During this season change, I noticed discoloration around my window shill. It turned out to be mold. Out of concern, I began to research a bot and clean it off with a proper measure. Since I have been looking for something that will keep it from happening again. That time I had one question in mind, Do Air Purifiers Help with Mold? Fortunately, I have found a believable answer.
I am pretty sure that you too have come across patches of white, black, yellow, blue or green, sometimes mix together on surfaces around your home and outsides. Do not they look disgusting?
They can be of different shape and texture, appearing to be what seems like discoloration of the material. And if you are unlucky enough this patches of utter annoyance might have gobbled up your precious possession.
As this scary existence otherwise known as mold can grow on to anything including wood, paper, clothe even metal. And sustain harsh weather condition.
These freaking molds are a fungus
Depending on its kind and the surface/place growing they can be velvety, fuzzy or rough. The most common type the black ones are also called mildew.
Mold can grow anywhere. Common places where mold is found can be somewhere damp in the indoors. Like in the showers and under the sinks if it has leaks.
Also if you have a dusty indoor, you may have molds. As mold can grow up on the dust. Even on food with a powdery texture. Drywall and other building material can also help in these fungus growths.
Materials damaged by water can also attract mold.
Then there is these magical class of mold which can grow in both cold or hot weather conditions. Typically they are found on fabrics or wood. Mold has very sustaining living energy.
Most of the time molds are odorless but it can have a strong earthy or musty smell. If you sense that smell around you and no matter how much you ventilate or cleans it still sticks around look for molds.
Mold spores in the air, invisible to naked eyes, float around and spreads everywhere.
The spores float around and enter indoors via air or attaching themselves to objects, people or pets. There is no escape from them. It will immediately start growing if they land on a suitable place for their growing habitat. Mold spores can form within 2-3 hours.
Paper sheets, cardboard, damp ceiling, wooden products, wallpaper etc. that absorbs water are the most common materials for mold growth.
All they need is moist environment and suitable nutrients supply. Wet and cellulose materials where condensation has built up due to leakage or flooding is a supportive condition. If not then mold will not grow.
Once mold is grown its musty presence is visible. A study by WHO showed that a measurable proportion of home environments have the possibility of dampness.
Do Air Purifiers Help With Mold : This moldy environment is not at all good for your assets and health.
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says, if you have moist indoor environment or water problem that causes dampness in the ceiling or wall, you should fix the problem to get rid of the mold attack.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) agrees that mold may not be the problem for all but some individuals are more prone to mold attacks than others.
WHO implies that molds can deteriorate the airborne pollution which is responsible for some respiratory diseases. Indoor air quality (IAQ) plays an important role in one’s health.
They support by adding that moisture on most materials prompt the growth of mold or fungi, which subsequently emit spores and volatile organic compounds in the air.
They also add that moisture facilitates the chemical and biological degradation of organic compounds where molds and fungi thrive.
They also produce allergic substance like irritants and toxins. Individuals sensitive to those substances will highly suffer in such an environment.
The person may feel irritation in the eyes causing swollen, and red eyes. Lungs, throat and nose irritation causes coughing and sneezing. This allergy is similar to other airborne allergies. One may suffer symptoms like:
- Runny or inflamed nose
- Itchy eyes
- Watery eyes
- Inflammation in the throat
- Sneezing
People with both mold allergy and asthma suffer the worst.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) environment with mold can trigger asthma symptoms. Symptoms from allergic reactions hamper day to day activities and reduces productiveness.
Adding to the testimonies the deputy chairman of the British Lung Foundation UK, Prof. Stephen Spiro, adds that presence of mold in a house can go far from simply being exacerbating pre-existing conditions.
His words,
"Certain mold species can cause serious lung infections and scarring. For instance, in some asthmatics, inhaling the spores of a species of mold called aspergillus can lead to a condition called allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, which can impact on the breathing."
All these pieces of evidence show that we can never be too sure of mold and its effect. As they spread and call for new trouble to stay on the safer side it is always better to prevent them from forming.
If you already have spotted mold in the house be sure to have protection and clean the mess as smoothly and promptly as possible.
Preventing mold from forming is not a difficult routine.
There are many home remedies to get rid of mold on the surface. Like chlorine bleach. But once they have formed you cannot surely tell if they are completely gotten rid of. As pores survive in the air.
To prevent it from forming in the first place and to prevent the pores in the air from spreading in your house you have to take care of the atmosphere clearly speaking the air so that the fungus does not meet their ideal condition to thrive.
Mold forms due to trapped humidity in the air or moist absorbed on surfaces. So the best way to keep them from building up is to keep things dry. Like with a de-humidifier, the electric ones. It is a long-time investment.
You can get yourself an air purifier as I have.
Do Air Purifiers Help With Mold
You may ask an air purifiers help with mold? An air purifier is a great weapon against mold. Especially if you live in a humid climate air purifier is a must to keep indoors free of molds.
Most modern air purifiers have True HEPA filter which stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air. It is the recommended standard for the electronic air purifiers in the market. There are certain manufacturing industries where the use of HEPA filter is a must.
HEPA filters are certified to remove 99.97% all kind of microscopic as less as 0.3 microns. Mold spores vary between 10-30 microns. The application is used in vacuum cleaners, automobiles and even aircraft.
The air purifier is designed to keep air cleaning and provide you with good breathing. It is technically impossible get get rid of all molecules from the air but air purifier keeps it really low.
Good purifiers can capture and remove 99.97% contaminant airborne particles that are as less as 0.3 microns in size.
A powerful purifier can be so effective that it can capture fungi spores and mold spores that cause the disruption in the house. It can also tackle viruses, bacteria, dust mites of chemical gases type contaminants.
As air purifier get rids of spores that can spread mold it is an effective method. It is far more efficient and easy that those homemade recipes that guarantee mold eradication without any support. Also, it is a long-time investment. You buy it once and the machine keeps working on its own.
It is better if you get the one with de-humidifier function. It keeps the humidity also known as the moisture under control which is a precursor of mold formation.
Air Scrubbing Technology to get rid of mold
Air scrubber mold terminator is a different application and technology used by mold remediation specialist, renovation companies and other experts who work to improve surrounding air quality. It is also termed as “Negative Air Machines”. It is the same technology that was used in the Pentagon after 9/11 to clean the air.
Air scrubbers are portables that is why easy to use. They do not need any attached ductwork. But it can also be attached with your permanent ductwork.
A good air scrubber can help with many things. They are very efficient to even get rid of dust mites who are most of the time responsible for dust allergy. It can reduce dust, dander, and odors like Mold Spores and Smells, VOCs, Pet Odor, Cigarette Smoke, Occasional Burnt Food Odor, and other harmful pathogens.
How to detect the best air purifier for mold?
Unfortunately, we cannot be free of dust and spores in the air thus we are always under the threat of mold. The only thing we can hope for is to get the best system in our home, office and school to tackle mold formation.
An air purifier can ensure safety for the long term. It can be a bit costly but surely is a one-time investment. It is capable to keep your asset and health safe. And what is precious than the health of self and loved ones.
In my family, we are collectively allergic to dust and pollen. Even strong odour gives us a hard time. That is why I have stopped using perfumes too. For the sake of our peace I studied and researched many purifiers. The market is full of products claiming big deals. You have to be keen eyes to know the real one.
A good air purifier will have HEPA filters as discussed above.
Also, it should have a UV-C light filter. Microbes get destroyed under UV light. The filter can destroy up to 100% spores in the air.
- A smart laser technology that will detect the microbes.
- Auto mode to adjust the fan speed according to need.
- Activated carbon to absorb smoke and other smells
- No sound as it will stay very close to you in a room the sound can be disrupting.
The best way to fight mold allergy is to avoid the trigger.
However, mold is common and invisible to the naked eyes until it becomes a threat. So you cannot completely get rid of them or overcome the trigger. Also, there is no absolute cure yet to fight mold allergy.
As you know prevention is better than cure, you can remove the mold source. Usually the wet surface or the damp environment is responsible for the growth of mold spore. If you can’t find the mold source or the mold attack returns back you can use a good air purifier that uses HEPA filter. A quality HEPA air purifier can remove the mold spores from the air with 99.97% effectiveness. Once the mold spores get trapped inside the HEPA filter, they can no longer live in the dry environment. So, an quality air purifier can help you lessen the allergy trigger.
There are some medications that can also lessen the allergy.Nasal corticosteroid sprays or antihistamines (both nasal formulation or tablet) are quite effective. Some popular OTC medications such as loratadine (Claritin, Alavert), fexofenadine (Allegra Allergy) and cetirizine (Zyrtec Allergy, Xyzal Allergy 24Hrs) are good antihistamines to prevent allergic triggers.
Drixoral or Sudafed types of oral decongestants are supportive too but it can increase blood pressure. Not a good option for individuals with hypertension.
You can try decongestant nasal sprays. Oxymetazoline (Afrin, others) is the popular one but do not use them more than 3-4 days. If used inappropriately nasal congestion may come back again after you stop using them. Headache, sleep problem and nervousness are other symptoms of this treatment.
There is a tablet called Montelukast (Singulair). It blocks the leukotrienes action which is allergy-causing chemicals. It is proven to be effective against allergy and asthma. Immunotherapy and nasal lavage are also effective treatments.
Conclusion
There may be many ways to get rid of allergies and clean the mold but in both cases, you suffer first. It is coming from me who has the first-hand experience.
It wise to nip in the bud. Destroy the opportunity of mold formation. An air purifier will keep the inner air quality in check and will let you breathe in a clean pure environment.
