How to use a dehumidifier to eliminate mold?
3 Key Takeaways:
🚀 Dehumidifiers are an effective tool for removing moisture and preventing mold growth.
🚀 They work by extracting moisture from the environment, keeping it dry and free from the growth of mold and mildew.
🚀 To effectively use a dehumidifier to control mold, you must find the right size dehumidifier with the perfect features and ideal placement that will help to eliminate mold problems.
If you have encountered mold problems in your home or any place you’ve been, you will be familiar with the seriousness and difficulty that comes with an active mold problem. Mold growth and mold spores cannot be dismissed lightly. It is important to prevent mold growth at all costs. Apart from causing damage to property, unattended mold growth can bring serious damage to one’s health as well.
Preventing mold spores and mold growth is a wiser option than letting them proliferate. It is difficult to kill mold and to remove active mold especially. Mold remediation can be expensive and even time-consuming. However, mold removal and preventing mold are easy with dehumidifiers. You can invest in a portable dehumidifier or desiccant dehumidifier to kill mold spores and mold growth. Let us learn more about how a dehumidifier kills mold and how a dehumidifier works to remove moisture from the air and the mold problem itself.
What is the first thing you need to do when you have mold at home?
The minute you notice mold growth in any part of your home, you must act immediately to look into signs of moisture damage. When there is too much moisture in any area, you can expect mold spores to thrive there. Excess moisture and lack of sunlight is the ideal environment for mold. You must first focus on removing moisture to remove mold spores from any space.
Damp air or moist air is the reason for high humidity levels to exist in a place. Where there is excess moisture or excess humidity, the indoor relative humidity level of the room cannot be expected to be within the ideal levels. With high relative humidity levels there come several troubles. Damp air or moist air is the best environment to diminish indoor air quality with the proliferation of dust mites, mildew, musty smells, allergy symptoms, mold spores, and active mold growth. When mold dies, they sometimes simply go into a state of dormancy waiting for the humid environment with favorable conditions to return.
In order to put of stop to mold problems for good, you must focus on reducing humidity. When you reduce excess moisture from the air you automatically reduce mold from the air inside the home.
The best way to keep away allergy symptoms, musty smell, dust mites, and contribute to also removing mold is to invest in air purifiers. An air purifier is an excellent device that can trap allergens in its air filter and purify the humid air or warm air passing through it. However, air purifiers are not capable to remove moisture from the air. To keep away moist air or humid air and balance the excess humidity level that exists, find the best dehumidifier. A dehumidifier will work effectively in removing moisture and removing mold.
Why do you need a dehumidifier to control mold?
As aforementioned, removing moisture from the air and surrounding is the only way to ensure that mold dies. Mold spores and mold growth will not stop until the excessive moisture levels from the humid environment are brought under control.
Every mold remediation process will make use of a dehumidifier to assist the mold removal process. Apart from the thorough cleaning of the mold growth, the important method to practice is to turn on the dehumidifier to control the mold spores and prevent mold growth.
A dehumidifier is designed with a unit that can take in the humid air, moist air, or warm air that is contributing to the high humidity levels. Once the air with excessive moisture content enters the unit and the dehumidifier cool coils, via a process of condensation the water vapor content is removed from the air. This is the most efficient way to reduce excess moisture from the air. A perfect solution to moisture problems is to work on the relative humidity level and moisture level of the space.
Once the high humidity levels and moisture levels are brought under control, the favorable condition for mold growth is removed. Hence to remove mold growth along with its side effects like the musty smell or unpleasant odor and other allergy symptoms. It is advised to use a dehumidifier. The right size dehumidifier required for mold growth removal and the type (desiccant dehumidifier or portable dehumidifier), can be estimated from the size of the area to be covered.
How to use a dehumidifier to eliminate mold?
The method in which a dehumidifier works guarantees an end to moisture problems. Too much moisture from the air can be extracted using portable dehumidifiers or whole-house dehumidifiers that are installed in your home. When there is more moisture in any area that is dark, it is evident that moisture problems will soon erupt.
To reduce moisture level and excess humidity level using a dehumidifier you must find the right size dehumidifier, the perfect features that will help the dehumidifier kill mold spores and kill mold growth, and the ideal placement of the unit that will help to eliminate mold problem and an alteration of certain lifestyle practices. You can find out if mold can be killed by a dehumidifier by clicking here.
It is a given that when you use a dehumidifier it will remove the mold growth and prevent mold from recurring. But to maintain a healthy indoor relative humidity level, a good indoor air quality, and ensure the moisture levels of the space are kept at a low; there are certain points to practice even when you use a dehumidifier. Adapt natural ways to reduce humidity levels like promoting air circulation, fixing water leaks, using air conditioners when the temperature is high, using exhaust fans, etc.
How long does it take for a dehumidifier to kill mold?
The time taken to reduce moisture from a place will depend on the extent of moisture problems and mold growth. Mold remediation can take at least a week to work if there is more moisture. It can even take longer to kill mold and prevent mold growth in the future.
What other measures can be taken to control mold?
The other measures that can be taken to prevent mold growth at home or in any space are; turning on the air conditioners, opening windows and doors to allow direct sunlight inside the space, fixing leaks and roofs, cleaning bathrooms with mold growth inhibitors, permanently removing all items affects with mold growth. These measures will ensure that you eliminate mold thoroughly and even remove the musty smell.
Suitable dehumidifiers for mold [Our recommendations]:
The following are the best dehumidifiers available in the market to reduce moisture build-up, maintain the ideal relative humidity, and remove mold growth.
1. Kesnos 70 Pint Dehumidifier
One of the best large capacity dehumidifiers that you can find in the market is the Kesnos unit This large unit can cover an area of 4,500 square feet. It removes 70 pints of moisture from the air and helps to keep all kinds of moisture problems at bay.
The unit is built with a 24-hour continuous cycle, auto shut off, auto drain, and manual drain options. Its 1.18 gallons of water bucket is sufficient to hold the water extracted daily. Another interesting feature in this unit, one of the best portable dehumidifiers is its Humidity Auto Control feature. This can turn on the unit automatically when the humidity levels are high.
To use a dehumidifier to remove mold growth from all areas of your home you can bank on the Kesnos 70-pint unit. Hurry now to purchase this dehumidifier at the best price!
2. Honeywell Basement and Large Room Dehumidifier
The next dehumidifier on the list that is trusted to keep mold growth and moisture problems away is the Honeywell 30 Pint dehumidifier. This small size makes it easy to use a dehumidifier anywhere moisture removal is required. It is equipped to remove 30 pints of moisture per day, covering an area of 100 square feet. This area coverage can be sufficient to keep mold growth, mold spores, and moisture problems away from any basement or large room in this area.
You can rest assured that the indoor air quality of your home is taken care of. The washable air filters and Filter Clean Alert system is designed to function like an air purifier. Emptying the water tank is also easy with this unit’s manual and auto-drain option. You also have the advantage of connecting this unit to Wifi network and controlling the operation with Alexa Voice control.
Do you want to reduce mold from a small space with ease? Invest in Honeywell 30 Pint dehumidifier to bid goodbye to mold growth and high humidity.
3. Vremi 1,500 Sq Ft Dehumidifier
The final product on the list is the Vremi 1,500 sq ft dehumidifier. This unit can absorb 22 pints of moisture per day from the air, covering an area of 1,500 square feet. Here we have another small dehumidifier that is portable, sleek in design, and can be trusted for mold growth removal.
The advantageous features of this dehumidifier include; a continuous 24-hour cycle, automatic shut-off, 0.8-gallon water tank, adjustable fan speed settings, and minimal energy consumption with Energy Star. Is your home in need of humidity control and mold removal? Purchase the Vremi dehumidifier now to stop mold growth and maintain a healthy level of relative humidity at your home or workspace.
FAQ Section
1. Why you shouldn’t use bleach to control mold?
The first reason why chlorine bleach is not recommended or used in professional mold remediation is that bleach cannot kill mold at its roots. The mold spores spread at the root, To eliminate mold completely and to control mold proliferation further you must end the mold problem at its roots. For this, you require professional mold removal services, consistent dehumidification, and cleaning.
The second reason why bleach is not advised to be used on mold-affected surfaces is that bleach can penetrate easily into porous materials. Bleach emanates fumes that are harmful to both humans and pets, easily being a cause to trigger allergy symptoms
2. How to prevent mold from dehumidifier bucket?
To control mold from growing in the dehumidifier bucket it is important to clean it regularly. Every time you rinse the dehumidifier bucket make sure to give it a quick rinse with liquid detergent or dish soap, or any soapy water. Wipe the corners of the bucket clean and vacuum if possible. Sun-drying the bucket is a great option to expose the bucket to direct sunlight for short intervals that will prevent mold growth and musty smells.
You can also use white vinegar and baking soda solution once a week or when you clean the entire dehumidifier unit. This will also ensure to keep the mold problems at bay in the bucket.
3. Does leaving a window open, prevent mold?
Yes. When there is excess moisture in the room it is recommended to improve ventilation. Opening the windows and doors, using exhaust fans, etc., are a few of the natural ways to reduce moisture build-up. Opening windows will help the moisture escape and prevent it from settling on the walls, floors, ceilings, and other areas of the home. Removing moisture from the air inside the house and also improving the indoor air quality can be done by improving ventilation.
4. How to prevent mold condensation in winter?
There is no evidence to prove that air purifiers increase the oxygen levels in the room. However, it is said that some air purifiers do take up oxygen, but they do not reduce the oxygen levels by which you should be alarmed.
Humidifiers on the other hand are known to increase the oxygen levels in a room. This will help to reduce fatigue, and headaches, and improve sleep. Increasing indoor air oxygen levels can be brought up in a number of ways. For example by making healthy air circulation of indoor air possible, having good plants that improve the quality of indoor air, etc.
5. How can you tell if you have mold in your lungs?
Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is the term used for an allergic reaction that arises from mold infecting the lungs. You can identify this with certain symptoms and get it diagnosed medically. The symptoms can vary for each person but they primarily include; wheezing, coughing, fever, headaches, chest pain, and difficulty in breathing.
Wrapping Up
That’s an end to this article to this article. We trust the article answered your queries on mold removal using dehumidifiers. Share with us your experiences on controlling mold growth using dehumidifiers and which dehumidifier unit best suits your need.
About The Author
Olivia — a self-confessed air quality addict — is a home climate enthusiast, fresh air advocate, and someone with deep personal experience and knowledge about mold extermination. Her work was mentioned in countless notable humidity publications. Previously she was an editor at Mold Remediation.