For example, a lab might have:

• Different containers. Some contaminants (such as metals) in drinking water require high-density polyethylene containers while other contaminants (like VOCs) require glass vials to reduce cross-contamination and ensure accurate results. 
• Different collection devices. Some methods for dust collection require a swab, wipe, or a vacuum attachment, depending on the sampling strategy. Wipes help identify contaminants settled on a surface whereas vacuum sampling enables deeper collection of dust settled into carpets or furniture. 

SimpleLab takes all of the guesswork out of having to know and choose what sampling materials meet your testing requirements. Every SimpleLab package includes the proper sampling equipment (bottles, vials, wipes, swabs, etc.) tailored to what you are testing, ensuring the laboratory team can accurately analyze and run quality control processes on your sample.

Additionally, each container you receive will be labeled with your test’s Test ID. This Test ID is 6-digit code that serves as the unique identifier for your sample and is how the laboratory team keeps track of your sample.

SimpleLab Quality Assurance and Quality Control

Sampling Instructions

Testing is essential to identify contamination and can be the basis for decision-making, but it’s important to remember that a single analytical test is a snapshot of information from a single point in time and space. For this reason, defining a sampling approach and strategy is essential to results interpretation. This depends highly on the matrix being tested and the purpose of your testing. 

For a single sample, you’ll need to record when, where, and how you sampled. Every kit includes instructions for the basic instructions of taking a sample, for example: 

• Sample Location: For example, if you are sampling for asbestos you need to decide whether to sample surface materials like paint or building materials like floor tiling, as well as identify a representative area to sample. 

• Sampling Strategy: If you are sampling drinking water from your utility, you need to decide whether you want to evaluate a representative glass of water from the distribution line or a sample that has been stagnant and reflects potential contamination from your plumbing. 

Examples like this illustrate the range of decisions inherent in testing. SimpleLab sampling instructions simplify this process if you are uncertain, and enable you to actualize your strategy if you already have one.

Sample Information Card

A “Sample Information Card” is included in every kit. In addition to recording information about your sampling approach, the Sample Information Card is the place to record some basic information about the sample you collect—such as the sampling date, time, location, etc. This card needs to be returned with the sample to the laboratory. 

You will also be instructed on how to fill out this information (as well as a few more questions tailored to your specific sample) directly in your SimpleLab Account. Having both the paper card and the digital version filled out will allow for faster reporting, as well as a more complete final report. 

Refrigeration or Cooling (if applicable)

Some tests include analyses that require the sample to be kept cool after it is collected. If your test includes any temperature sensitive analysis, it will include the proper refrigeration components such as cold packs, coolers, ice bags, etc. As with all environmental testing, it’s best to ship as soon as possible after collection is completed. 

Sampling Area Template (if applicable)

For surface area test kits that require sampling a specific area, kits will include a 4in x 4in (10cm x 10cm) sampling area template within which you can take your sample.

Prepaid Shipping to Laboratory

Lastly, every SimpleLab kit includes a prepaid shipping label to a certified laboratory prepared to test your sample. The label you receive will be tailored to your order and the shipping speed you chose. 

Once you have completed sampling, you’ll attach the shipping label sticker to the outside of the box (covering any existing label) and bring it to the shipping carrier (USPS, UPS, etc. — depending on your order). There is no need to wait in line. Since the label is fully prepaid by SimpleLab and the tracking and status updates are available any time on your SimpleLab Account, all you need to do is drop it off.

What to Expect While Awaiting Results

Once you’ve collected and shipped your SimpleLab sample to the laboratory, you will be able to track your sample’s progress through the lab on your account. A link to your completed report results will be emailed to you as soon as they are ready, and you will be able to access and share results any time.

Ready to get started? It’s as simple as: 

1. Selecting a kit
2. Collecting a sample
3. Dropping it in the mail

With SimpleLab’s collection of test kits, it’s never been so easy to take charge of your well-being. If you have any questions about testing with SimpleLab, reach out to our customer support team any time.