It’s been a long day, and you can’t wait to get home and relax.

You walk in the front door — only to be greeted by the lingering smell of last night’s salmon dinner. 

Scented candles, essential oils, and plug-in air fresheners only cover up the problem.

Is there a way to get to the root cause of smelly household odors and make your air clean and fresh again?

We’re here to tell you the answer is yes!

In this article, we discuss air purifiers and how they can help eliminate offensive odors and bring back the inviting smell of home sweet home.

 

do air purifiers eliminate odors

 

 Table of Contents

 

Do Air Purifiers Get Rid of Smells?

Some do. 

An air purifier’s ability to get rid of smells depends on a variety of factors that include the:

  • Size of air purifier
  • Source of the odor 
  • Quality of the air purifier
  • Type of filter 
  • Location of the air purifier

In reality, air purifiers are a supplementary method of odor control to be used alongside removing the source of the odor — thorough cleaning, and good ventilation — to eliminate offensive odors, freshen the scent of the air, and improve the overall quality of the air you breathe.

At PURE Environmental, we’re experts in odor removal. Our PurAyr™ odor removal system quickly and effectively removes odors like: 

  • Cigarette smoke
  • Mold and mildew 
  • Cooking odors 
  • Fire smoke smell
  • Pet odors, including urine
  • And more

We also offer our freestanding AirWash Home Air Filtration Systems or can adapt our home’s current HVAC system. 

Request a free estimate to find out more!

 

do air purifiers get rid of musty smells

 

How Do Air Purifiers Eliminate Odors of the 2 Most Common Culprits?

Every home is filled with nasty odors, contaminants, and VOCs. An air purifier works its magic by using a fan to cycle the air in a room and pull it through one or more air filters. There are many types of air filters that serve different purposes, including: 

  • Carbon — Carbon filters work by trapping odors through a process called adsorption, in which molecules attach themselves to the outside of the carbon filter’s surface. Many air purifiers use an activated carbon filter to remove odors and VOCs. Carbon filters are a great choice if you live in an area with wildfires, you’re trying to eliminate odors, or are dealing with paint fumes. 
  • Ionic — Ionizers operate by using negative ions to remove small particles in the air. They can help reduce odors and inhibit viruses, bacteria, and mold.
  • HEPA — HEPA filters are made from a dense tangle of very fine fibers. These fibers trap particles and pollutants in the air, then recirculate the clean, odor-free air into the room.

 

#1: Chemical Odors

Studies reveal that air purifiers can also be helpful in eliminating chemical odors, like volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

These harmful odors can come from a variety of sources, such as: 

  • Paint
  • Building materials
  • Adhesives
  • Cleaning products
  • Carpeting
  • Personal hygiene products
  • Air fresheners
  • And more

Over time, prolonged exposure to VOCs may cause skin issues, respiratory cognition, and even cancer. 

 

#2: Musty Odors

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), mold growth is a common problem in homes and buildings.

While mold spores and musty odors can be present throughout your home, they especially love to hide out in places that have a high level of moisture and minimal ventilation, such as:

  • Bathrooms
  • Basements
  • Under sinks
  • Washing machines
  • Behind toilets
  • Dishwashers
  • Closets 

As mold spores multiply, they off-gas, releasing tiny, microbial volatile organic compounds (mVOCs), that cause musty odors. 

Touching or breathing mold can result in allergic reactions like an itchy throat, sneezing, watery eyes, or even an asthma attack.

Research has shown that the use of an air purifier with a HEPA filter is a useful tool for getting rid of airborne mold and improving overall air quality. 

 

do air purifiers eliminate odors

 

6 Smells an Air Purifier May Help With

 

#1: Smoke

Whether it’s smoke from cigarettes or wildfires, the smell of smoke can permeate your furniture and walls and can be incredibly hard to get rid of.

While it will not completely eliminate the smell, adding an air purifier with a carbon filter to your home can be a great way to reduce the odor and pollutants from smoke from your home. 

 

#2: Food Smells

Last night’s baked salmon smelled amazing while it was cooking, but the lingering fishy odor — not quite so much. 

An air purifier is a great way to reduce or eliminate the scent of your fish dinner, as well as other food odors in your kitchen, like:

  • Garlic
  • Curry
  • Fried chicken 
  • Cabbage
  • Burned toast

 

#3: Pet Odors

If you’ve ever walked into a house and instantly know they had a pet just by the smell of their home, you’ll understand the importance of an air purifier when it comes to eliminating pet odors. 

Not only can an air purifier help rid your home of the telltale scent of a pet, but it can also lessen allergic reactions to pet dander.

 

#4: Dirty Diapers

Whether you own a fancy diaper pail or you throw your dirty diapers in the kitchen trash, It doesn’t take long for dirty diapers to make your house smell like a porta-potty. 

A high-quality air purifier can help to reduce or eliminate diaper smell while making the air you breathe fresher and healthier as well.

 

#5: Garbage

Have you ever gone out of town for the weekend only to return to a smell that instantly lets you know you forgot to take the garbage out before you left? 

Garbage smells seem to have the uncanny ability to linger, even after you take out the garbage and scrub the trash can.

As food ages and decomposes, it releases compounds that contain sulfur and nitrogen. And it only takes a tiny bit of either of these compounds to stink up your whole house (like the trash that should have been taken out days ago). 

An air purifier can trap lingering, smelly trash particles and make your home smell fresh and clean once again.

 

#6: Paint Fumes

The off-gassing from paint fumes can cause dizziness, headaches, and nausea. 

A charcoal filter is ideal to use after a paint job. Just be sure to keep the air purifier in the room until the paint has dried and has fully finished off-gassing.

 

What Is the Best Air Purifier for My Home?

The type of air purifier that’s right for your home depends on a variety of factors, including: 

  • How much space you want your purifier to clean — A small desktop purifier won’t cut it in a large living space — and a big, heavy-duty model will likely be overkill in your kid’s playroom. You can compare square footage recommendations of the filters to choose the one that best meets your needs.
  • The types of pollutants inside your home — Are you wanting to rid your home of the odor of dust, smoke, pet dander, paint fumes, or mustiness? Some types of air purifiers do a better job of filtering out certain types of pollutants than others. If your main concern is smelly pets, you may need a different purifier than someone who smokes.

 

do air purifiers get rid of smells

 

Is Using an Air Purifier Enough To Get Rid of Odors?

No. 

You can’t rely on air purifiers alone to remove odors. Trying to remove an odor without eliminating the source of the odor first is like putting a Band-Aid on the problem.

If you have a family of dead mice in the crawl space of your home, you can run an air purifier 24/7, but if you don’t remove the source of the odors (and do a thorough cleaning of the area) the mousy smell will be continually reintroduced, and the air purifier won’t be beneficial.

 

What If I Still Have Odors in My Home?

Home air purifiers are a good option for everyday use to get rid of everyday smells. But if you have an issue that goes deeper than the leftover smell of yesterday’s bacon, you may need to call in the professionals.

The team at PURE Environmental specializes in a variety of types of odor removal and can have your home smelling fresh again in no time. 

 

Let the Professionals at Pure Environmental Eliminate Odors in Your Home

If you’re ready to eliminate the odors in your home, the professional team at PURE Environmental can help.

Our freestanding AirWash™ Home Air Filtration System utilizes a 3-stage process of filtration that includes:

  1. Pre-filters for eliminating debris.
  2. HEPA filter technology, which is effective at removing 99.9% of particulates up to 0.1 microns.
  3. Carbon filtration that not only removes pollutants from the air but also eliminates the odors those pollutants leave behind.

Do you have an existing HVAC system? No problem! We also have the know-how to adapt your current system to effectively purify your air and get rid of nasty odors. 

Whether you decide to opt for PURE Environmental’s AirWash™ or PurAyr™ or have us adapt the system you already have in place, we’re confident we can effectively eliminate odors and improve the quality of the air you breathe in your home or office. 

Contact us today to learn more!

 

do air purifiers get rid of musty smells