Why Is There White Coating Near Air Purifier?

Air purifiers are highly effective when it comes to clearing the air off dust and other harmful particles of your indoors. So, it is natural to be worried if you find dust coating near your air purifier.

So, why is there white coating near air purifier? Has it stopped working? Do I need to buy another air purifier? – these are common questions that will come to your mind if there is any white dust residue around your air purifier.

But don’t be alarmed, this white dust coating around your purifier has no negative effects. The dust occurs due to the water you are using for purification or for certain environmental conditions.

What Is the White Coating Near the Air Purifier?

To get directly into the point, the white coating that you might find around your air purifier is nothing but mineral dust particles generated from the purifier.

There are a lot of minerals in the air and in the water that we put inside our air purifiers. These minerals in the air and water materialize when air purifiers start to work.

And as a result, we find them as white dust surrounding the air purifiers. They are completely harmless and have no negative effect on the human body or the environment.

Even though they are eco-friendly, it is safe to not use this white dust for any reason. Disposing of them is the best option out there, and we suggest you get rid of them if you encounter them around your air purifier. 

Why Does the White Dust Form in the First Place?

The cause behind the white coating can vary from one type of air purifier to another. But mainly the white powder or dust occurs due to the use of hard water in air purifiers.

Hard water is nothing but water that comes with a high mineral count, mainly magnesium and calcium counts are high in hard water. But other minerals can also be present in large quantities.

Due to these minerals (magnesium & calcium), the dust particles are white.

That being said, there can be other reasons behind white dust generating around your air purifiers & humidifiers.

  • Environmental Factors

For example: for HVAC systems, the white powder is nothing but the remaining parts of film or oil.

On the other hand, if you live in an area where the air is filled with high salt or sodium chloride contents, then the white coating can be the salt in the air.

Chemical reactions based on galvanized steel and zinc can also result in white dust residues.

Sometimes, and this is very rare, white coating or white dust powders leaking from vents can suggest that there is a carbon monoxide leak.

This is extremely dangerous, and you should call for professional help and leave the area if this occurs.

You can’t smell if there is carbon monoxide in the air, but your head will start to feel lighter, so if you encounter this symptom along with the white powder, then get an expert as soon as possible. 

How to Get Rid of the White Coating Around Air Purifiers?

As this white coating is harmless, you can keep it around if you want, but that isn’t aesthetically pleasing. There is nothing fancy that you need to do to get rid of this white dust.

Just get a microfiber cloth and wipe the dust away. For thorough cleaning, you can also opt for making the cloth wet and then wiping the dust off. This way, you can be assured of the fact that there isn’t any dust left around your air purifier.

After cleaning you won’t be able to notice this white coating for a couple of weeks. It takes time for enough dust to gather for you to notice.

So, just wipe away the white coating when it forms, and you will be fine.

How to Prevent White Coating Around Air Purifiers?

Now, if you want to get rid of the white coating for good, then there are a few options that you can take. And these are:

Option 1: Change from Hard Water to Soft Water

This is the most obvious option that you can opt for. The main reason behind the white dust in the first place is the high mineral density in the water. So, just use water that has a low mineral density (soft water), and you won’t see any white coating near your air purifier.

Option 2: Use Demineralization Cartridge or Extra Filter

Many air purifiers come with an extra slot named demineralization cartridge. The purpose of this slot is to take care of the minerals in the water before the air purifier starts its process. Just enable it.

This way, you can use hard water but still don’t have to face the issues of white dust coating your air purifier.

That being said, if your air purifier doesn’t come with one but has the option to attach one then you can buy one from the market. You can also find some white dust filters that you can add to your air filter. But they aren’t that effective.

Option 3: Change Air Purifier Type

White coating only occurs in ultrasonic, water-based, or electrostatic air purifiers. But they don’t appear with HEPA purifiers, Ionizers, or activated carbon purifiers.

So, pick an air purifier that doesn’t produce a white coating, and you won’t have to worry about it ever again.

Final Thoughts

There you have it, this is all information that you need to know to understand why is there white coating near air purifier and how you can tackle the issue. So, use this article as a guide, and best of luck!

Last Updated on September 4, 2022

Richard Hicks

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1 thought on “Why Is There White Coating Near Air Purifier?”

  1. I have a HEPA air purifier and it is 100% making this white dust. And though I’ve seen numerous sites that say they don’t, or aren’t supposed to. There is nothing about if they happen to be doing so. I just need to know is my purifier working properly or did I get a defective one.

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