If you are like me than you probably have your share of issues dealing with mold spores. More specifically the symptoms that come with breathing in mold spores. Shortness of breath, sneezing all the time, itchy eyes, blowing my nose constantly. Yuck.
This article will lay out a few things that can actually help with these symptoms.
Do ionizers kill mold? Do they kill Airborne mold spores? In short, no. Ionizers cannot kill mold. What they do is emit negative ions into the air . The ions, because of polarity , attach themselves to airborne mold spores and cause the spores to be too heavy to float. As a result, the spores will fall to the surface.
An Ionizer is not a terrible idea since it will help reduce the amount of mold in your breathing air. But having bacteria and germs all over your tables and services is not a particularly enticing thought either.
There are better alternatives.
Let’s face it, mold is practically everywhere and if you are one of the ones that suffers from negative effects from it then you have a pretty all-consuming problem.
Solving the problem doesn’t necessarily start with purchasing a product though.
Doing your due diligence and cleaning up existing mold on walls, raking up the leaves, and cleaning out the gutters as well as vacuuming the carpets can be a great start to reducing your symptoms.
Unfortunately anything you do to clean mold is going to kick it back up into the atmosphere. Regardless of whether you’re vacuuming or raking or just plain walking, you are stirring up mold spores.
The reality is that without some type of filtration system in place, some types of cleaning are only going to make it worse.
Another thing to remember is that air handlers, the heating and cooling system that homes and businesses are outfitted with, will transfer air throughout the house.
Since these units typically live in the Attic, and Attics are typically dark and damp, mold can easily grow in the condensation drip pan.
If the pan is not kept clean , the HVAC unit will basically become a mold distribution center, delivering mold spores to every room that has a vent connected to the system.
Placing a UV light or germicidal light over the drip pan is a good solution to kill the mold spores before they ever have a chance to travel through your house.
Many companies sell in duct air purifiers they will not only kill the unwanted germs before they enter the house, they will also distribute clean air throughout your house or business.
The biggest downside to putting a UV light over the drip pan is the lifespan of the UV lamp itself.
The work required to install one is not exactly cake and crawling into the Attic to monitor the light to see if it is still working or not, is a hassle to say the least.
Air Oasis has a induct unit that goes right into the housing of the heating and air handler and also will alert you when the UV cell needs to be changed.
That’s a little bit better of an option for persons inclined to go this direction.
The different types of Mould can also have different symptoms associated and also require different methods for ridding your space from them.
Allergenic spores trigger asthma and allergic symptoms. Children can be especially susceptible to this type of mold. Not life-threatening but definitely health and well-being threatening.
This is the top we are discussing in this article.
Toxic mold is the scary kind. Black mold can cause cancer and it can make you sick as a dog. Don’t mess with it. If you think you have black mold in your home, the answer is not to try to clean it, but to call a specialist. Mold remediation is a big industry and you should have no problem finding someone local.
Buying an air purifier is confusing to say the least. So many Brands so many touts.
Depending on which company selling what type of air purifier, getting the right, on the level info can be hard.
Air purifiers rely on replacement parts. The replacement filter industry is as big or bigger than the air cleaner industry. Picking an air purifier that is going to do the job but not cost you an arm and a leg in replacement parts and filters is not the easiest task.
So when it comes to mold, what exactly do you need to get it out of your air?
The first technology I recommend is AHPCO by Air Oasis. These air purifiers work by creating a reaction of hydro peroxides. Imagine pouring hydrogen peroxide on every germ, bacteria, mold Spore, or VOC in your home. You would disinfect the air in the same way that you would disinfect a cut or burn on your skin. That’s exactly what AHPCO technology does.
This also means that this cleaner is actually an air purifier – surface sanitizer all in one.
Most importantly lab tests show 99.9% elimination of mold in the ambient air of your home. These are cleaners cover larger spaces then HEPA filters. The Air Oasis G3 3000 for instance covers up to 3000 square feet .
A great deal more than any typical filtering air cleaner. Also they do not require any replacement parts for two years.
For performance and value, they are Simply the Best.
The second type of air purifier for mold I suggest is a multi technology unit.
A multi-tech air cleaner is not about throwing a bunch technologies into a box but placing technologies that work together and do so In concert so that you get the best out of each technology.
The combination you are looking for here is a great HEPA filter combined with a heavy carbon filter that uses germicidal UV and Nano PCO as a means of keeping the filters from becoming a germ farm.
This will give you the benefit of having a filter that is capable of filtering mold spores as well as knock out odors and vocs but won’t cost you as much on the back end buying replacement parts.
My recommendation for the best purifier in this category is Iadaptair by Air Oasis.
Not only does this air cleaner combine all the best Technologies working in concert together, it has an on board air monitoring system that is combined with smartphone access.
Some technologies just won’t work together.
Imagine having ionizer combined with a fan pulling air through a filter.
What you would have is basically a machine creating ions and filtering them out right away.
Makes absolutely no sense and is a waste of money.
Yet this is the kind of thing that happens a lot and you should be aware before purchasing anything based on the assumption that having a bunch of Technologies in the same box is a better value.
Ozone air purifiers will also work to kill mold, but they probably should never be used as domestic air purifiers for everyday use in the home.
Ozone can build up and that is why there are laws preventing companies from selling devices that create too much ozone. It is also against the law to sell a device that makes ozone in or to California.
The trouble with ozone is that it is almost too efficient at oxidizing air pollution.
Let me explain. Since we are breathing in toxins in, in our everyday life, we have, in a sense polluted our lungs.
By breathing in the ozone created by an ozone generator, the ozone will begin to do its job on the pollutants in our lungs, and if there is too much ozone, it can start to oxidize lung tissue.
The best advice for these is to use them only for commercial applications where there will be no people present till the ozone has completely dissipated.
There are far too many applications that ozone works great for. To say that you should never use it is radical. It’s a little like saying never use electricity because it is dangerous and can shock or even kill you.
Ozone is a powerful tool. Maybe just a little too powerful for everyday home indoor air pollution use.
Germicidal UV air purifiers also in theory will kill mold spores. But they have to be targeted on a mold Spore long enough to kill it.
The problem that you’re not going to get an airborne mold spore to casually glide by and decide to sit in front of a UV germicidal lamp till it dies.
That is unless you use a method like we previously talked about in this article where are you place a germicidal Uv light over an area like a drip pan where mold is forming.
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