Do Clean Urine Kits Work?

Given that the current Coronavirus has led to an influx of workers seeking alternative employment due to having been made redundant and the increasing use of urine testing by companies it is no surprise that clean urine kit, containing artificial urine are becoming more and more popular. Manufacturers claim that these kits can fool the majority of tests that are commonly used by both private sector and government agencies – the question is – do they work?

The kits can now be purchased at retail outlets as varied as gas stations and convenience stores and some have even appeared for sale through online retail outlets such as Amazon and eBay at a variety of price points. However, there have been mixed reviews as to their effectiveness. The federal government at least is worried enough about the effectiveness of these clean urine kits to roll out programs that will soon mandate that drug testing be supplemented by tests that use snippets or hair and oral swabs to ensure that they return a valid result.

The kits, although sometimes labeled as ‘novelties’ or for fetish use are advanced enough to contain temperature sensing strips that allow the ‘urine’ to be provided at the same temperature as the strips that are used in the testing kits. The reason for this is that samples supplied for testing must fall between 90 and 100 degrees. Any deviance from this and the applicant will fail the test. Some of the kits are even supplied with hand warmers to ensure that the sample conforms to the temperature requirement.

Organizations applying the tests have responded by tightening the rules governing testing. Applicants must empty pockets, and purses are placed in lockdown. In very rare cases courts have even allowed an observer to ensure that the urine supplied is natural – although this is usually the case for probation cases, for some Department of Transportation testing and in child protection services. In some instances, those being tested will even be asked to do so partially nude to avoid strap on urine pouches.

Fake urine has turned into big business – but for those being tested, it is far preferable to just spend some time clean than to rely on a urine kit which may or may not work. If caught out, the risk of a permanent record impacting employment prospects is far too high.