When dealing with mold particles and indoor moisture, the goal is to eliminate them by physically moving these things out of your house. The normal circulation of a building that breathes fresh air into a building and expels used air can only do so much – sometimes it needs a little help. That’s why we have a few tools that can assist. HEPA Filters – HEPA stands for high efficiency particulate air, and HEPA filters are made to trap really small particles within the air. Some organic compounds, such as mold spores, are too small to be contained within a normal vacuum and just recirculate back into the air. But a HEPA filter can trap at least 99.97 percent of particles. HEPA filters are found within air purifiers or HEPA vacuums. Check for a serial number to make sure the HEPA filter has been certified to perform at a certain standard. Remember, while HEPA filters will remove most mold spores in the air, they will not remove the mold itself growing in your house or eliminate the moisture problem that caused the mold to grow. Wet Vacuums – Wet vacs are like ordinary vacuum cleaners but they are designed to suck up liquids, which would damage dry vacuum cleaners. Wet vacuums are a great tool for removing water from a damp surface quickly before mold can form. Allowing spills to dry on their own only evaporates the water into the air where it is still a problem. But a wet vac traps the water inside an internal canister until you can dump it outside. By far, the most popular brand of wet vacuum is the Shop-Vac.
Dehumidifier – Dehumidifiers take water vapor out of the air and into the dehumidifier. When water is hot it turns into vapor, but a dehumidifier uses a cold surface to condense the water back into a liquid where it is normally dripped into a bucket. A dehumidifier has both hot and cold coils to cool the water and heat the dried air back up to its original temperature. The important thing to remember is that whether you are condensing water with a dehumidifier, sucking it up with a wet vac, or evaporating it through drying, you aren’t really getting rid of the water, you are just moving it from one location to another. The end goal of is to physically move the water out from the indoors and into the outdoors where it cannot cause any damage to your home.