Do Air Purifiers Help With Indoor Mold & Mildew Growth?
How Mold Takes Hold
Mold and mildew spores flourish in damp, dark spaces without adequate ventilation. Bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms often fall prey to mold growth.
Those spores are like a fungal equivalent to seeds. They float through the air in search of a breeding ground, and when they find a damp environment, they take hold and begin to grow.
Can a HEPA Purifier Help?
Are you thinking of investing in a portable HEPA air purifier to prevent mold and mildew from taking hold in your home? HEPA purifiers are remarkably adept at catching mold spores.
A 2009 study found that HEPA purification significantly reduced mold counts and improved symptoms in children with mold allergies.
However, if your home already has a mold problem, a HEPA purifier won’t remove the growth that’s already taken hold. Contact a mold remediation service near you to kill the existing mold or mildew, then use a HEPA air purifier to prevent future mold problems.
Choosing the Right Purifier
As you shop for purifiers, you may notice several models on the market that feature UV lights and ionizers that purport to sanitize the air. Be advised, however, that ionizers can release harmful ozone into your air—and the chemical reactions it creates can increase PM2.5 levels. In addition, UV lights are ineffective because they require sustained time to kill mold, viruses, etc. and can damage HEPA filters over time.
If you’re looking to pull mold and mildew spores out of your indoor air, all you need is an air purifier fitted with a HEPA filter. That filtration is more than adequate to remove the vast majority of mold spores from your air.
Do air purifiers help mitigate indoor mold and mildew growth? While HEPA air purifiers can remove most of the mold spores that float through the air, they will not remove mold that is already growing inside. Call for mold remediation if you require it, then use a HEPA purifier to prevent the problem from recurring.
