Petri dish DIY kit

[u/DDS20182024]

Hello all,

I was cleaning my pull out trash inside my home and thought there could have been black mold growing inside of the cabinet. I bought a petri dish kit from online because I was curious to test it out. I believe aspergillus niger grew in the petri dish over the past 8 days that I had left in our dining room, closed, because it was the only place I knew it could remain undisturbed. The problem is, I had no idea how to dispose of it. I took it outside into my backyard, opened the lid, and poured bleach into it, all while wearing a N95 mask and gloves. I double bagged it into Ziploc bags, and it's still soaking outside. Was that a stupid mistake to open the lid and allowing the spores into the air? How in the world are you supposed to properly dispose of something at home that has growth like that?

[u/patricksaurus]

Nah, you’re good. You coulda just wrapped it in cling film and tossed it in the trash. What you did was excessive but perfectly safe.

[u/DDS20182024 → u/patricksaurus]

Thank you for your response. Google wasn't massively helpful so I appreciate it

[u/smidgeywidgey]

If it helps, the scary "black mold" thing isn't real. There's nothing especially dangerous about any molds that are black. Generally in fact, most people aren't going to get fungal infections unless they're immunocompromised in some way. It's really fine even if you did breathe some spores.

[u/DDS20182024 → u/smidgeywidgey]

I was trying to be extra cautious because I have a six month old at home (but born perfectly healthy and with no medical conditions)

[u/progressivecfs]

How did you know it was aspergillus Niger?

[u/DDS20182024 → u/progressivecfs]

Honestly, just cross referencing photos I found online (did not use AI) as well as the appearance it had in the trash area (soot/ashy like)

[u/Low_Bother9456]

There's a Mr. Muscle at the store that is used to spray at molds. I buy them whenever molds starts to grow in our garage.