Mold isn’t only unsightly, it can make a home smell unpleasant, and at worst, trigger health issues. An air purifier can tackle air quality when mold is a concern. Air purifiers remove airborne contaminants to improve indoor air quality. A portable unit can filter dust, pet dander, smoke, pollen, mold spores, and other small particles.
- 1 Best air purifier for mold in basement
- 2 Why You Should Buy An Air Purifier for Mold Spore Removal
- 3 How We Choose the Best Air Purifiers for Mold
- 4 How We Chose the Best Air Purifiers for Mold
- 5 The Advantages of Owning the Best Air Purifier for Mold
- 6 WHAT ARE MOLD AND MILDEW? ARE MOLDS HARMFUL FOR YOUR HEALTH?
- 7 Features of the Best Air Purifiers for Mold
- 8 How do Activated Carbon Filters work?
- 9 What is the difference between air purifiers for mold and dehumidifiers?
- 10 How do air purifiers work?
- 11 Do all HEPA filters remove mold?
- 12 How long do air purifiers for mold last?
- 13 Do air purifiers remove mold and mildew?
- 14 How to clean mold in the air purifier?
Mold can appear anywhere in your home. However, it occurs mostly in areas like your basement, bathroom, kitchen, and living room. Why? The humidity in the air makes it easier for mold to spread and attach to walls. You can remedy the mold spores in the air by buying an air purifier. Air purifiers work by trapping the mold spores in their filters, through UV lights, or ionically. This helps stop the spread of spores and produces cleaner air. It doesn’t just remove mold spores either. It filters all allergens, pollutants, bacteria, and viruses.
The Best Air Purifiers for Mold in 2023：our choice
- BEST OVERALL：IQAir HealthPro Plus Air Purifier
- UPGRADE PICK：LEVOIT Air Purifier
- BEST SMART TECH：Okaysou Smart Air Purifiers for Home Large Room
While an air purifier can filter airborne mold spores, it’s important to tackle mold at the source. Even the best air purifier for mold will not fix the root cause of the mold.
1.IQAir HealthPro Plus Air Purifier
Feature
The HealthPro Plus is a mold and germ destroying air purifier that uses traditional air purification methods to treat the surrounding environment. No ionization or ultraviolet light treatment stages in this machine, which means no harmful VOCs in the air for you. This is our editor’s choice of the best air purifier for mold.
Pros
- Extremely high air filtration efficiency
- High powered yet quiet fan motor
- Very low energy consumption
Cons
- No designer colors offered
- Expensive
- Filter replacement can be expensive
IQAir’s 3D UltraSeal system prevents leaks of polluted air before being processed through a multi-stage filtration process. Tongue and groove seal seat filter media to the frame of the machine, and the UltraSeal seals seat the filter frame to the purifier body. Removable media trays also have their own seals to ensure cross-contamination between stages doesn’t happen – of course, this is pretty much a non-issue considering the differential pressure between the filter stages (incoming higher pressure air contacts each filter stage and results in a lower pressure air output after passing through the media…backflow isn’t physically possible under normal operating conditions).
The top features are its six fan speeds that can be selected from the air purifier’s control panel, and an automatic timer that can be configured for daytime and nighttime use. A differential pressure sensor detects changes in filter performance and alerts the owner when the filter is approaching its end of life. It has so many good key features. It’s a great alternative to an ozone generator. This is not in the best cheap air purifier category, but worth the money. Although, you may want to check out air sanitizers vs air purifiers to see which one is better.
2.LEVOIT Air Purifier
Pros
- 3 air speed settings
- Energy Star certified
- Easy-to-use display
- Comes in 2 colorways
Cons
- Limited portability
- Not suitable for large rooms
This air cleaner has a simple design and an easy-to-use display that controls a range of features. For nighttime, the Core 300 has a silent mode that runs at 24 decibels for quiet operation. The display also controls the three fan speed settings, timer setting, and filter indicator.
This unit has three stages of filtration. A prefilter and a true HEPA filter trap particles. An activated carbon filter nabs odors and other pollutants. This purifier features Levoit’s Vortexair Technology to create a stronger airflow while keeping the purifier compact. This design allows this purifier to change the air up to five times per hour in rooms up to 219 square feet, ensuring a constant change of cleaner air. This affordable and sleek air purifier is Energy Star certified for efficient operation.
3.Okaysou Smart Air Purifiers for Home Large Room
Pros
- Air quality indicator display and auto fan feature based on air quality.
- Filter indicator light for replacements.
- Includes a turbo fan mode and eco mode.
- Has a high CADR rating.
Cons
- Noisy on the highest setting.
It cleans large rooms and small rooms with ease with some Smart features. It can clean a 1,000 sq foot room in one hour, 600 sq ft in about 30 minutes, and a 300 sq ft room in only 15 minutes. It features an extra-large inlet and has a high CADR rating of 250. This purifier has a washable pre-filter and a TRUE H13 HEPA filter to clean up to 99.97% of microns. It has Smart features like Eco mode, filter replacement indicator, child lock, and an air quality sensor that automatically adjusts the fan speeds based on the air quality. The air purifier also features a night mode that dims lights and a turbofan speed mode for faster cleaning.
4.TruSens Smart Wi-Fi Air Purifier | UV-C Light
Pros
- Design-wise build
- Amazing performance for dealing with mold and viruses
- Compact and sleek design
- High-end Smart features
- Advanced dual flow technology
Cons
- Really noisy on highest speed
- More expensive for the same performance
TruSens’ UV sterilization kills 99.8% of dangerous germs and bacteria in the air, protecting you against all types of airborne viruses.
With a CADR rating of 200 Dust/ 191 Smoke/ 208 Pollen, the TruSens Z-3500‘s design and high fan power enable it to cover a space up to 750 square feet (cfm). Despite its high fan power, the TruSens Z-3500 is exceptionally silent because to its Sleep Mode, which reduces noise to the level of a whisper.
TruSens Z-3500 is also special because it packs with a signature SensorPod – a remote air sensor to detect accurately the air quality index where you concern the most. It can take accurate air quality measurements within 49 feet, and respond to the air purifier in less than 5 seconds.In our air purifier ranking list, TruSens Z-3500 ranks A-, and together with its non-smart version, this is the UV-C light air purifier with highest ranking.
5.Blueair Classic Air Purifier
Feature
We’re big fans of Blueair’s product line; from its high-capacity Pro XL model to its economical Classic 203, these machines are very well-engineered and do exactly what they’re supposed to for years on end before breaking down. It has earned its place as the best air purifier for mold and dust
Pros
- Large room coverage of 434 sq ft
- Awesome performance rating
- Highest quality material
Cons
- Is more expensive than others with the same room coverage
- The machine is big and heavy
- No integrated Smart Sensor
However, Blueair’s ionization process has been lab-tested to ensure that the ozone levels leaving the device are lower than the levels entering it. It’s one of its top features and the best of both worlds. Ionization can be an extremely effective means of eliminating pollutants if it’s used properly, and Blueair knows its stuff.
The Classic 405 is a seamless mold air purifier that provides excellent performance for medium-sized areas (rated for spaces up to 434 square feet). It’s extremely quiet even on its highest setting, and the machine can be controlled via Blueair’s mobile app “Blueair Friend.” It’s a great air purifier for large-room apartments or homes. We had a little bit of trouble with Wi-Fi connectivity on our test units, but after some reconfiguration, we were able to reliably connect. Being able to operate a home appliance via a mobile app adds greatly to this product’s convenience, almost like using a remote control. Our recommendation though is that consumers interested in buying the 405, or another one of Blueair’s noni models, also purchase Blueair’s Aware indoor air quality sensor – otherwise the mobile app only allows users to change the fan speed.
Air purifiers that remove mold air, like the 405, should be used only as health risk mitigation devices and users should attempt to eliminate mold and mildew sources directly to completely remove mold spores from indoor environments.
6.Germ Guardian AC5900WCA
Pros
- 3-step filtration
- Odor-controlling
- Optional UV-light filter
- 3 air speed settings
Cons
- Limited portability
- Loud operation
The three-step filter includes a prefilter, true HEPA filter, and activated charcoal filter. The activated charcoal layer can help reduce odors from pets, cooking, smoke, and other daily household activities. The optional UV-C light feature helps kill airborne viruses.
This unit filters air four times an hour in rooms up to 338 square feet. The larger capacity makes this unit an ideal option for kitchens, a major source of household smells. The small rectangular unit has a very basic and unobtrusive design. A simple button display has a filter change indicator light, UV-C light control, timer setting, and three speed settings.
Also read:The best car air purifiers in 2023
Best air purifier for mold in basement
1.Germ Guardian Air Purifier for Homes
Pros
- Ability to turn the UV-C light on or off and doesn’t produce Ozone.
- Filter lasts almost a year before replacement.
- Energy Star Rated for low-cost running.
- Sensor that indicates when it’s time to replace the filter.
Cons
- The UV-C light will affect those who need complete darkness to sleep.
It features a TRUE HEPA filter, Activated Carbon pre-filter, and UV-C light for the removal of pollutants. The Activated Carbon pre-filter removes most pollutants before it reaches the other filters. The TRUE HEPA filter is one of the best for dust and mold spore removal down to 0.3 microns. The UV-C light helps kill mold, bacteria, and viruses. It clears rooms up to 153 sq ft at 4x. The CADR rating is 118 Dust/108 Smoke/125 Pollen. The AC4825E has three fan speeds and runs at 40dB for the lowest setting. If you’re expecting Smart features with this model, you won’t see any which is common with air purifiers under $100. However, it does include an LED sensor when it’s time for a filter replacement.
2.Vornado PCO575DC Air Purifier
Pros
- Impressive innovation in air filtration system
- Best way to kill mold, mildew and viruses, with Silverscreen technology
- Impressive high ACH rating
- Intelligent control
- Energy Smart is great feature
Cons
- Low CADR rating for the price
It not only safely destroys any mold spores, mildew and viruses, but also breaks down any Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) molecule into harmless molecules, like H2O and CO2.
Additionally, the Vornado PCO575DC is extremely powerful due to its True HEPA filter. This well-constructed layer of filtration is comprised of high-quality materials and may last up to a year. Without a doubt, this air purifier gets a minimum rating of 9 on a 0-10 scale for performance.
Another significant benefit of purchasing Vornado PCO575DC is the powerful fan. It boasts the highest air changes per hour rating, and can clean your room up to 12 times per hour (ACH rating). It is really, really incredible, because other air purifiers can deliver just 5X ACH. Its CADR rating is acceptable with 175 Dust/ 166 Smoke/ 192 Pollen (cfm).
In terms of additional features, we will have an accurate Smart Sensor and other add-ons like Sleep Mode or LED filter replacement indicator. The Vornado PCO575DC also has an Energy Smart technology, to be 80% more energy efficient, so you can easily forget your electricity bill.
In our air purifier ranking list, Vornado PCO575DC ranks B, and even its little brother – Vornado PCO373DC shows better performance/price ratio, which ranks B+.
3.Honeywell HPA304 HEPA Air Purifier
Pros
- 4 cleaning levels
- Touch control panel
- Filters dust, pet dander, pollen, and mold spores
- Filters 5 times per hour
Cons
- Louder than some alternatives
- Expensive
The true HEPA filter in this purifier captures a wide range of allergens, including pet dander, dust, dust mite debris, pollen, and mold spores. This unit is Energy Star qualified and has a high CADR rating. The Honeywell HPA300 can filter the air five times per hour in large rooms up to 465 square feet; the high air turnover means this unit can capture more allergens.
This air purifier features four cleaning levels: Germ, General Cleaning, Allergen, and Turbo. The cleaning levels adjust the fan speed to suit each function. This unit’s touch control panel also features a filter change indicator, timer options, and control panel dimmer.
Why You Should Buy An Air Purifier for Mold Spore Removal
Mold spores, pollen, viruses, and other organic pollutants like dust mites all account for reducing the class of indoor air quality, and the American Lung Association considers these a significant threat to overall health and wellness, potentially causing lost days at both work and school. In other words, it is a health risk. That said, a literal plethora of medical studies are available to the curious mind that delves deep into the relationship between molds, allergies, and asthma, and they all have slightly different conclusions. One thing that keeps constant though is the fact that breathing clean, dry air is better for respiratory health than breathing contaminated air. To help reduce interior air pollution, consider investing in an air purifier for your home.
Using an indoor air purifier to remove pollutants can significantly improve the quality of your respiratory health, while mitigating risks that have been associated with molds, spores, fungi, and other airborne particulates. Make your immune system stronger by investing in products that can help you breathe fresh air without having to leave your home. Outdoor air pollution already takes its toll on your lower and upper respiratory tract, but you have much more control over improving your home’s interior air quality. Just be aware that you should hire a professional for mold removal in addition to using a good air purifier. The more that you can limit your mold exposure the better for your allergy and asthma. This is why it is also a good idea to use the vacuum cleaner very often. Also, check out the best air purifier for cigarette smoke if you regularly smoke in your house. Moreover, you might want a top-rated whole house air purifier, especially for people who smoke.
Buying the best air purifier for mold risk mitigation can make a lasting impact on you and your family’s long-term health, and having said that let’s dive into our top picks.
How We Choose the Best Air Purifiers for Mold
Internal Seals
Mold affects our health adversely and airborne pollution comes in many forms, but the one thing that stays consistent is size. Aside from visible dust, most particulate pollution is tiny – microscopic in fact – and if the air purifier isn’t assembled with internal seals to prevent air from escaping before it’s been cleaned then you might as well not even have an air purifier at all.
All the models that made our list have been engineered with industrial-grade seals and filtration compartments, meant to ensure that dirty air is processed through filters and treatment processes before returning to the environment it’s been pulled from. If an initial review model was found to have a major design flaw allowing contaminated air to escape before the exhaust, we eliminated it from our review.
Media Quality and Volume
Machines employing carbon filtration were carefully reviewed to ensure that the medium of choice ranked as some of the highest quality in the industry segment. Activated carbon filters with more weight provide a greater surface area for capturing contaminants and also typically last longer – we’ve ensured that the models in this list reign superior to others in the vertical when it comes to carbon filtration.
Medical-Grade HEPA Filtration
HEPA. We’ve all heard the term, but how many of us understand what HEPA is and why it’s critical to air filtration? If you want to learn more about HEPA filters we have an article just for that. Otherwise, it’s important to understand the very basics: various HEPA grades are available to manufacturers of air purifiers, and a company’s selection of medical-grade, high-performance HEPA filters demonstrates not only superior device functionality, but also the company’s commitment to superior customer health. All of the units included in this list employ medical-grade HEPA filters as part of multi-staged air purification.
Industrial Design
When it comes to mold spore removal, we think of damp spaces that are undergoing remodeling and/or remediation, and while this isn’t always going to be the case, we wanted to ensure that the units that made our final list were built tough – tough enough to take a minor beating, and devoid of components that break when you manhandle them. Our top picks are built solidly and can endure demanding environments and long run times in less than perfect environmental conditions.
Key Factors
Multi-Stage Air Cleaning
Mold spores are typically captured by medium-sized particulate filters, but some spores can make it through various stages of an air filter until reaching the HEPA filter. Multi-staged purification ensures that airborne particulates captured by your air cleaner have a higher probability of being removed by the machine. Purifiers with true HEPA are the best. Filter life is about 3-6 months depending on usage. When it’s time make sure you get a replacement filter and do a filter change.
Don’t Be Overwhelmed
There are many models to choose from. With so many air purifiers on the market, it can be hard to determine which is best. There are popular models like the Honeywell HPA300, the Levoit LVPUR131 air purifier, Germguardian AC5350B, Breathesmart Flexs with the Hepasilver filter, Coway AP1512HH, the LVH132 air purifier, Purezone 3-in-1 true HEPA air, Fellowes Aeramax, Germguardian AC4100, Levoit LVH132 and all of the other air purifiers on Amazon. No matter what you buy, make sure that you shop around, check out prices on Amazon, and get a lifetime warranty when you purchase. Also, consider getting an energy star-rated model to save energy.
HEPA
Should mold spores reach air purifiers with true HEPA, interlaced threads in the filter will attract the particulates and capture them. Dry environments, like the HEPA filter, are inhospitable for spore reproduction and cause the organic material to die. True HEPA air purifiers capture up to 99.97 percent of particles as small as 0.3 microns.
Air Cleaner Construction
Industrial seals keep contaminants from escaping once caught by the machine, but they also ensure that the machine itself isn’t compromised by its environment. Things like internal moisture protection, positive air pressure relative to the environment being treated, and airflow engineering into and out of the machine all ensure that the air cleaning process works in practice as well as it works in theory.
Features to Look For
User Interface
Few of us like complicated controls. With that in mind, we set out to include machines on our list that are easy to configure, use, and understand with some very key features. These are mostly “set them and forget them” devices, but understanding filter change indications, speed settings, and automation functions is an important part of the consumer experience. Some appliances feature mobile apps that can function as a remote control for your machine, which can make the experience more convenient as long as the controls aren’t too complex.
Sensor Technology
Not too many sensors are considered necessities on machines like these, but we prefer a few: 1) Differential pressure sensors to indicate filter replacement, 2) Environmental sensors to automate fan speed based on pollution detection, and 3) Day/night programs to ensure a peaceful environment while resting.
Caster Wheels
Few of us like complicated controls. With that in mind, we set out to include machines on our list that are easy to configure, use, and understand with some very key features. These are mostly “set them and forget them” devices, but understanding filter change indications, speed settings, and automation functions is an important part of the consumer experience.
Mistakes to Avoid
Air purifier filters vary greatly based on the intended application. Avoid buying an air purifier that isn’t designed to reduce and/or eliminate mold spores in the air, because antimicrobial filters are designed to kill organic pollutants on contact and offer greater protection from contaminants like molds. Medical-grade HEPA filters coupled with pre-filters designed for mold spores capture particulate in an environment that isn’t ideal for propagation – leading to the organisms’ death.
How We Chose the Best Air Purifiers for Mold
Removing mold spores, odors, and noxious particles from the air in your home provides comfort and peace of mind. Selections for the best air purifier for mold depended upon their filtration type, noise level, square footage covered, ease of use, and portability.
When it comes to an air purifier for mold, the above units are all great options for small or large spaces with many picks including multi-layered filtration. The HEPA filters, prefilters, UV-light filtration, and activated carbon filters included all aid in removing odor, particles, pet dander, and allergens from your home. Plus, many of these units run at low noise levels or include sleep-modes for silent operation at night.
As for square footage covered, all the air purifiers listed above can purify 160-1,650 square feet based on the size of your home or rooms. Depending upon the size of the unit you need, these air purifiers are light enough to move wherever you need them. Finally, some of these purifiers are also smart home compatible, come with simple control panels, or can be adjusted with a remote control.
The Advantages of Owning the Best Air Purifier for Mold
Mold exposure in the home can cause short- and long-term health concerns. Although air purifiers won’t completely eliminate the potentially dangerous fungus, these devices can reduce the number of unhealthy spores in the air. This can help give peace of mind when investigating or remediating contamination issues.
Mold is almost always present in the air around us. An air purifier can help reduce exposure, which is especially important for those who are sensitive to these allergens.
The best air purifiers trap numerous impurities and allergens, making the air inside the home cleaner and healthier. Air purifiers are an affordable way to improve indoor air quality and are easy to operate; once turned on, the unit does the hard work. Air purifiers are designed to run around the clock, so you can breathe easier at home.
- Air purifiers reduce airborne contaminants in the home, like mold spores, pet dander, smoke pollution, odors, and more.
- The reduction of airborne contaminants can improve quality of life for people with asthma, allergies, and other respiratory conditions triggered by poor air quality.
- Air purifiers are easy to operate and can offer around-the-clock filtering.
WHAT ARE MOLD AND MILDEW? ARE MOLDS HARMFUL FOR YOUR HEALTH?
What are mold and mildew? In a nutshell, mildew is a sort of mold. And molds are fungi that not only harm the surfaces on which they develop, but also emit massive amounts of spores.
Are molds harmful for your health? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to damp and moldy conditions can result in a range of health impacts or have no effect at all. However, simply because you are not sensitive to mold does not mean you are immune to it. Indeed, prolonged exposure to mold may cause anybody to acquire a severe allergy.
“In 2004 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) found there was sufficient evidence to link indoor exposure to mold with upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, and wheeze in otherwise healthy people; with asthma symptoms in people with asthma; and with hypersensitivity pneumonitis in individuals susceptible to that immune-mediated condition. The IOM also found limited or suggestive evidence linking indoor mold exposure and respiratory illness in otherwise healthy children.”
Features of the Best Air Purifiers for Mold
To combat the problems associated with mold, an air purifier needs to be able to remove mold spores from the air. These spores are the cause of mold allergies and represent the greatest overall threat to air quality. For capturing spores, a HEPA filter is required.
Although spores are the biggest source of contamination from mold, they are not the only one. Mold can also produce gases and odors that can cause issues on their own. Gases and odors from mold are most concerning for people suffering from severe asthma or other respiratory diseases, as they are more susceptible to the effects of exposure. Even for otherwise healthy individuals, though, exposure over a long enough period of time can become a problem. For this reason, a good mold air purifier also needs at least some carbon filtration ability to allow it to capture gases and odors produced by mold growths.
Finally, the best mold air purifiers typically feature a UV light. When exposed to light in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum, mold spores are neutralized, making them effectively harmless. As a result, purifiers with UV germicidal lamps targeted at viruses and bacteria are also great for dealing with mold spores.
It’s easy to get confused between mold and mildew. For starters, they are both fungi that thrive in warm damp areas in your home. However, some key differences affect how both should be treated and prevented from growing. Mildew is typically white, gray, or yellow and fluffy or powdery in texture. It tends to spread on the surface of moist, warm areas. Whereas, mold is green or black and grows underneath or behind surfaces that have gotten wet. Mildew is relatively easy to deal with and can be removed with simple household cleaning products and a decent brush. Mold, on the other hand, is a little more tricky and may require hiring professionals to remove it correctly. For mold, it’s best to treat it before it’s even a problem and consider investing in an air purifier or other air ventilation machine.
How do Activated Carbon Filters work?
Carbon filtering is commonly used for water purification in air purifiers. Carbon filters utilize a bed of activated carbon to remove contaminants and impurities, using chemical absorption. Active charcoal carbon filters are most effective at removing chlorine, sediment, VOCs (volatile organic compounds), and odor.
What is the difference between air purifiers for mold and dehumidifiers?
Dehumidifiers remove moisture from the air and do not have a filtering step. Air purifiers have filters or other methods to remove contaminants from the air.
How do air purifiers work?
Portable air purifiers have a fan that sucks air in and moves it through a purifying filter or system. The cleaner air is then pushed out into the room.[1]Do Air Purifiers Actually Work?
Do all HEPA filters remove mold?
A true HEPA filter is fine enough to filter airborne mold particles; however, an air purifier will not remove the source of the mold.
How long do air purifiers for mold last?
Air purifiers can last for many years with proper maintenance. Consider looking for a new air purifier at the five-year mark, since new features and more energy-efficient models may be worth the upgrade. For effective purifying, the filter should be regularly replaced or cleaned according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Do air purifiers remove mold and mildew?
Air purifiers can’t remove mold off your walls if it’s already growing. However, it can remove mold and mildew particles from the air before it sticks to your wall and begins to grow.[2]Do Air Purifiers Help with Indoor Mold?
How to clean mold in the air purifier?
Some filters are washable with a mild detergent and warm water. Others require full filter replacements after so many months. Typically, you change a filter every four to six months.
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