Coronavirus Surface Testing – COVID-19 Surface Test

COVID-19 Surface Testing in the California Region / Coronavirus Surface Testing

A-1 Certified Environmental Services is pleased to announce that we’re offering a new service: COVID-19 Surface Testing. This test uses swab samples to confirm the presence or the absence of the SARS-CoV-2 (usually called COVID-19) virus on surfaces using RT-PCR technology.

It should be noted that we are offering this test for domestic homes, commercial buildings, schools, care homes, churches, and all other buildings. This test is not intended for people needing to know if they personally have become infected with COVID-19. However, the CDC states that respiratory droplets can land on surfaces and objects around an infected person when they speak or cough. Although we do not offer to test for personal infection of COVID-19, we can test surfaces of your indoor environment for any trace of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Some studies have already shown that the active virus can remain on surfaces for up to five days.

We are a full service Certified Environmental Testing business: in addition to Covid Testing, we also do Indoor Air Quality Testing, VOC Testing and Mold Testing in most regions of California.

Call us at your convenience at: 888-217-2719.


It’s our goal to make it easy and inexpensive for any commercial business to undertake environmental testing and proactively combat the spread of COVID-19. This will allow you to explain to your clients or customers that your business premises have been thoroughly tested and that you have taken proactive measures to assure their safety. You should also make it clear to your customers that you undertake active deep cleaning activities on an on-going basis. This will reassure your customers that your business is a safe environment for them.

Buildings that should be tested include: 

  • Elderly Care Facilities
  • Hotels / Motels / Airbnb’s
  • Fitness Centers
  • Colleges / Schools / Kindergarten
  • Commercial Office Buildings
  • Shops / Malls
  • Factories / Industrial Plants
  • Restaurants / Bars / Coffee Shops / Movie Theaters

Effectively, any building that caters to the general public should consider taking this kink of testing so that customers will be comfortable using your services or products.

Coronavirus Surface Test
Another clear reason to undertake this kind of surface testing is if your home or commercial facility has been visited by people who have tested positive for COVID-19 virus. In this situation you would absolutely want to undertake deep cleaning of your building or facility. After doing that, you’d be well advised to test the most common hard surfaces that are most frequently touched by people in a publicly accessible building, such as door handles, light switches etc…

Environmental Swab Samples

Recent studies suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 virus may remain viable and infective on surfaces for hours to days, depending on the exact type of material of the surface. Thorough cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched surfaces are recommended by the CDC and believed to be essential in preventing the spread of infection. The presence or absence of the viral genetic material on environmental surfaces can now be directly tested with our labs SARS-CoV-2 molecular-based test and used to demonstrate the effectiveness of cleaning protocols in your building. 

Sample Analysis

Our expert labs employ an RT-qPCR test that targets the SARS-CoV-2-nucleocapsid N gene. This method is specified by the CDC and authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical COVID-19 diagnostics. Since the human RNAse P gene is not analyzed in our test, the EMSL RT-qPCR test can only be used for environmental testing on surfaces - not for processing human patient SARS-CoV-2 specimens.

Technical note: since environmental samples frequently contain RT-qPCR inhibiting substances found in dirt, soil, and dust that can affect the qPCR reaction performance, our testing lab applies a proprietary nucleic acid (NA) extraction method to every sample. This ensures the removal of any RT-qPCR (Real-time polymerase chain reaction) inhibitors, which assures the accurate detection of the target viral RNA.

Coronavirus Surface Test

COVID Surface Test

Our labs results are reported in either 'Detected' or 'Non-Detected' for two indicators of the SARS-CoV-2, per sample, as directed by the CDC. Indicator one is 2019-nCoV_N1 and indicator two is 2019-nCoV_N2. Both indicators detect the nucleocapsid protein 'N' gene of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. A result of 'Detected' for either indicator can be interpreted with confidence that the area sampled did contain SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus particles that could be deemed as potentially infectious.

You can email us directly from the main Contact Us page. 

Call us at: 888-217-2719. We will be happy to visit your home or office building to perform the tests.

In addition to San Francisco and Los Angeles, we also serve the surrounding communities, including: San Jose, Oakland, Long Beach, Santa Ana, Sacramento, Anaheim, Irvine, and Huntington Beach.