Does an Air Purifier Kill Mold? Here’s What You Need to Know!

Do you want to know if an air purifier can kill mold? 

Well, this blog post is for you.

We will talk about how and why an air purifier may not be the best option when it comes to killing mold.

In a nutshell, the answer to this question is a NO. Air purifiers are not effective at killing mold, but they can help reduce mold spores in the air.

This blog post will talk about why you shouldn’t expect your air purifier to kill mold.

We’ll also talk about the best ways to prevent mold growth in your home and how you can remove it from places where it already exists.

So, read on if you want to find out more!

Do Air Purifiers Help with Mold?

Yes, air purifiers do help with mold, to a point. Air purifiers can remove mold spores from the air so that you are less likely to breathe them in.

Air Purifiers are usually equipped with HEPA filters that capture mold spores from the air.

HEPA filters will filter out at least 99.97% of mold spores from the air, which is excellent!

Mold spores in the air have been linked to asthma attacks, allergic reactions, sinusitis, and other respiratory problems.

Air purifiers can help to reduce these mold spores in the air, but they’re not effective at killing them.

Air purifiers cannot remove any active molds that may already be present on the surface in your house. 

I’m talking about the mold on your walls or curtains.

Instead, you should look for a mold removal treatment to dissolve the active molds.

This is because air purifiers mainly attract mold spores from the air. 

They aren’t effective at killing any surface molds that may be present in your house.

You see, how an air purifier works is they suck air in from the environment and then blows it through the HEPA filter.

The HEPA filters can remove almost all mold spores present in the air, but they will not affect any surfaces where active molds might be growing.

But your air purifier might be able to help you control the spread of mold and prevent some of the high airborne levels that can cause respiratory issues.

So, yes, air purifiers do help with mold by filtering out mold spores that can be found in the air. 

Also read: Can a Humidifier Cause Mold on Walls?

What’s Better for Mold, Air Purifier, or Dehumidifier?

The debate about air purifiers vs. dehumidifiers for mold is still being discussed in today’s society.

But which one is better to use?

If you are looking to get rid of mold, most people would agree that air purifiers aren’t the best option.

Since air purifiers will only work on airborne particles, they won’t do anything useful against active molds already present in your environment.

Air purifiers can help reduce mold spores, but they won’t be able to eliminate all the molds present in your home. 

On the other hand, Dehumidifiers will work best against active mold surfaces and not just airborne mold particles.

A dehumidifier is a portable machine that can help to remove excess moisture in your house.

Dehumidifiers can help to reduce the humidity levels in your environment and prevent further mold growth.

By lowering the humidity levels, you will also be limiting mold spores from growing on your surfaces.

And if there are already some present on surfaces like on your walls or carpets, they will go dormant without moisture.

This is important because most harmful mold spores that can cause respiratory problems come from active molds.

So, to conclude the answer to this question:

It’s better to choose dehumidifiers over an air purifier for mold due to its ability to remove moist air and thus help prevent further mold growth.

But if you have the money, you can get both to help maximize the anti-mold effects that your house will have.

So, remember that getting a dehumidifier will be more beneficial. 

It helps remove moist air from your environment and thus prevent any new mold growth.

If you are interested in learning more about dehumidifier, check out other post in this blog talking about: Does Dehumidifier Help with Mold?

How Long do Mold Spores Stays Airborne?

Mold spores can stay airborne for hours at a time, even though some might settle down on your surfaces.

Once the mold spores settle on a wet surface, they will start to grow and spread.

It will only take 24 – 48 hours for the mold spores to start growing a colony of mold in your environment.

If you already have molds present in your house, you can reduce airborne mold spores by getting an air purifier or a dehumidifier.

But these machines do not eliminate the molds that are initially present on surfaces in your home.

You will need mold removal products like bleach to solve this problem.

This is because you will need bleach to kill mold spores. Otherwise, the mold can just grow back over time if your environment has high levels of moisture.

Or you should contact a professional mold removal company to help you with this problem.

If you want to get rid of mold for good, then a mold remediation company must come in and quickly remove the molds present on your surfaces.

Otherwise, they can grow back later on after getting wet from high humidity levels in your home.

How long do mold spores stay airborne depends mainly on the air conditions and how strong the airflow is in your house.

So don’t be surprised if you see mold dust floating around your room, even after you have cleaned up all the mold on your surfaces.

For this reason, many people try to protect their homes from mold by using air purifiers.

Air purifiers are one of the most common ways that people remove mold from their indoor air.

How to Prevent Mold Growth From Your House?

It’s not easy to prevent mold from growing in your house.

But you can always try to reduce humidity levels inside of your home by fixing any leaky faucets or installing a dehumidifier.

These machines can help remove excess water from the air in your home and keep mold spores from spreading.

They are, however, not very effective at killing active molds on surfaces because they don’t generate UV light as sunlight does.

You can combine an air purifier with dehumidifiers if you want to maximize the anti-mold effect that these machines can offer.

So, to get the best mold prevention techniques, you will need to combine air purifiers with dehumidifiers to help keep your environment dry and free of molds.

Here are some other tips to prevent mold growth from your house:

• Keep your bathrooms and kitchens clean by regularly cleaning up any moisture spills.
• Keep the humidity levels in your house to 40-50% if possible. Mold thrives in an environment that has high humidity.
• Use a dehumidifier to help keep the humidity levels in your home at acceptable levels.
• Purchase a hygrometer to help you keep an eye on the humidity levels in your house.
• If you have a basement, make sure to keep its temperature below 70-degree Fahrenheit.
• Find out how much mold is present in your home by conducting a mold inspection.
• You will need professional help to do this, but it’s essential to find out how bad of a mold problem you have to come up with an effective plan.
• Use air purifier to filter air from coming into your home that might contain mold spores from other buildings or outdoor spaces.

Conclusion: Can Air Purifiers Kill Mold?

To conclude, air purifiers are not effective at killing molds that are already present on your surfaces. Air purifiers are good at removing mold spores out of the air. 

Still, they’re not that effective when it comes to eliminating active molds from surfaces.

Suppose you want to get rid of mold for good.

In that case, a professional mold remediation company must be contacted.

Because these professionals will be able to kill active molds and remove the spores from your environment using specialized equipment.

For those who are looking for ways to prevent mold growth in your home, then we suggest that you try using an air purifier with a dehumidifier.

Using this combination of machines can help keep humidity levels low and prevent molds from growing on surfaces.

And there you have it, the question “Does Air Purifiers kill Mold?” answered.

If you have any comments or questions, then please feel free to leave them below. 

I’m always happy to answer your questions.