How drying equipment supports indoor air quality (air purification + moisture removal)

9 hours ago
7 min read

Few people think about indoor air quality until there’s a problem. Do you walk into your home and feel like you can’t breathe? Maybe you smell mildew. Do you have foggy windows and condensation on walls? If so, you probably have high moisture levels impacting your air quality every day.

Use drying equipment to not only dry out the air but make the air healthier for you to breathe. Mold won’t be able to grow, and your air will feel fresh. Learn more about drying equipment and how it improves indoor air quality.

What Does Indoor Air Quality Mean?

Indoor air quality refers to the overall cleanliness of the air in your building. You spend countless hours inside, so it should be the cleanest air possible. Ideally, when you breathe inside your home, you shouldn’t feel any irritants or allergies. Also, there should not be excess moisture in the air making you feel uncomfortable.

If your air doesn’t feel this way, you may suffer from allergies or asthma. That’s why moisture control is one of the most important steps you can take to keep your interior air clean. Excess humidity leads to mold and bacteria. When these two things grow in your home, it can wreak havoc on your health.

How Does Moisture Impact My Air?

Water is the perfect place for bacteria and mold to grow. So, if you want to know how to improve your air quality, follow these tips. When your humidity levels are too high, it feels stuffy. You may feel hot and sweaty when the temperature may not even be that high. This leads to running your air conditioner more and spending more money.

Not only will you feel discomfort but mold will start to grow on your walls and ceilings. Dust mites will also flourish which will trigger allergies. Plus, you’ll start to see paint peel and wood warps.

How Drying Equipment Can Help

Drying equipment pulls moisture from the air. There are several types of drying equipment you can use such as dehumidifiers or ventilation systems. Industrial facilities even have drying equipment for after floods.

Here are some of the equipment you can use to dry your indoor air.

Dehumidifiers

Dehumidifiers remove water vapor from the air. You may have even seen these and wonder how they work. There’s a tank where water from the air collects. Essentially, these products cool the air below its dew point. Therefore, the moisture in the air condenses to form water droplets. The dry air is then blown back into the room.

You can buy portable dehumidifiers for each room in your home or a whole-house system that connects to your HVAC. You have options on what area you want to target.

Ventilation Systems

Another way to dry your air is by using ventilation systems. Ventilation is simply taking fresh air and pushing it inside while pulling the stale, moist air outside.

Without proper ventilation, you may notice a musty smell in your home and face respiratory problems. Modern homes are very tightly sealed to keep energy costs down. However, this causes moisture to be trapped inside your home. So, you need a mechanical way to ventilate your air while keeping energy costs low. Heat recovery ventilators and energy recovery ventilators do just that.

Commercial/Drying Equipment

If you need to dry your home after a flood, you’ll need industrial drying equipment. Commercial dehumidifiers and air movers help dry your home fast so you can prevent mold growth.

Industrial sized dehumidifiers and air movers pull more air and dry it quickly. Restoration companies always have these on hand after water damage.

Purifying the Air By Controlling Moisture Levels

Did you know that by controlling your moisture levels, you can purify the air you breathe? Here are ways drying your air can make your air cleaner.

Prevents Mold Growth

When there’s too much humidity inside your home, mold will grow. By keeping your humidity levels below 60 percent, you can prevent mold growth.

Drying equipment allows you to keep these levels low at all times. When you prevent mold growth, you aren’t breathing in all the nasty spores and chemicals that mold releases into the air.

Lowers Dust Mite Populations

Did you know dust mites are one of the biggest causes for indoor allergies? These bad boys live in your carpet, mattresses, and furniture. When you use drying equipment, you’ll keep the humidity at a level where it is not comfortable for dust mites to thrive. As a result, they will die off and you’ll breathe easier.

Reduce Volatile Organic Compound Off-Gassing

Believe it or not, moisture can make your indoor air release chemicals from your drywall and wood. These chemicals are called volatile organic compounds. By controlling your moisture, you are reducing the amount of these compounds being released into your air.

Which Equipment Should You Buy?

You want to make sure you get the correct equipment for your home. Here are some things to consider when looking at drying equipment.

Size Of The Room

Dehumidifiers come in various sizes. You don’t want to use a commercial dehumidifier for just one bedroom. Measure the area you’re trying to dry and determine what size dehumidifier you need.

Climate You Live In

If you live in an area that is humid most of the year, you will need a stronger dehumidifier. Some areas of the country have more rain or are by the ocean. Both of these environments produce more moisture.

Energy Efficient

Just because you are saving money by not having mold damage or high utility bills from running your AC, doesn’t mean you should buy an inefficient dehumidifier. Look for ones that are ENERGY STAR certified.

Maintaining your Equipment

No one wants to think about cleaning their dehumidifier. But here are quick and easy tips to make sure your equipment is running correctly. Change or clean the filters on your equipment. When these get dirty, it reduces the airflow which will make your equipment work harder.

Empty water tanks. If your dehumidifier has a bucket that fills up with water, make sure you empty it. You don’t want the water sitting in there for weeks and start to grow bacteria. Clean the coils on your equipment. This is where the air blows through and can get covered in dust.

Field Application: Saving the University of Copenhagen’s Laboratories - Case Study

One of our favorite examples of drying equipment preserving IAQ comes straight from the labs of the University of Copenhagen. For those science nerds in the audience, the University of Copenhagen’s Botanical Institute found themselves in hot water when attempting to cultivate algae cultures in their cold storage rooms.

These rooms were located in high traffic areas where doors were constantly opening and closing, letting moisture into the room. The result? Relative humidity levels reached upwards of 99%.

Soon after reaching these levels, researchers noticed mold and fungus growing on the walls, curtains, and worse … their test tubes. Not only was it unsafe for lab research to continue, but all of their samples were getting killed by the massive levels of fungus in the air.

After installing a proper desiccant dehumidification system, samples could remain inside the test tubes and research could continue unaffected. Maintaining a constant 60% relative humidity not only prevented future build-up of mold and mildew, it eliminated all traces of fungus spores in the air.

Munters Moisture FAQ’s

Can I use a dehumidifier instead of an air purifier?

Sort of. They are almost “partners in crime” when it comes to keeping your air healthy. Air purifiers pull airborne particulates out of the air by forcing it through a physical filter. Particles that are large enough will stick to the filter, removing dust and smoke from the air. Dehumidifiers go right after the problem. Most biological growth, regardless of its form, needs moisture to reproduce. Eliminating extra water vapor in the air will prevent mold spores and dust mites from spreading throughout your home. Dehumidifiers essentially purify the air by eliminating the things that “the bad stuff” needs to grow.

Why does my house smell musty if I clean all the time?

As described above, that “old basement” smell is caused by microbial VOCs (short for volatile organic compounds). Mold and bacteria produce gases as they feed off of the cellulose found in household surfaces like drywall and wood studs. If there’s enough moisture in the air, these microbes will find a way to survive. By the time you smell it, your indoor humidity levels are most likely above 60% and your IAQ is being compromised.

Can high humidity make me sick?

Yes. As mentioned earlier, high moisture attracts respiratory allergens and allows them to spread easier. It also makes the air feel thicker and harder to breathe. If you have asthma or suffer from chronic allergies, high humidity can cause severe asthma attacks and allergy symptoms. And who wouldn’t feel sick when it’s hot inside? Humid air holds heat longer than dry air, making it easier for your home to overheat.

If I don’t have mold now, how will drying the air help with dust mites?

Dust mites can’t stand drying equipment. And believe it or not, they don’t drink water. They absorb it through their skin. Reduce the humidity level in your home below 50% and they will literally dehydrate and die. One of the most chemical free ways to rid your home of one of the most common allergens.

Do I need one machine for summer dehumidifying and another for winter?

No, but there is a difference between the two types of dehumidifiers. Energy-efficient compressor/dehumidifiers work great in warm/humid environments (i.e. summer). But if you’re trying to dry a cold space during the winter, you may want to consider a desiccant dehumidifier. These guys use a moisture absorbing material that does not become impaired in cold temperatures.

Don’t Wait Any Longer

You spend too much time inside not breathing healthy air. Don’t waste any more time and go buy a dehumidifier for your home. Go to the store and grab a $10 hygrometer to see what your indoor humidity levels are.

If they’re above 50-60 percent, you have work to do. Try using a dehumidifier in specific areas where you think you may have the highest moisture. From there, you can decide if you want whole home solutions. Don’t let poor air quality affect you and your family’s health. Buy drying equipment and don’t waste another day with crappy air.