ALORAIR HEPA Air Scrubber — 3-Stage Filtration, Stackable Negative Air Machine

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What the ALORAIR HEPA Air Scrubber Is

The ALORAIR HEPA Air Scrubber is a portable, stackable negative air machine built to capture airborne particles during mold remediation, renovation and demolition dust control, and post-event air cleanup. Air is pulled through three stages: a MERV-10 pre-filter that catches the large debris and protects the filter behind it, a HEPA filter rated to capture 99.5% or more of particles at 0.3 microns — the most penetrating particle size, and the range that includes many mold spores and fine dust — and an activated-carbon stage that reduces odor. It moves 270 to 550 CFM on variable speed, filters spaces up to about 5,500 cubic feet, and stacks and daisy-chains up to three units for roughly 1,650 CFM combined. Under 40 pounds with a carry handle, ETL certified, and backed by a long warranty, it is the air-cleaning leg of a recovery that also uses air movers to evaporate water and a commercial dehumidifier to extract it.

What makes it a remediation tool rather than a room air purifier is that it runs two ways. In recirculating mode it cleans the air in a space and returns it, steadily dropping the particle count. In negative-air mode you duct the exhaust outside the work area, pulling the room slightly below the surrounding pressure so contaminated air flows into the containment instead of leaking into clean parts of the building — the containment function that keeps a mold job from spreading spores through a house. But two honest limits define it: it filters airborne particles; it does not kill mold or remove the source, which still has to be physically taken out, and it does not replace a respirator. It lowers what is in the air; it does not make the air safe to breathe, so workers still wear respiratory protection matched to the hazard.

Sizing, Containment, and Filter Life

Three practical points decide whether a scrubber does its job. First, sizing is by air changes per hour against volume, not floor area: multiply the room's length, width, and height for cubic feet, and aim for the air changes your work calls for — mold and containment jobs commonly target several changes per hour. This unit filters up to about 5,500 cubic feet, and because it stacks and daisy-chains up to three, you scale by adding machines rather than stretching one. Second, containment is a mode, not an accessory: to actually hold negative pressure you duct the exhaust out of the space and seal the containment, and you monitor that the room stays under pressure. Running unducted in a sealed room scrubs the air but does not contain it. A second scrubber, or a compact scrubber, gives you a second draw point on a larger containment.

Third, filters are the real cost of ownership. The MERV-10 pre-filter takes the brunt of the debris and is changed most often — on a dusty demolition job you may swap it repeatedly — and keeping it fresh is what protects the HEPA behind it. The HEPA is replaced periodically, and it is the expensive stage: a loaded HEPA quietly chokes airflow, so falling output is your signal to change it rather than a fixed calendar. Budget filters as an ongoing line item, not a one-time purchase. Where the job disturbs existing mold, pair the scrubber with the right P100 filter on a respirator and consult our guides to the right cartridge for mold remediation and the Moldex 2200 vs. 2300 so the people in the space are protected while the machine cleans the air.

Where It Fits and Where It Doesn't

This is the right tool wherever what is airborne matters as much as what is wet — mold remediation with negative-pressure containment, renovation and demolition dust, drywall sanding, and post-fire or post-flood air cleanup. It is the wrong tool if you expected it to kill or remove mold, to make a hazardous space safe to breathe without a respirator, or to run maintenance-free. Size it by air changes for the room's volume, duct it for containment when you need negative pressure, keep the pre-filter fresh and the HEPA monitored, and stage it alongside your drying equipment and the right N95 or better respirator. Used that way, it is the containment and air-cleaning layer that keeps a job from spreading.

Specifications

Specifications reflect the manufacturer listing; confirm current filtration ratings and details on the product page before ordering.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ALORAIR HEPA Air Scrubber?

It is a portable, stackable negative air machine that pulls air through three filter stages to capture airborne particles — used for mold remediation, renovation and demolition dust, and cleaning the air after a water or fire event. It moves 270 to 550 CFM, filters spaces up to about 5,500 cubic feet, and can run either as a recirculating air scrubber or, ducted, as a negative-pressure machine for containment.

What do the three filter stages do?

The first stage is a MERV-10 pre-filter that catches large particles and protects the expensive filter behind it. The second is the HEPA filter, which captures the fine particles and mold spores that matter most. The third is an activated-carbon filter that reduces odor and some nuisance vapors — carbon is for smell, not for particles and not for toxic gas. Each stage has a job, and the pre-filter is what makes the HEPA last.

How well does the HEPA filter capture particles?

ALORAIR rates the HEPA stage to capture 99.5 percent or more of particles at 0.3 microns — which is the most penetrating particle size, the hardest for any filter to catch, so performance on larger and smaller particles is even higher. That is the size range that includes many mold spores and fine dust, which is why a HEPA-grade final stage is the point of a remediation scrubber rather than a shop-vac filter.

What is the difference between recirculating and negative-air mode?

In recirculating mode the scrubber cleans the air within a room and returns it, steadily lowering the airborne particle count. In negative-air mode you duct the exhaust outside the work area, which pulls the room slightly below the surrounding pressure so contaminated air flows into the containment rather than leaking out of it. Negative pressure is the mode that keeps mold spores or dust from spreading to clean parts of a building during remediation.

How do I size it for a room?

Size an air scrubber by air changes per hour against the room's volume in cubic feet, not by floor area. Multiply the room's length by width by height for the volume, and aim for the air changes your job calls for — mold and containment work commonly targets several changes per hour. This unit filters up to about 5,500 cubic feet, and because it stacks and daisy-chains up to three units for roughly 1,650 CFM, you scale by adding machines to hit the changes a larger space needs.

Does it kill or remove mold?

No. An air scrubber captures airborne mold spores and dust so they do not spread and so workers breathe less of them, but it does not kill mold or remove the source. The moldy material itself still has to be physically removed as part of remediation — the scrubber is the air-cleaning and containment tool that runs during and after that work, not a substitute for taking the mold out. Think of it as controlling what is in the air, not treating what is on the surface.

Does it replace a respirator?

No. Running a scrubber lowers the airborne particle load and, ducted for negative pressure, keeps contamination inside the containment, but it does not make the air in the work area safe to breathe. Anyone working in the space still needs respiratory protection matched to the hazard. The scrubber and the respirator do different jobs — one cleans and contains the room's air over time, the other protects the individual worker's lungs right now — and you use both.

How often do I change the filters?

The pre-filter is changed most often, since it catches the bulk of the debris; check it frequently on a dusty job and swap it when it loads up, which is what protects and extends the HEPA. The HEPA is replaced periodically and is the real ownership cost — a clogged HEPA chokes airflow and quietly drops the machine's effectiveness, so watch for reduced output. Filter replacement, not the purchase price, is the ongoing cost of owning a scrubber.

Can I stack or link several units?

Yes — the housing is designed to stack both horizontally and vertically, and you can daisy-chain up to three units for a combined airflow of about 1,650 CFM. That is how you scrub or hold negative pressure in a space too large for one machine: rather than a single oversized unit, restoration crews position several scrubbers to reach the air changes the volume requires and to duct negative air from more than one point.

What can I use it for besides mold?

Anywhere airborne particulate matters. It is used for renovation and demolition dust control, for cleaning the air after fire and smoke (where the carbon stage helps with odor), for drywall sanding, and for general particle cleanup in commercial and industrial spaces. Any job that kicks fine dust or contaminants into the air is a candidate — the same three-stage filtration that captures mold spores captures construction dust.

Is it portable, and what power does it need?

It weighs under 40 pounds and has a carry handle, so it moves room to room and site to site easily, and it runs on a standard outlet. It is ETL certified for electrical safety and carries a long limited warranty. As with any electrical equipment used around water-damage work, keep cords and connections out of standing water and use GFCI protection where moisture is present.

How is it different from a dehumidifier or an air mover?

They do different jobs in a recovery. Air movers push air to evaporate moisture from wet surfaces; a dehumidifier extracts that moisture from the air; an air scrubber filters particles and spores out of the air. Drying handles the water, the scrubber handles what is airborne — and on a mold or dusty job you often run all three, because what is in the air matters as much as what is wet.

What is the ALORAIR HEPA Air Scrubber not?

It is not a mold killer or remover (it filters airborne spores; the source is removed separately), not a respirator (it does not make the air safe to breathe — workers still wear PPE), not a toxic-gas scrubber (the carbon stage is for odor, not hazardous gas), and not maintenance-free (the pre-filter and HEPA are consumables). It is a three-stage HEPA air scrubber and negative air machine for capturing airborne particulate and holding containment.

Reviewed by Steven Eaton, WC Safety. Specifications reflect the manufacturer listing and are provided to help you size and deploy the scrubber correctly; confirm current filtration ratings on the live product page, and pair the machine with the respiratory protection your job requires.