Can Air Purifiers Remove Household Mold Spores
Mold is a common nuisance in many homes and properties throughout Northeast Ohio. In the past few decades, people have been using air purifiers to get rid of mold allergens. But are all air purifiers efficient at removing mold from the air, or can air purifiers get rid of mold in a home? Find out below:
Best Air Purifier For Mold And Mildew In Small Room: Purivortex 201b
This small room air purifier comes with a 3-in-1 HEPA filter the pre-filter, the H13 HEPA filter and the activated carbon filter, able to remove mold spores, airborne particles, smells and odors.
The H13 HEPA filter can block and trap all particles larger than 0.3 micrometer. Mold spores are usually 3-30 micrometers. Hence, this portable air purifier helps with mold greatly, protecting you from mold allergies.
Watch the video below for other smart features of the small air purifier.
How To Prevent Mould At Home With An Air Purifier
Mould isnt only smelly, but it can also be unhealthy too, so learning how to prevent mould in house will help you keep a healthier home. Did you know that air purifiers arent just useful for improving air quality, but they are also effective for fighting mould, too? Here well provide you with some top tips on not only how to use air purifiers to get rid of mould from the air, but also how to neutralise nasty odours and how to prevent mould in the future.
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What Kills Mold Instantly
In such cases, a solution of diluted bleach provides the fastest way to kill mold on walls or flooring. Prepare the solution by adding one cup of bleach into a bucket that contains about a gallon of warm water. Then proceed to scrub the mold vigorously with a stiff-bristled brush you’ve dipped in the bleach solution.
Does A Musty Smell Always Mean Mold
Mold is the most common reason for a musty smell in your home. But all homes have some mold and since the mold has a low odor threshold, the musty smell does not mean it is already out of control. … If the odor persists and is stronger you likely have mold and should look for the source of moisture that is causing it.
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How Do You Know If Its Toxic Black Mold
Watch out for a nasty smell: The most common sign that you arent dealing with any ordinary mold is a musty odor, sort of like rotting dirt of rotting leaves. Toxic mold can also have a grayish, soot-like texture, or a slimy, wet surface. In some cases, you may even notice furry orange or brown spots.
Can Ionizers Kill Or Remove Mold
Ionizers work by adding an electrical charge to the particles that move through it, usually giving them a negative charge. As they float about the room, these negatively charged particles tend to stick to other positively charged particles with which they collide. These clumps of particles are heavier than the individual particles, causing them to fall out of the air onto surfaces much faster than they would in their original state. Charged particles might also stick to surfaces that have the opposite charge . Some ionizers have a charged plate specifically designed to attract opposite charged particles to it. These are known as electrostatic purifiers, although they function in the same basic way as ionizers.
When mold spores go through an ionizer, they get an electrical charge, clump together with other particles, and fall out of the air. This results in mold spores in your carpet, on the floor or on your furniture, which is exactly what you want to avoid. The ionizer does nothing to kill or destroy the mold spores, it just makes them settle out of the air faster.
Thus the answer to our question is: No, ionizers do not kill mold spores. They also will not have any effect on mold growing in your house.
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Best For Large Rooms: Rabbitair Minusa2 Ultra Quiet Hepa Air Purifier
Filters: Pre-filter, medium filter, HEPA filter, Germ Defense filter, and activated carbon filterRoom Size: Up to 815 square feet
What youll love: This air purifier from RabbitAir is best for large areas with mold issues since its effective at cleaning the air in rooms up to 815 square feet It has a super slim design, and it can even be mounted to the wall so it takes up no floor space. The appliance has six layers of filtration, including the special Germ Defense filter thats designed to trap mold spores and other airborne particles. Plus, the air purifier is Certified Asthma & Allergy Friendly so you can feel confident that it removes allergens from the air.
Keep in mind: The $105 replacement filters are more expensive than others on this list, but the brand says that they should last for two years when used 12 hours a day .
What reviewers are saying: In my basement, I have the germ filter to reduce mold/mildew smells, and after a week moving into a new house, the smells were gone,said one customer. The second one I use is upstairs and I love it! It no longer smells like wet dog when you walk into my home, which is a huge relief.
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Hepa Filtration Is Needed
HEPA filtration in a standard HEPA air purifier will essentially remove all of the airborne mold spores and mold particles from the air going through the filter. HEPA filters find particles 0.2 0.3 micrometres in diameter the most difficult to remove. So as mold spores are 2-20 um in diameter a true HEPA filter will easily remove them. The main way that they do this is by the basic sieve mechanism whereby large particles cannot get through the gaps in the filter, like peas in a collindar. Please see diagram below-
Filtration efficiency and the mechanisms underlying it for a HEPA filter
So a true HEPA filter will have no problems dealing with mold spores.
The more carbon the filter has the more odor it will remove and the longer it will keep working. The filter below is exceptional in containing 5lb of activated carbon granules. A replacement filter will only be needed after 24 months, is from the iQair HealthPro Plus which I have written an article about here.
Diagram showing the percentage filtration at various particle sizes. At the size of fungal spores, and other airborne allergens, such as house dust mite, and pet dander a HEPA filter is virtually 100% efficienty in removing them.
Beware of air purifiers that state the filter is HEPA like, 99% HEPA or state how good the filter is over several paragraphs without stating that it is a HEPA filter. An air cleaner with these specifications will probably not have a HEPA filter or the manufacturer would have said so.
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My Home Doesnt Have Mold Do I Need An Air Purifier
Mold is a very common household issue causing many health effects. Mold can grow in any home at any time if the conditions are right. If you dont have mold growing in your home then that is good news. Air purifiers do more than reduce mold, they freshen up a home, remove toxins and other pollutants.
Will Air Purifier Help With Molds
Asked by: Dr. Lea Reynolds Sr.
An air purifier can also help in common places for mold in the home like a basement. Though an air purifier can help long term for mold spores in the air, only physically cleaning up the mold and removing the moisture that allowed it to grow will solve a visible mold growth problem.
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Do You Need An Air Purifier In Every Room
Its not necessary to place an air filter or purifier in every room. Instead, choose the best place where you feel the air quality needs more help. Its also possible to move air purifiers from room to room if you wish to freshen the air in all rooms. Of course, if you own a large home, you may need two air purifiers to capture the problem areas in a large space.
Best With Fan: Dyson Pure Cool Tower Air Purifier And Fan
Filters: HEPA filter and activated carbon filterRoom Size: 500-800 square feet
What youll love: This multifunctional appliance from Dyson is an air purifier and a tower fan all in one, making it a great choice for anyone looking to improve air circulation in their home . Together, the HEPA filter and activated carbon filter capture 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 micronsâand they dont get recirculated into the air because the unit is fully sealed. The Dyson air purifier oscillates 350 degrees, so it reaches throughout the entire room. You can even use the backward airflow mode if you want to purify the room without cooling it down. The appliance monitors the air quality in real-time and displays the results on the LCD screen and in the Dyson Link app. Plus, its another air purifier for mold thats Certified Asthma & Allergy Friendly, which means its been tested and proven to remove allergens from the air.
Keep in mind: Even though fans arent designed to actually lower the temperature like air conditioners , some customers were still disappointed by the fans ability to cool them down.
What reviewers are saying: My daughter told me about this air purifier as we have furniture in our finished basement and my number one concern is mold,one customer wrote. They added: I can now feel that our air is cleaner and confident that it is filtering our room.
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What Is Mold And How Does It Grow
Mold is a type of fungus made up of microscopic organisms that grows in places that are warm, damp, and dark. In nature, mold acts as a decomposition agent and is crucial for the breakdown of dead organic matter such as plants. However, when mold is found indoors it can be dangerous to the areas inhabitants.
Like all living things, mold needs water, food, and oxygen to live and grow. Areas with high humidity or exposure to water leaks are ideal for mold because they provide plenty of moisture. To get the nutrients it needs to grow, mold will feed off of the surface it grows on resulting in decay. Certain surfaces provide ideal growing conditions for mold such as paper and wood, but it can also grow on fabric, plastic, and glass surfaces as well. In fact, different types of mold thrive well on different surfaces. For example, cladosporium is a type that commonly grows on carpets, while alternaria is typically found in showers or bathtubs.
The EPA notes that Spores may remain able to grow for years after they are produced. In addition, whether or not the spores are alive, the allergens in and on them may remain allergenic for years.
A Cleaner Healthier Environment
Continuous use of HEPA air purifiers with carbon pre-filtration can keep your indoor air fresh and clean by removing pollutants as they are introduced into the air. Mold spores are trapped and neutralized before they can take root in your lungs or form colonies in your walls and carpeting. Air purifiers can be one of your best defenses against mold, providing ongoing protection for your home and your health.
Filed Under: Healthy HomeTagged With: air purifiers, health, mildew, mold, mold allergies
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AllergyandAir.com offers some of the best-rated, most technologically advanced air purifiers on the market to help keep your house or office free of allergens, odors & chemicals that may be harmful to you and your family.
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What Kind Of Air Purifier Is Best For Removing Mold Spores
As you can see, an air purifier is a good tool for preventing mold in your home and keeping existing mold from spreading to other areas. For maximum impact, though, you need to pick the right kind of air purifier. The basic HEPA filter found in many home air purifiers is quite effective at removing mold spores, as they are solid particles. Spores become trapped in the filter material, preventing them from spreading throughout your home.
For extra protection, you can use a UV air purifier. These units feature UV germicidal lamps that neutralize biological contaminants, including mold spores. The combination of UV and HEPA systems makes for the best air purifiers for removing mold spores.
Below, youll find some of our top picks for addressing mold spores in the home:
Probe The Area To See If It Crumbles
If the area appears to be mold based on step one, youll want to determine if its just surface level damage or deeper. If the area seems sturdy and texturally the same its likely just a surface level mold that can be cleaned with a bleach solution. However, if the area feels soft or crumbles, it means the fungi have spread which creates rot as it feeds off nearby surfaces.
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Do Air Filters Reduce Dust
Dust comes in many sizes and the best solution is to use a true HEPA air purifier. This is because it will remove even the smallest of dust particles as well as larger dust particles, dust mites and mold spores.
A furnace filter protects your HVAC system and helps to keep your air ducts clean. However, a furnace filter is not designed to clean the air of the smallest dust particles. The small particle sizes are the most important to remove to keep your air clean of allergens.
For more information please see our Best Air Purifiers for Dust Removal. This article also includes practical tips for how you can reduce dust in your house.
Health Effects Of Mold
Mold in the home may lead to many serious health problems, such as: asthma, allergic reactions, depression, and potentially permanent damage to the lungs.
Mold spores are so small and invisible, its hard to tell when theyre present. However, if you have been affected by mold you might start to notice certain symptoms. These include everything from a scratchy throat, itchy eyes, and sneezing to more severe cases of coughing and wheezing. In the case of wheezing, it is important to get checked out by your doctor as it could be a sign of asthma.
In addition to physiological problems, a 2007 study determined that scientists found a link between high levels of mold in the home and depression.
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Do Air Purifiers Help To Reduce Damp
Air purifiers can help with damp by preventing the spread of mold spores, but you would be better using one of the best dehumidifiers. Dehumidifiers bring down the level of humidity in the home, sucking moisture from the air, as opposed to filtering it, which makes them a better choice when dealing with a damp problem. Air purifiers are better for general air cleaning, as they dont just target moisture in the air, but allergens and pollutants like pollen, mold spores, or smoke. A dehumidifier doesnt remove these irritants, but it does make the indoor environment less friendly for mold and mildew to grow, and can help with damp problems.
Crombie recommends keeping your home as dry as possible to reduce damp and mold. Keep your bathrooms and wet areas like around the kitchen sink clean and dry, she says. If you struggle with window condensation, ensure you dry your windows well every day using a good-quality towel or microfiber cloth to soak up the water.
Stop The Mold Growing
Even with good air purification there will still be 5-20% of the mold products in the air and so there is a need to stop the mold growing and also to remove it.
The best way to stop mold growing is to deprive it of water. This can be done by reducing the relative humidity below 80%. The quickest way to do this is to use a dehumidifier. So you may wish to buy one to keep the humidity in the area with mold at 30-50%, this should stop the growth of mold.
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Clean Air Delivery Rate
The CADR is a measure of an air purifier’s ability to remove specific contaminants from the air. It’s expressed in cubic feet per minute . For example, a CADR of 250 for smoke means that the air purifier can clean the air in a 250-square-foot room of smoke in one hour.
The three main contaminants that the CADR measures are:
- Smoke: the measure of an air purifier’s ability to remove smoke from the air
- Pollen: the measure of an air purifier’s ability to remove pollen from the air
- Dust: the measure of an air purifier’s ability to remove dust from the air
The higher the CADR rating, the better the air purifier is at removing contaminants from the air.
How Can An Air Purifier Help With Mold
It is very important to understand that an air purifier will not solve an existing, visible mold growth problem in your house. If you have visible mold growing somewhere, it has to be remediated physically cleaned, usually with a bleach solution. If it is growing on a soft surface like a carpet or foam, the surface must be removed and thrown away, because it is impossible to clean mold out of the many tiny crevices in a soft surface. The source of the moisture that allowed the mold to grow must be removed as well.
An air purifier also will not remove every single mold spore from the air in your house. Because spores are so ubiquitous, it would be futile to even try. Spores are everywhere. However, if you are remediating a mold problem you probably have a lot of mold spores in the air. For an immediate need, you may consider a high capacity, industrial air purifier with a high flow rate if there is extensive damage like in a flood situation. An air purifier can help reduce the concentration of spores in the air during the initial cleanup, though filters may need be changed frequently. An air purifier can also help right after the cleanup to remove lingering mold particles. This can help remove some of the musty smell associated with a mold problem.
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