Do air purifiers get rid of moisture? Here’s Why

Do air purifiers get rid of moisture? The air purifier does not lower the level of humidity in your home. Instead, it creates a dryer environment free from dust and allergens. The air dry air purifier decreases the excess moisture in the room. In a humid climate, you should use an air conditioner to keep your home at a comfortable temperature and humidity level. 

At Allergy Buyers Club, we love researching products, and air purifiers are no exception! The question about air purifiers that comes up a lot is, Do air purifiers get rid of moisture? We decided to find out. Please keep reading to learn what we discovered!

Do air purifiers get rid of moisture?

Air purifiers use a filter to remove dust, pollen, pet dander, and other allergens from the air as it passes through the machine. Moisture is not one of these items typically removed by an air purifier, and so it is unlikely that having an air cleaner in your home will help with humidity. However, suppose you have wet rooms such as bathrooms or kitchens with high levels of water vapor (humidity). In that case, an air purifier might be able to help remove some excess moisture from the room when coupled with a dehumidifier. 

An air filter only removes particulate matter like dust particles and other allergens; it doesn’t change the relative humidity level in a room or pull up water vapor as a dehumidifier does.

What is Humidity?

Moisture is the amount of water vapor in the air. The higher the humidity, the more water vapor there is in the air, and vice versa. With increased humidity come increased risks for mold and other allergens to grow in your home increasing household members’ chances of suffering from allergies, asthma, or respiratory illnesses like bronchitis or pneumonia.

It also means you’ll need to use your air conditioner more and turn on your dehumidifier more often than you would otherwise which could cost you more money and time than you’d like! Fortunately, there are ways to combat high humidity levels with an air purifier, such as an ionizer that can help remove particles and moisture from the air around it.

The Problem with Too Much Moisture

You might not notice the problem with excessive moisture because it is invisible to the naked eye, but this humidity is a real threat to your health and comfort. The average human needs a relative humidity of less than 50% to feel comfortable at rest and avoid ills like mold growth, respiratory illness, and skin rashes. Problems caused by excess moisture can be as simple as a cold or as severe as death from pneumonia. 

Living in a humid area year-round, you’ll need a dehumidifier or air purifier with humidistat controls to keep your home dry enough for optimal health and comfort. Air purifiers are not designed to remove moisture from the air, but they help prevent condensation on furniture and walls, which can lead to problems associated with too much moisture in the air.

Indoor Moisture Sources

Moisture can come from the ground, plumbing leaks, and even cooking. When it gets into your home, it can cause mold, mildew, and a musty smell that is hard to remove from your home or office building. It can also lead to more significant health problems, allergies, and reduced property value.

An air purifier removes moisture and other pollutants like smoke particles and pet dander without all the chemicals and treatments of a dehumidifier air purifier machine.

Air purifiers clean the air and remove humidity, producing fewer dust mites. Air purifiers work by utilizing an air filter that traps these unwanted substances and delivers clean air for you to breathe. You’ll find many options for filtration systems, so you must research what will work best for your specific needs and budget.

Relative humidity

Relative humidity levels should generally be at least 30% but no more than 80%. There are two types: high-moisture content (between 60% and 90%), which can lead to condensation, and low-moisture content (less than 50%). Low-moisture content can cause dry eyes, chapped skin, and cracked lips. In an air purifier or dehumidifier, relative humidity is decreased by removing the water vapor from the air. However, these devices do not remove water droplets on surfaces as a humidifier does. They will make the air feel drier as they’re drying it out.

 Air conditioners also lower relative humidity in a room when they cool it below the dew point temperature, where it starts to form liquid water on surfaces. A good rule of thumb is that if you want to maintain the desired level of indoor air quality, you need a device capable of controlling the air quality and its relative humidity at those levels.

Absolute humidity

Air contains varying amounts of water vapor, oxygen, nitrogen, and other gases. Water vapor can be measured by its relative humidity and absolute humidity (called the dew point). Absolute humidity is the total mass of water vapor in air expressed as a percentage on a kilogram per square meter (kg/m2) basis or as grains per cubic foot (gr/ft3) at 60°F or 16°C.

Since an air purifier removes only particles like dust, smoke, and pet dander from your home’s indoor air not moisture it doesn’t affect your home’s absolute humidity level.

Does an air purifier lower the level of humidity?

The air purifier does not lower the level of humidity in your home. Instead, air purifier dry air

It creates a dryer environment free from dust and allergens. The air dry air purifier reduces the excess moisture in the room. In a humid climate, you should use an air conditioner to keep your home at a comfortable temperature and humidity level. 

Live in dry weather or are experiencing higher than normal humidity levels because of recent weather events. An air purifier may help decrease dust and allergens in your home while maintaining the desired relative humidity levels for those who suffer from asthma or allergies. 

The air cleaner removes up to 99% of particles as small as 0.3 microns, which means they can remove bacteria, viruses, and allergens such as pollen grains and pet dander.

You can also check out our other related article Do I Need A Dehumidifier If I Have An Air Purifier?

Keeping Humidity at an Acceptable Level in the Home

Air purifiers and humidifiers are often associated with dry air, but this does not mean that they cannot be used to keep humidity at a comfortable level. There are three main ways to maintain a healthy level of moisture in your home:

•  Use an air conditioner,
•  Use a dehumidifier,
•  Use an air purifier that can produce negative ions.

Air conditioners are expensive and require more work as you must remember to turn them off when you leave the house; however, they can keep humidity levels down as low as 10%. The same cannot be said for dehumidifiers which can only reduce humidity levels by about 5% in ideal circumstances.

1: Use an air conditioner 

Air conditioners are designed to keep the air inside a home dry and cool. To do this, air conditioners remove excess humidity from the air inside your home by pulling in the moist air, evaporating it, and blowing cool and dry air back into your house. Air conditioners also bring in fresh outside air when needed, so you don’t have to worry about dust or other contaminants entering your home. The downside is that an air conditioner can be costly to run for extended periods, so if you’re not using it for more than a few hours at a time (i.e., when you’re away for the day), there may not be much point in turning it on!

2: Use a dehumidifier

We also recommend using a dehumidifier if you live in an area with high humidity because the humid air will seep into your home or office through cracks and crevices in the walls and furniture. If you can’t afford a new air purifier, buy one with a built-in dehumidifier, such as Honeywell Air Purifiers. This will help reduce the amount of wet air circulating inside your home or office; it’ll also help to reduce mold and mildew from growing on furniture, carpets, clothes, and other fabric items.

Air purifiers work by removing particulates, but they don’t remove water vapor. That’s why some air purifiers come equipped with a built-in dehumidifier feature. The best air purifier for dry air is one that also comes equipped with a built-in humidifier: not only will this reduce dryness, but it will make breathing more accessible by lowering the level of dust particles.

Benefits of moderate humidity level at home

Air purifier moisture for home use provides several benefits, including preventing dry air and removing odors from your home. However, many wonder if they also remove humidity from your home or office air. This is not the case – an air purifier will not change a room’s humidity level because it does not remove moisture from the air like a dehumidifier. Air purifiers work by adding ozone to the air or filtering particles in the atmosphere rather than eliminating other substances from it.

1: Prevents skin from dryness

Air purifiers are designed to remove odors and reduce pollutants in the air, but they do not remove or trap water vapor or humidity. You may want to use an air humidifier or a dehumidifier in addition to your air purifier to maintain the humidity level in your home at a moderate level of 40-50%. Air humidifiers help prevent dry skin by keeping the room’s relative humidity between 30-50%. Dehumidifiers reduce excess moisture from the air by absorbing it and releasing it outside into a drain or sewer system.

2: Prevents static electricity from building up

Static electricity can cause havoc on electronic devices and fabrics, so it makes sense that an air purifier might help prevent this problem from occurring in your home. Air purifiers work by removing airborne particles that could trigger static electricity. In other words, the cleaner the air is, the less chance there is for static to build up. For example, you may notice that when you go outside on a dry day with lots of pm in the air (i.e., dirt), you are more likely to experience a shock when touching an object or person—this is because the air has a higher level of electric charge due to all those particles floating around in it!

3: Prevents hair and eyes from dryness

Air purifiers help remove allergens and irritants from the air and prevent eyes from dryness and hair breakage due to dry air by reducing static electricity buildup in your home. Air purifier humidity is a vital feature for anyone with asthma or allergies who can’t afford to have clean air in their home or workspace.

4: Reduces heating costs 

Air purifiers, especially HEPA air filters, can help reduce heating costs by pulling excess moisture and allergens from the air. The allergens will stick to the filter and help reduce the number of times it needs to be cleaned. Water will dry on the filter and evaporate, taking heat with it in a latent heat process. With less humidity in the home, it requires less energy to maintain a comfortable temperature, saving money on heating bills.

5: Improves the lifespan of wooden furniture and floors

Most people believe adding humidity to a room is the best way to prevent the wood from cracking or splitting, but this is not true. However, an air purifier can help humidify the air and make your wooden furniture and floors last longer! An air purifier removes particles like dust and pollen that can damage furniture over time, which means it will also remove any water vapor in the air before it has a chance to build up. In essence, an air purifier helps improve your furniture’s lifespan because it reduces the amount of moisture in the air and allergen particles like dust and pollen that may trigger allergies or asthma symptoms.

Air purifier vs. a dehumidifier

Air purifiers and dehumidifiers are designed to remove contaminants from the air but differ in how they do it. Air purification uses a filter to trap particles, such as dust and pollen. At the same time, dehumidification reduces the air’s humidity by sucking up water vapor through a series of coils or pads that absorb the water. Air purifiers typically come with built-in humidifier features for convenience.

These units are meant to be used only when the air is dry, so adding more humidity won’t affect air quality unless you have high levels of pollutants. 

Air purifiers can take care of dry air problems in your home. Still, I live in a place where there are always high levels of pollutants in the air (for example, near a factory).  Use a different dehumidifier alongside your air purifier. If you live somewhere with higher levels of dampness and mold/mildew issues (for example: inside), consider investing in a different dehumidifier instead because your primary air purifier may not be enough to keep mold/mildew at bay.

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Conclusion

Air purifiers are designed to reduce airborne allergens and other contaminants in your home, which can help alleviate symptoms associated with allergies, asthma, colds, and other respiratory conditions. Air purifiers can also remove some pollutants that may harm your health and improve the air quality in your home. However, because air purifiers have a limited range, they will not remove humidity or any object that is not airborne (such as dust).

A dehumidifier can effectively remove excess moisture from the air; however, it will not filter or clean the air as an air purifier would.

We hope this information has helped you better understand how these products work together to keep your home healthy and comfortable! We recently published another blog post about air purification for pets. It discusses common pet allergens, how air filters remove pet dander from the air, and how air filters could be used to help people with allergies who own pets.