Mold is a type of fungal microorganism that grows in damp, warm environments. While mold spores are a natural part of most air, they become troublesome when they begin colonizing inside homes. Items like drywall, carpets, insulation, and wood all provide ideal nutrients for mold to digest as it rapidly spreads across surfaces. Besides damaging household materials, mold releases mycotoxins and spores that cause harmful health effects when inhaled or touching skin.
- Congestion, coughing, trouble breathing
- Headaches, memory loss, nausea
- Skin irritation, eye redness
- Aggravated asthma and potential lung infections
Sensitive individuals may react quicker, but mold can negatively impact anyone’s respiratory system when at elevated levels indoors. That’s why it’s critical to remediate mold properly to get your air quality safely restored.
Portable air scrubbers – Mold spore solution
While fixing leaky roofs, and pipes and sealing up cracks limits how much additional moisture mold has to grow, this does not address any spores already polluting your indoor air. Air scrubbers and negative air machines provide the solution. As their name suggests, air scrubbers work by pulling in surrounding air and “scrubbing” it clean before recirculating it back into the room. They are frequently relied on by mold removal specialists to filter spores during remediation projects and accelerate safe air quality restoration efforts.
Air scrubbing and HEPA filtration in action
Air scrubbing units are essentially heavy-duty, industrial-strength air purifiers on wheels designed specifically for mold, dust, and debris-laden environments.
- Dust pre-filter – Traps larger particles like hair, lint, and basic dust floating around.
- HEPA filter – HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters must satisfy rigorous 3rd party testing to earn true “HEPA” status. This filter captures mold spores, smoke particles, bacteria, and other microscopic particles with 99.97%+ efficiency for particles sized 0.3 microns and larger.
- Carbon activated filter – Absorbs fumes, gases, and stubborn smells lingering around.
Combined, these filtration layers scrub most particulate contaminants from the passing airstream including mold spores. Air then gets recirculated back out as clean, filtered air to help control particulate levels room-wide.
Strategic air scrubber placement
Damage Control Air scrubbing units should be positioned strategically based on the size and layout of affected areas. Intake vents should be placed near identified mold colonization sites or moisture-damaged surfaces to filter spores directly from the source before they diffuse elsewhere. Exhaust vents should be oriented toward areas away from contamination zones to promote the circulation of clean, filtered air into occupied regions. It helps create directional “clean-to-less-clean” airflow. For mold removal prep or active remediation, accredited professionals recommend an air exchange rate between 6-12 air changes per hour (ACH) depending on the type of space. Air scrubbers are sized and controlled to hit these ACH benchmarks. Properly functioning portable air scrubbers are proven aids for mold remediation efforts when used continuously as part of a complete mold containment and removal process overseen by qualified specialists.
