Are your pets leaving fur and odours around your house? Is the dander ( skin flakes that your kitty or dog sheds) causing your allergies to act up? While your furry and feathered friends are a great source of happiness, unfortunately, they can also affect your health. Additionally, sometimes pets face allergies as well. An easy solution to this is to get an air purifier.
This article will look at how to choose the best air purifier for pets and pet-related allergies.
Some Questions to Ponder Upon Before Purchasing an Air Purifier
- Are you looking to air-purify your whole house or just a room?
- What types of pollutants would you like to filter?
- What’s the size of the room where the air purifier will be placed?
- How willing are you to replace or clean filters?
- What are the size, noise, and programming features you’d ideally want for your air purifier?
Types of Filters
HEPA filters
Air purifiers with HEPA filters are developed to remove 99.97 per cent of particles that are 0.3 micrometres in size. HEPA air purifiers might reduce some of the larger-sized particles like dust, pet dander, pet hair and dust mites in your home.
But, when it comes to the minuscule particles of pet allergens like specks of dried saliva or pet dander, a HEPA filter is not as effective. This is because smaller particles have a higher possibility of passing through a HEPA filter and getting blown back into the air, which can cause an allergic reaction.
Carbon Filters
While carbon filters aren’t efficient at getting rid of dander, dust particles or pet hair, it effectively removes unpleasant odours in the air left by your pet.
Antibacterial Pre-Filter
If you’ve got pets, it’s recommended to look for a unit that comes with an antibacterial pre-filter. This kind of pre-filter will eliminate harmful bacteria your dog or cat may haul into the house.
Other Ways You Can Reduce Pet-Related Allergies and Dander
Regular Cleaning and Baths
One way to reduce the amount of pet-related allergies and dander in your house is frequent cleaning. Dust your house regularly with a wet rag. Vacuum the carpets, rugs, and furniture with a HEPA vacuum cleaner. Doing this will cut down on pet dander and allergies immensely. If possible, get rid of carpets as bare floors do not trap dander and dust as easily. Instead, try to use throw rugs which can be washed in hot water, removing all the pesky dander and pet hair.
Maintenance of HVAC
Maintaining the filter in your home’s heating and cooling systems can majorly help in the removal of pet dander and hair from the air (not to mention keeping your system free of particle build-up).
For those with extremely severe allergies, giving up your pet might be the only option. On the other hand, if your symptoms are manageable, you can protect yourself from allergic reactions due to your loving furry or feathered friend. It’s well worth the extra cleaning and maintenance.
Bonus Info: Clean Air Delivery Rate
Look out for the CADR rating. This is the Clean Air Delivery Rate. It represents the airflow in CFM (cubic feet per minute) through the air purifier filters. For example, if the airflow through the filters is 100 CFM and the filters remove 70% of airborne particles, then the CADR is 70 (100 x 0.70).
The higher the CADR rating, the larger the size of the room it can clean.
Hopefully, this article has helped you gain a better understanding of air purifiers and helped you decide to buy the best air purifier for pets.
