If your home smells musty or your allergies act up indoors, an air purifier sounds like an easy fix. It can help, but it’s important to know what it can and can’t do. A purifier cleans the air. It doesn’t touch the mold growing on a wall, under a sink or inside your AC closet.
What an Air Purifier Can Do
- Capture airborne mold spores, dust and other particles, if it has a true HEPA filter
- Lower the number of spores floating in a room, which some allergy sufferers notice
- Help keep the air cleaner after mold has been properly removed
What an Air Purifier Can’t Do
- Remove mold that’s growing on surfaces or inside walls
- Fix the leak or humidity problem feeding the mold
- Keep up with an active mold problem; new spores keep being released
- Lower humidity (that’s a dehumidifier’s job)
Running a purifier while mold keeps growing is like mopping while the sink overflows. You’ll feel some relief, but the source is still there.
What to Look for If You Buy One
- True HEPA filter: not “HEPA-type” or “HEPA-like”
- Sized for the room: check the CADR rating against your room’s square footage
- Replaceable filters: and actually replace them on schedule
- No ozone: avoid units that produce ozone on purpose
Skip Ozone Generators
Some machines are sold as mold or odor “air purifiers” but work by producing ozone. The EPA warns that ozone can irritate the lungs and that, at levels safe for people, it isn’t effective at removing mold. If a product’s selling point is ozone, pass on it.
Better Ways to Clean Up Indoor Air in Florida
- Keep indoor humidity under about 60%; run the AC and a dehumidifier if needed
- Change your AC filter regularly and keep the drain line clear
- Run bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans
- Fix leaks quickly and dry wet materials within a day or two
- Find and remove any mold growth, then use a purifier as a backup
If the smell seems to come from your vents, read mold in air ducts in Florida and why your house smells when the AC turns on.
Find the Source With a Free Visual Inspection
If a purifier isn’t making the musty smell go away, there’s likely a source to find. FL Cleanup offers a free visual inspection with moisture readings and an infrared (thermal) camera across South Florida, and handles mold remediation when it’s needed. We answer 24/7, and hablamos español. Call 877-224-2532 or request a free visual inspection online.
About the author: James Rice-Peña is the owner of FL Cleanup and a Florida-licensed Mold Assessor (MRSA4035) and Mold Remediator (MRSR4158). He has worked in property restoration in South Florida since 2012, and FL Cleanup has earned 200+ five-star Google reviews.
