5 Best Air Purifiers to Prevent Black Mold in Your Bathroom
By Mirakle Stillman
12 min read
We’ve updated this buying guide to confirm availability and prices of recommended air purifiers. Due to current shipping volume nationwide, there are potential delays for some products.
Mold, a common fungus found almost anywhere in nature, exists where moisture is present. What better place to store up moisture than where all the water action is? That’s right, the bathroom. The build-up of that moisture can determine whether the mold will grow or remain controlled. When it comes to black mold prevention, we often don’t think about it until the problem has already occurred. Black mold can seem like an inconvenient hassle when you aren’t prepared to deal with it. Fortunately, you can easily prevent the issue with something as simple and efficient as an air purifier.
Black mold holds the most potential danger. The scientific name is Stachybotrys chartarum and it gets its name from its dark color. It’s more likely to grow on things made from cellulose, like paper, drywall, and wood, but can appear anywhere warm and wet. There’s no doubt this type of mold can and does occur in the bathroom.
If you have an existing black mold problem in your bathroom, you’re better off physically cleaning and removing it at the source, usually with a bleach solution. You must also remove the moisture accumulation source. It’s also important to note that air purifiers will not remove all mold spores from the air. Spores are everywhere, and therefore it’s pointless to worry about removing every single one.
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An air purifier can help reduce the concentration of spores in the air and keep the air from becoming too damp around it. Staying consistent with changing the filters can also remove an unpleasant smell resulting because of an existing mold problem. An air purifier can offer a long-term solution for preventing an inevitable increase of moisture that is sure to occur in your bathroom. Air purifiers don’t only work in the bathroom but also in other home spaces known to develop large quantities of moisture, such as in a basement or living room. Remember, though an air purifier can help long-term mold spores in the air, only physically cleaning up the mold and removing the moisture that allowed it to grow will solve a visible mold problem.
Alen BreatheSmart
Austin Air
Pros
Cons
- Dimensions: 8.5 x 15 x 25 inches
- Weight: 21.4 pounds
- Four-stage filtration system
- Medical-Grade True HEPA filter and B4-Pure filter
- 800 square feet room coverage
Pros
Cons
- Dimensions: 16.6 x 9.8 x 22.2 inches
- Weight: 16.8 pounds
- Energy Star Rated
- 625 square feet room coverage
Pros
Cons
- Dimensions: 14.5 x 14.5 x 23 inches
- Weight: 53 pounds
- Five-stage filtration system
- Three fan speeds
Pros
Cons
- Dimensions: 22.5 x 22.2 x 12.4 inches
- Weight: 19.76 pounds
- Three-stage filtration system
- 325 square feet room coverage
- Energy Star Rated
- Dimensions: 8.2 x 15.1 x 21.3 inches
- Weight: 11 pounds
- Three-stage filtration system
- True HEPA filter eliminates airborne particles traditional filters cannot trap
- 259 square feet room coverage
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Take Note
Top Air Purifiers for Mold Prevention in Your Bathroom
When choosing an air purifier for mold, the critical component is to pick one with a HEPA filter. They are essential to getting the most quality air. Mold spores die inside the HEPA filter because the environment inside is dry. This means mold can’t reproduce due to needing moisture to thrive. HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air filters and can remove at least 99.7% of dust, bacteria, mold, and more.
Make sure also to check the warranty of the air purifier before you buy it. Mold can always come back, so invest in a purifier that will last you a long time or can at least be replaced if not. Run your air purifier at all times to keep your air fresh and mold-free.
What to Consider When Choosing An Air Purifier
It would help if you considered multiple factors before going out and investing in an air purifier for your bathroom. Assessing these different circumstances will help you make a suitable investment and get an air purifier that will be up to the challenge your bathroom gives it.
What is your family’s health history?
Is there anybody in your family that is predisposed to allergies, asthma or other respiratory issues? If so, consider how often you should purify the air and clean the bathroom. According to the American Lung Association, mold exposure can cause allergic reactions, asthma symptoms, and other upper and lower respiratory problems. With or without allergies, anyone may experience eye skin, nose, throat, and lung irritation when exposed to airborne mold spores.
How much is your bathroom used?
Room usage will have a significant impact on the effectiveness of the air purifier. It is a given that your bathroom will be used every day, at least a couple of times. Therefore, you must consider how many people live in your home and how often they use the bathroom. The more bathroom usage, the more it will demand out of your air purifier.
What’s the size of your bathroom?
If your bathroom is on a larger scale, it will require more out of the air purifier’s cleansing abilities. Familiarize yourself with what is known as a clean air delivery rate, otherwise known as CADR. The measurements aren’t perfect, but it’s the best way to gauge how strong the air purifier will be for your space. A purifier with a lower clean air delivery rate will struggle to purify the air in a large room. In contrast, one with a higher clean air delivery rate should do just fine, so, rule of thumb, big bathrooms need a higher CADR-rated air purifier.
What are the types of pollutants you may come across?
There are common types of pollutants that are always going to be present in your bathroom. It’s helpful to recognize what contaminants are in there when it’s time to check for any visible changes, such as mold. Bathrooms are one of the most common air pollution sources in homes, which increases the importance of an air purification system, especially if there are family members with compromised immune systems. Showerheads and faucets will naturally accumulate bacteria and mold from the moisture in your bathroom, and if it’s not monitored correctly, the situation can go from bad to worse.
Do you have quality ventilation?
Bathrooms should have adequate ventilation to vent moisture outside the house. If they don’t, condensation can build on the walls, ceiling and allow mold to grow where you didn’t expect. Air-conditioning can act as a dehumidifier and help control humidity levels in the house, mainly the bathroom where mold spores can be a problem.
