Air Purifier For Cat Hair

How Do Pet Allergies Work

An allergic reaction is simply your immune system overreacting to something that would otherwise not harm you. Pets produce several different substances that can trigger allergies. Your immune system reacts to the protein molecules of the allergen.

Pet Dander

Pets carry dander and can collect dust on their fur and coats. Dander is made up of skin flakes that your pet sheds in addition to their hair. If you have a dander allergy, it means that you are allergic to the proteins secreted by oil glands under your pets skin. Shed skin, covered in these proteins, is a part of any dander shed by your pet.

You may sometimes notice these skin flakes floating through the air or accumulating in certain corners of your home. However, not all dander is visible to the human eye. Some dander particles are microscopic and can get trapped in carpets, bedding and furniture. If disturbed, these allergens can be released into the air and suspend there for a long time.

Pet Hair

Pet hair itself rarely causes an allergic reaction, but it helps to trap particles of dander, so pet hair can still be a problem if it collects on the floor, your furniture or gets into the air. Pet hair can collect other animal products such as pet saliva or urine, which contain allergy-producing proteins as well.

Dust Bunnies

Pet Saliva and Accidents

Cat Allergies vs. Dog Allergies

Best Air Purifiers For Cat Allergies

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Daniel is our resident house gadget geek. He is our man in the frontline, following consumer trends to help him identify the best up and coming tech to review for HouseFresh. When hes not tinkering with new gadgets, he composes and records his own music at home.

Its no secret that cats make pretty awesome pets. Their laid-back lifestyle makes them loveable while their independent nature makes them easy to care for. Yet for many people, the allergens they produce are enough to turn them from feline friends to feline foes.

As many as 3 in 10 people have pet-related allergies, and statistically, youre twice as likely to be allergic to cats than dogs. If youve suffered from any of the following symptoms after being around a cat, the chances are you have an allergy:

• Sneezing or a runny or stuffy nose
• Facial pain
• Coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and wheezing
• Watery, red, or itchy eyes
• Skin rash or hives

The root cause of cat allergies comes from the proteins that they shed. Although these particles are often so small they cannot be seen by the naked eye, they can in fact be captured by air purifiers with a HEPA filter, which is capable of trapping particles as small as 0.3 microns.

As cat allergens range between 2.5 and 10 microns in size, HEPA filters will readily eliminate them from your domestic environment.

Type Two: Active Purifiers

Active purifiers dont just filter the air, they sanitize it. They destroy airborne bacteria, viruses, germs, and spores. If youre worried about airborne particles making you sick, this is the type of air purifier you want, but remember that it wont do much for cat hair.

There are several types of active purifiers. Lets learn more about each.

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How Air Purifiers Work

Air purifiers come in all shapes, sizes, brands, and have varying purposes. Some purifiers are designed to eliminate germs, dander, and dust from the air. Elimination of pet hair requires a specialized appliance.

Ozone-generating air cleaners. These purifiers use chemical reactions to clean pollutants from the air but are not effective for pet hair.

Electronic air cleaners. These portable devices work by producing chemical reactions to charged particles in the air. This causes the particles to float down and stick to surfaces, purifying the air but not removing the particles from your home.

Filtering air cleaners. Air passes through a filter in the machine, capturing fur, dust, and dander for removal.

How To Set Up And Maintain Your Air Purifier

Once youve decided on an air purifier for your home, youll need to follow a few simple steps to set it up properly for maximum filtering efficiency. Consider the following points:

• When your air purifier arrives, be sure to remove the plastic covering on the filter. Many air purifiers come with the filter already installed, but not yet unwrapped running your new purifier this way will be ineffective at best or damaging at worst.
• Position your new purifier at least 18 inches away from walls and any furniture, ideally in the center of your room. This allows for maximum airflow and filtering efficiency.
• Air purifiers work best in the room theyre positioned in, so consider either buying multiples for a larger space or occasionally moving it from room to room in your home.
• If youre looking for the best air quality possible, keep your doors and windows closed and run your air purifier on its lowest setting 24 hours a day.
• Set a reminder on your calendar to clean the prefilter once a month, and to replace the filter at the time recommended by the manufacturer .

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Type One: Passive Purifiers

Passive purifiers have a system of filters that catch particles and prevent them from spreading through the air. Depending on the type of filters built into a passive purifier, it may be able to capture extremely small particles like pet dander and smoke.

Less efficient purifiers will capture cat hair but allow some finer particles to pass through. Well talk more about different types of filters later.

Hamilton Beach Trueair Air Purifier For Home Or Office

Cat litter odor is stubborn and can linger for a long time. The Hamilton Beach 04384 air purifier provides 2 carbon zeolite filters to consistently get rid of the entire odor.

There are 2 additional filters, a permanent pre-filter for capturing larger particles, and a HEPA-grade filter for tinier particles. These permanent filters are maintained by regular vacuuming.

Further, the Hamilton Beach 04384 air purifier serves perfectly in any environment since its ultra-quiet and compact. It also has 3 fan speed settings and can work horizontally or vertically. Lastly, it serves rooms not exceeding 140 sq. ft.

Features

• Zeolite filters enhance odor elimination efficiency
• Easy maintenance HEPA filter and Pre-filter do not require replacement
• Compact size, suitable for any environment
• Efficient at allergen capturing over 99.9% efficiency using HEPA filters
• Versatile works vertically and horizontally

Cons

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Best For Odors: Bissell Myair Personal Air Purifier

• Sleep mode has lower fan speed for reduced noise

• Night light can be turned on or off

• Activated carbon filter

• Filter is not washable

• No HEPA filtration

This Bissell MyAir purifier clears pet dander and other small particles from the air with an activated carbon filter and also removes pet odors . It has three levels of fan speeds and runs fairly quietly, even on high. It can also be set to sleep at night for ultra-quiet operation. Aside from its effectiveness and quiet functionality, this purifier also has a night light if you choose to use this in a common area or a child’s bedroom.

The small, portable unit works best in rooms up to 100 square feet and moves the air five times every hour. Set it right next to your dogs crate or cats litter box to stop the odors as close to the source as possible. While the activated carbon filter is powerful at removing particulates and odors, we wish that this purifier also had a HEPA filter for the most advanced air cleaning possible. Despite this minor design flaw, we still think this is a great purifier option for eliminating odors.

Coverage Area: 100 square feet | Dimensions: 8.27 x 8.27 x 12.2 inches | Filter Type: 3-stage | CADR Rating: Not available | Smart Capabilities: No

Best For Small Spaces: Membrane Solutions Air Purifier For Home Bedroom With H13 True Hepa Filter

This membrane solutions air purifier is equipped with an advanced three-in-one true HEPA filter. It has a three-stage filtration system including a pre-filter, a true HEPA filter, and an activated carbon filter. It removes at least 99.97% 0.3 micron pollutants. This machine works quickly to circulate air in rooms up to 221 ft.². In 45 minutes, youll be inhaling cleaner, fresh air. This works perfectly to clear out the dust, pollen, pet dander, mold spores, strange odors, and smoke particles from the room you place it in. Its designed to be ultra-quiet with a one-key touchscreen that has three-speed modes: sleep, low, and high.

Its also designed to alert you when you need to replace the filter. The filters lifespan is dependent upon how many hours you run the air purifier and which mode of operation you use. Once the filter lifespan reaches 100%, youll see a red light indicator so that you can replace the filter. This is also a 100% ozone-free air purifier. Ozone and UV were supposed to be an upgrade, but it is now known that these pose some health risks. With this ozone-free air purifier, you dont have to worry about that.

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Pet Odors: Germguardian Ac4300bptca 3

The GermGuardian AC4300BPTCA is the newest version of air filters from GermGuardian. This 3-in-one, high-performing air purifier for dog smells traps, kills, and filters germs, dust, and dander at a reasonable price. This air purifier claims to capture 99.97% of allergens , including pet dander, mold spores, and plant pollens.

It has UV-C light technology, which kills bacteria, viruses , germs, and mold spores in the air. The charcoal filter reduces cooking, smoking, and pet odors , and the HEPA air filtration system helps reduce exposure to asthma triggers. For all of these reasons, we think its the best air purifier for pet odors.

Our Personal Experience

We bought the GermGuardian AC4825 air filter to minimize dog smells in our basement since that is where their dog crates are. It has exceeded expectations by getting rid of the doggy smell quickly, reducing the amount of time we have to run it.

As a bonus, it also reduces fire pit and cigar odors that waft in through the basement door and damp smells when it rains. Its so quiet that we sometimes forget to turn it off, but I am not complaining about that! Its been a great air purifier for pet smells.

Michelle S., Canine Journal

Our Personal Experience

The Levoit Core P350 air purifier has a Pet Lock that prevents the change of settings by pets or children. It can cover up to 219 square feet and has a three-stage filtration system that captures up to 99.97% of particles in the air.

Hamilton Beach Trueair Air Purifier

Another wonderful product is the Hamilton Beach TrueAir Air Purifier. If youre on a budget but still wish to rid your home of cat hair, this could be the solution youve been dreaming of!

This high-performance system has a triple filtration process, again combining a pre-filter specifically to catch pet hair and large particles, an activated carbon filter to trap and absorb odors, and a True HEPA filter to capture dander and other allergens.

What is fantastic about this product is that the pre-filter and HEPA-grade filter are both permanent and you can vacuum them to keep them clean. This can substantially cut costs for cat owners who could end up spending a fortune on filter replacements. The carbon filters will need replacing, but the costs will still be kept lower than if a total filter replacement was required.

This air purifier also runs quietly while working powerfully, with three different fan speeds which can cover an area of up to 140 square feet. This is not as large coverage as other air purifiers but is ideal for a small bedroom, office, or nursery.

Pros

• Reusable pre-filter and True HEPA filter
• Pre-filter successfully traps cat hair and large particles
• Two carbon filters to eliminate pet odors
• Great budget option
• Three different fan speeds to suit your needs
• Runs quietly, especially on the lowest setting

Cons

• Only suitable for small rooms up to 140 square feet
• No timer setting or motion sensors

Also Check: What Age Should You Neuter A Cat

A House Free Of Pet Hair

Dogs, cats and many other pets unavoidably lose their hair, and it can get worse during the summer months. They also lose skin flakes and dander which fall to the ground or stay on our couches and beds. Furry animals lose several hundred hairs every day, and they can also experience periods of molting. During the fall and early spring, dogs, cats and even rodents change their fur coats to better suit the new temperatures. Nature is a true wonder.

However pet hair and dander can become a real problem in an apartment or a house. Having pets requires a weekly, sometimes daily, cleaning of floors, carpeted floors, carpets, sofas, cushions, pillows, etc.

Air purifiers can come to your rescue and help you eliminate pet hair in your home. AIRVIA Medical Air Purifiers clean your indoor air and remove thousands of pollutants from it, including hair and other allergens. They only take a few seconds to install in an apartment or house, and can purify the air of a 1000 ft² space in just a few minutes.

Better Home Air Quality

Your air will be fresh, without your dog and cat smells and odors.

Cats are typical free-roaming animals, but they live exclusively inside. And if youre a dog owner, youre well aware of how terrible canine odor is.

The scenario becomes considerably worse if you have just indoor creatures such as hamsters, pigs, or birds While it is important to clean the cages or pans of these animals on a regular basis, it is preferable to have a solution in place to maintain fresh air as soon as possible.

Hopefully, this list and guide have helped you better understand why an air purifier is a wise investment if you own dogs, as well as aided you in making the best product selection. The best air purifier for pets in 2022 listed above are your top and safe options as a pet owner and should serve you well for a lifetime of use. Thank you!

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Other Ways To Reduce Pet

Pet dander is released from your pets skin all the time. It peaks when your pet is active, shakes, or gets some attention from its owners . Brushing your pets fur releases a lot of dander, so it should always be done outside. This can actually help reduce pet dander in the house temporarily, since brushing gets rid of so much of it outside instead of letting the dander get shaken off inside the house.

Image Credit: Aqua Mechanical

Regular Bathing

There is some evidence that regular bathing reduces the amount of dander a pet gives off, especially dogs. There are special shampoos intended to reduce dander, so use those whenever possible. Keeping your pet healthy by feeding a veterinarian-recommended diet and providing plenty of water can help, since healthy skin and fur gives off less dander than dried out, flaky skin.

Limit Area of Activity

One of the biggest problems with pet dander is that it gets trapped in carpets, bedding, sofas, and clothes. If just one person in your household has a pet allergy, restrict the pet so that it cannot get to that persons bedroom. This will cut down on the amount of dander the allergic person is exposed to while sleeping, which may help with nighttime allergies. It can help to keep pets off of the furniture. You can also buy special pillowcases and mattress covers designed to prevent dust, pet dander, and other particles from getting trapped inside the pillow or mattress, which can help you get a good, allergy-free night of sleep.

A Quick Comparison Of Our Favorites For 2022

Our best overall air purifier is the Germ Guardian AC5350BCA Elite Air Purifier & HEPA Filter. Were impressed with the devices additional features and reasonable price. Its designed to clean rooms with up to 167 square feet of floor space, and the machine cleans and recirculates the air every 4 hours. Germ Guardian uses a HEPA filter to remove dust, pollen, dander, and allergens as tiny as 0.3 microns, and it has an activated carbon filter that eliminates odors. You can also turn on the UV-C light to kill mold spores, germs, bacteria, and viruses. Unlike most models in its price range, the fan has five settings. When you want to reduce the noise of the machine, you can select quiet mode.

The manufacturer claims its machine eliminates 99.7% of dust and allergens, and its especially beneficial to pet owners with allergies. The only complaint we have about the Germ Guardian concerns the replacement bulbs. You can order replacement filters from Chewy, but you must go to the Germ Guardian site to order UV-C bulbs.

If you have a small room for the litter box, this machine can reduce the odors from urine, feces, and dusty litter. The LEVOIT purifier is a practical unit for smaller rooms, but some customers looking to buy another purifier were disappointed that the price was higher than earlier in the year.

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