Frequently Asked Questions

What makes HypoAir different from other Air Purifiers?

Which unit is right for me?

What does "coverage" mean?

I'm having trouble checking out, what should I do?

Do you ship internationally and/or will it work with my countries electricity? (and related questions)

Do you sell your products wholesale?

Do your products have a warranty or a 30 day money back guarantee?

Have your products been tested by third party laboratories?

Does Hypo Air only make residential products?

Do you offer financing plans?

Do you have an affiliate program?

I found mold on my couch (or bed, chair, carpet, etc.)… should I throw it out?

We get this question a lot, especially as homeowners try to utilize more space in their homes (like finished basements) that may not be maintained at the proper humidity or are susceptible to water intrusion. We are going to talk about the process of safely saving the furniture. If there is a stain leftover, that is purely a judgment call on the part of the homeowner: small areas of the furniture should be able to be cleaned and successfully prevented from regrowing mold. (The list of cleaners below is part of our growing collection of recommended safe cleaning products). Larger or more visible stains caused by the mold can be unsightly…but we’re going to talk about safety here and leave the aesthetics up to you!

The safe route here is killing the mold, “cleaning” the dead mold away, then drying the area. If the stain left from the mold remains, that will need additional treatment.

It’s best to don protective equipment such as an N95 mask, and if you are able to move the furniture outside on a sunny day, this will be the best place to clean it. If it’s too large or bulky, try to remove cushions or covers that can be cleaned outside. Consider gently covering it in plastic or not handling the moldy place while you’re moving it, because visible mold is the “tip of the iceberg” so to speak: brushing or agitating the moldy area can release a staggering number of mold spores into the air.

Outdoor cleaning: since you are outside, you can brush off the moldy area first with a broom or vacuum it off, then proceed to the step after indoor cleaning. (You’ll want to later hose off the broom and let it dry, or throw away the vacuum bag, and clean all of the hose and attachments, to avoid spreading the spores back indoors).
Indoor cleaning: You can vacuum using ONLY a vacuum fitted with HEPA filter. (You’ll want to later hose off the broom and let it dry, or throw away the vacuum bag, and clean all of the hose and attachments, to avoid spreading the spores back indoors). After vacuuming, kill the underlying mold without disturbing it: you’ll want to use a spray bottle that is set to “spray” and not “stream”. Lightly mist the affected area until all of the surface is damp. By dampening the mold, it will not be able to release spores into the air. Here are some solutions you can use:
Homemade solutions: Equal parts white vinegar and water OR ½ cup borax dissolved in 2 parts water
Concrobium Duo-Blast Mold Control Spray (safely combines a mold killer and stain remover)
ZorbX Spray (also safe, can be used on solid surfaces too like wood)

You can use a sponge soaked in the vinegar or borax solution to remove more of the mold and stain, or folllow instructions on the store-bought spray.

Let dry: Direct sunlight is great for drying and disinfecting! If the item is indoors, make sure the air is warm and dehumidify the space (a small space heater during the winter would help, or fan and dehumidifier during the summer).

Once the item is clean and dry, take a photo of the affected area and revisit it every few weeks, to see if the moldy area has regrown. If necessary, you can still save upholstered furniture if the moldy area is not usually seen (the back, for example), by cutting out the affected fabric after killing the mold and resewing some new fabric onto it by hand. This not only eliminates the chance of mold regrowing in that area, it lets you see if the mold has spread inside the upholstery.

What is off-gassing?

What is radon? Should I be concerned?

What is HEPA?

HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air, and describes a standard of filtering very small particles out of the air. Scientists have discovered that the most damaging particles to our bodies are very small—such as in wildfire smoke, or airborne mold or bacteria. They can get deep into the lungs, and even the bloodstream. The particles are measured by micrometers (which are also called microns), which is a millionth of a meter. The diameter of a human hair is 50-100 microns, but HEPA filters can remove particles 100x smaller, like 0.1 microns.

There are three types of entrapment that may occur as particles are drawn through the filter. Inertia causes some large particles to collide directly into fibers instead of sweeping around them with the accompanying airflow. Diffusion occurs when smaller particles travel in an erratic fashion through the airflow and are impeded by fibers. Interception occurs when the particle travels closer than its radius to the fiber, “brushing” it and becoming stuck. Interestingly, particles around 0.3 micrometers in diameter are the most difficult to filter out of the air, because they are affected least by these methods. So, HEPA filters are rated on their ability to remove this size particle—0.3 micrometers. They do so with greater than 99.95% efficiency. There are 2 ratings of HEPA: H13, which removes at least 99.95% of 0.3 micron particles, and H14, which removes at least 99.995% of 0.3 micron particles. Then, you can get into ULPA (Ultra Low Penetration Air) filters, which can remove more than 99.999% of 0.12 micron particles or larger.

Most HypoAir products do not have integral HEPA filters at this time. There are many standalone HEPA air filter units on the market that can be used in conjunction with our products as needed. If we receive a call from a customer who is severely allergic to mold or dust, we generally recommend a HypoAir air purifier unit in conjunction with a HEPA filter unit.

How can I get better air quality while I travel?

Great question! You shouldn't have to compromise your health when you travel.

Regarding hotel rooms: In marketing our products, we have spoken with a number of hotels around the world and usually, hotels do not depart from standard cleaning and air quality procedures unless their clients ask. It makes sense, because wouldn’t we all want better air quality if it was as simple as flipping a switch? So, ask! It may take a little extra effort to call the hotel for a reservation instead of booking rooms online, and it may cost 3-5% more for the room, but you will never know without asking. Here’s what some hotels can provide :

Deep cleaning with plant-based and anti-microbial cleaning products
Portable air purifiers
Wall-mounted air purifiers

However, it is easier to improve on a clean room, than bring an “average” room up to the air quality to which you are accustomed.

If no cleaner room options are available, HypoAir products like the Mold Guard and Air Angel are small and easy to travel with (see our FAQ on Voltages) and we encourage customers to bring them along if possible. You can position an Air Angel in your hotel room and go to dinner, coming back to fresher air and sanitized surfaces (make sure to turn back the bed sheets if that seems to be a concern!).

One of HypoAir’s key investors ran his own test: he intentionally booked a hotel room that was classified as “smoking” just to test the power of a HypoAir unit. The longer the unit ran, the further away from the unit the space was purified. We do NOT recommend staying in a smoky hotel room and would much prefer you start with a cleaner room than try to mitigate a heavily polluted space. Better yet, you could run your own test in your teenager’s room or closet, to positively show the power of the technology!

Regarding plane travel: Neither the Mold Guard nor Air Angel are equipped to run on battery, however customers have carried them onto the plane itself and plugged them in, with no problems at security checkpoints. In the case of the Air Angel, make sure you have the cord with you.

We would caution the use of wearable air purifiers (necklace type) as these are typically negative-ion generators, which produce ozone and according to this study, only deactivate about 10% of the contaminants within 20 cm (~8 inches). Circulation in an airplane is such a dynamic environment, that even the powerful Air Angel, which is designed for 300+ sq. ft, will struggle to purify the air around you. However, it is certainly better than nothing, and can mitigate concentrations of contaminants

For customers traveling or living outside the US: What voltage do HypoAir products take?

How can I test my home for mold?

This is a question we receive A LOT. Of course, we all want to SEE the before and after benefits of our efforts: making efforts to lower humidity, or installing an air purifier, should make mold go away, right? Yes, and no!

Mold is tricky. Because it grows in all climates and places (even the desert and Antarctica), statistically 100% of homes have mold, and you can easily spend more on testing than the mitigation would cost you. At HypoAir, we are interested in before and after concentrations (not just types of mold). Also, it’s best if the outdoor levels are used as a baseline.

If you are a homeowner interested in knowing the concentrations of mold in your home, the inexpensive ($10-$20) petri dish test kits found in many big-box or hardware stores may give you an incomplete picture. Different types of mold may settle in the petri dish and grow, but these will not give the concentrations present in the air, nor will they detect non-viable mold (dead spores), which also cause respiratory and health problems. Also, most of these tests have dishes that are not dated for expiration, as the mold food used to capture the spores indeed can expire and not contain the moisture and nutrition the mold would find in your home. (yikes!)

Cassette testing is better than petri-dish testing in our humble opinion. Cassette testing involves using a specific testing device that blows air through an orifice onto a slide with an adhesive coating (the cassette). The adhesive coating traps the spores and prevents them from being washed off the slide when they are stained for analysis. These cassettes are then mailed to a lab for analysis. This type of testing will give a better picture of concentrations, because the sample is taken over a discreet shorter period of time (from 30 seconds to 20 minutes), versus the hours or days used in petri dish testing. Also, the air sample is forcefully directed onto the cassette, instead of relying on air currents in the home to settle it onto a petri dish (which can also be affected if the HVAC kicks on during testing!) Cassette testing by gotmold.com has the most bang-for-the-buck of product and service we've found in the US. They are very transparent about the product (a reusable air sampler with batteries included, the number of cassettes you will get, and all lab costs included), as well as the report/info you get (click here for a sample gotmold? report).

ERMI: The EPA has developed the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI), which grades test results into below average mold burden (score of -4, for example), average (score of 0), and above average (for example, score of 5). ERMI testing relies on taking dust samples instead of air samples, on the premise that more mold spores are present in the dust, and can be identified down to the species level. To many experts, the index score itself is not very meaningful, as family members can experience ill health effects within a home that scored as a “low mold burden”. The species of mold, bacteria and mycotoxins identified and their sources, however, could provide very important information about where and how to mitigate the toxins. (The EPA states on their site that ERMI is not recommended for home use, except as a research tool. Despite this, there are several firms that offer ERMI testing. Mycometrics, Envirobiomics, EMLab P&K and AssuredBio are some test providers. You should be clear about the sampling process, compare the types of molds that each provider will assess, and whether an outdoor control sample will be necessary (some firms do not claim it is necessary).

Finally, in-home professional services can be well worth the investment, because an experienced inspector can inspect your home and see signs of contamination with which the average homeowner is not familiar. Sometimes with water leaks behind walls, the mold colony is hidden and requires drilling through damaged drywall to access. Also, they can recommend the proper steps for remediation. You should look for accreditation when considering professional services: the ACAC website is a great place to start. They have a locator by zipcode that makes it easy to find a professional in your area.

Why do other ionizers produce ozone, but HypoAir ionizers do not?

Mini science lesson here! Many ionizers on the market are negative ionizers. This is an older technology that only produces negative ions, which are oxygen atoms with an extra electron. These ions increase static electricity because they are not balanced with positive ions. Static electricity is the imbalance of positive and negative ions in different areas of the atmosphere or a surface, which build up until the charge differential is too great. The “electric” part comes when the charge is released and the ions spontaneously rearrange to a more balanced state—like mini lightning bolts on a sweater, your hair, etc. The charge passing through the air creates small amounts of ozone in the case of static electricity from a negative ion machine, or larger amounts of ozone in the case of actual lightning during a storm.

Negative ionizers are also known to produce a “black wall syndrome” as it creates a bubble of static around the unit, clogging the unit’s systems and failing to travel far out into the environment.

HypoAir products with our Polar Ionization technology remove static electricity because they create both positive ions (hydrogen) and negative ions (oxygen), which balance the ions present on surfaces and helps prevent the charge differential from occurring. Just like nature outside during non-storm conditions, there is no appreciable charge differential, no static electricity, and therefore no ozone generation.

What about the Air Angel? Where does the small amount of ozone come from?

First of all to put things in perspective, the Air Angel has been certified by the strictest regulatory agency in the world (California Air Resource Board, or CARB) for safe ozone production. It was placed in a small chamber and produced a peak or maximum ozone of just 0.02ppm. This is far less than you will be breathing outside in a national park (check out the live ozone readings in many national parks here).

In addition to Polar Ionization, the Air Angel employs an AHPCO cell (Advanced Hydrated Photo Catalytic Oxidation). This cell contains a UV light source, the rays from which excite the AHPCO nanometal catalyst. This creates a small amount of ozone (less than 0.02 ppm). Minimal ozone adds the benefit of combating VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). Examples of VOCs are gases such as smoke (which also has particulates), bleach or cleaning product vapors, or cooking odors, some of which are harmful and some are not. The AHPCO cell then adds a layer of protection against VOCs , which polar ionization alone cannot affect. The Catalytic Molecules also are extremely effective at grouping around particles in the air, causing them to become heavy and fall, removing them from the air you breathe.

Are HypoAir units effective against the Coronavirus?

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes the disease COVID-19. To our knowledge, the Mold Guard was the first air purifier in the world that was tested against SARS-CoV-2. This was accomplished at Microbac Laboratories, one of the few CDC-approved labs in the world to work with SARS-CoV-2. The summary results of this test can be viewed here. Basically, Mold Guard caused reduction of 94.7% of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces. Additionally, the Kitasato Institute Medical Center Hospital, one of the world’s most prestigious viral research organizations, tested the inactivation of the feline coronavirus (FCoV) when exposed to polar ionization and the AHPCO technology in an older product of ours, demonstrating 99.7% virus inactivation after 40 minutes. This test used a much lower ion density than provided by the Mold Guard.

Of course we have many products that have no impact on viruses, such as the nanofiber window screens, carbon filters, etc.

Here is how the Polar Ionization technology works: Positive hydrogen ions (H+ ) and negative oxygen ions (O2 – ) cluster around the spike protein of the coronavirus. This spike protein on the surface of the virus is what attaches to an organism and triggers infection. Once clustered around the spike protein of the virus, the ions are converted to hydroxyl radicals. By stealing hydrogen from within the spike protein, the ions react and combine chemically to form water (H2O). Because the spike protein is damaged, the virus cannot infect cells even when introduced into the body (it is unable to make you sick). These polar ions are emitted by all 3 units (Mold Guard, Air Angel and the Whole Home Polar Ionizer) to inactivate viruses.

The AHPCO technology has not been singularly tested against SARS-CoV-2, but previous tests against the MERS Coronavirus were successful. The same report cites a 99.5% kill rate of MERS on surfaces in a test performed at Microbac. The catalytic molecules produced by AHPCO break through the protein and disrupt the RNA/DNA of the virus (oxidation) to keep them from replicating even after the virus has moved beyond exposure to the catalytic molecules.

Do HypoAir units emit ozone?

I think that mold in my home is affecting me and my family. How do HypoAir units reduce mold?

The aim of HypoAir is to provide you tools and resources that can help (1) kill/suppress growth on surfaces, (2) remove the mycotoxins - chemicals produced by its growth, and (3) remove any spore or dead mold spore out of the air (the same fragments that often carry the mycotoxins).

1) Kill/suppress growth on surfaces: We must clarify that only mold exposed to the ions in the ambient air is affected, not inside closed cabinets, through walls, or inside furniture like couches. We want to replicate the conditions found in the outside air - introduce natural countermeasures to mold growth. Polar ionization removes hydrogen atoms from the surface of the mold, interfering with its ability to reproduce (send out more mold spores). AHPCO technology has a few other modes of action that can be effective redundancies against mold.

2) Mycotoxins are toxic chemicals produced by mold and other fungi as they grow. Mycotoxins even in low concentrations can cause disease in humans and animals. Polar ionization (also called cold plasma) has been shown to reduce mycotoxins in foods and is promising in this area because it is economical and does not appreciably change the food wherein the mold or mycotoxin is interspersed. The primary method we emphasize to get rid of the mycotoxins, is to get rid of the spores and fragments. Polar Ionization is effective in clustering small particles together, and can be an essential tool in your overall plan of removing current and historic mycotoxins. More on this in point #3. In addition, some studies show that cold plasma's continuous operation in a space, the ions are continually attacking mold “to cause chemical breakdown of mycotoxins through various pathways resulting in degradation products that are known to be less toxic.” (abstract)

3) Specifically, we aim to get particles grouped together so they're less dangerous and out of the air. We are most concerned with particles that are 2.5 microns (“PM2.5”) and smaller (especially 0.3 microns) as these particles are the most difficult in general for filters to capture or for our natural defenses to protect against. PM2.5 is typically the category of particles associated with more serious respiratory issues as they can penetrate deeply into the lungs. (For reference, a human hair has a diameter of about 50-100 microns!). By grouping contaminants into larger particles, it can make all filtration in your house more effective (like the filters in your HVAC). We do recommend cleaning floors and counters regularly while using HypoAir products, and having a good quality vacuum just like you would any other time.

We have several HEPA vacuum recommendations at different pricepoints and options:

Most economical: Vacmaster Pro 8 gallon Certified Hepa Filtration Wet/Dry Vac
Professional and Home Cleaning: Emerson ProTeam Vacuums
Water-based filters: Sirena Vacuum Cleaners
For our European clients: Taski Aero Vacuums