Topic
9 guides.
A purifier can catch mold spores in the air and soften a musty smell. It cannot stop mold growing. Here are the certified picks for the first job, and what to do about the second.
Our top pick is the Midea Cube 50: a certified 49.67 pints a day at ENERGY STAR's 2.01 L/kWh, with a large bucket and a compact, extendable body. Here are six picks by job.
A sealed crawlspace with a properly sized, ENERGY STAR whole-home dehumidifier is the standard fix in humid climates. A portable basement unit is usually the wrong tool. Here is why.
UV-C lamps aimed at the cooling coil keep mold and bacteria off it; that is what they do well. For cleaning the air you breathe, EPA says a typical home unit's dose is too low. Use them with a filter, not instead of one.
Mold grows in two places: inside a neglected humidifier and on damp surfaces in an over-humidified room. EPA's routine and a 50% ceiling prevent both.
No single gadget measures everything. Here is the order to do it in: a radon test, CO alarms, a monitor for the everyday readings, a moisture check, and a professional when the problem calls for one.
A hygrometer above 60% confirms it. Condensation, musty smells and mold are the clues. Ventilation, a dehumidifier and fixing leaks are the cures, in that order of cost.
EPA's answer is below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. But mold grows where surfaces stay wet, so condensation and leaks matter as much as the room reading.
EPA's answer is 30 to 50%, never above 60%. In very cold weather, go to the low end to stop condensation. Here is the evidence and how to hit the range.
