Why do you need an Air Purifier? Obvious answer – Allergies!
But there is much more to it than that, although over 35 million Americans suffer from allergies! Besides sniffing, wheezing and sneezing all year long, when you know the allergy pollen season is over, it is no fun. If this is you then you are most definitely allergic to pet dander – which in short is the allergens that pet’s carry around with them and disperse out into the air. You may retort that you wash, de-flee and de-worm your pets regularly, but even so, if you are allergy prone, your pets will aggravate this, no matter how many times you wash and prep them.
Along with mold spores, dust mites, and other airborne pollutants, pet dander can cause very bad cases of asthma and allergies. Even if you are not directly allergic to pet dander, you are still breathing in these particles and this will affect your respiratory system down the line. In particular babies. So, if you have a little one in the house and have pets too, you will want to read on further.
A few tips to keep pet dander at bay:
- Replace all your carpets with tiles or laminated flooring
- Or at least keep carpeting to a minimum
- Where you have carpets, try to keep your pets away from these areas
- Furniture that has a tendency to collect pet hair, like wool, fleece, suede or cotton, should either be replaced or be regularly vacuumed and cleaned
- Vacuum your house regular but empty the filter before and after each vacuum – or the particles will just float back into the air
- Consider a pet dander talc/powder which you can either sprinkle directly onto the flooring before vacuuming or put a little straight into the vacuum filter/catcher
- Keep pets outside
- Change your bedding frequently, like twice a week, especially if your pets sleep on your beds
- In fact, keep your pets on their own beds, which should be dusted and cleaned every week, if not more often
- If you touch your pets, wash your hands straight away and form the habit of washing your hands often anyway
- Even pets without fur can carry pet dander – think fish, snakes, turtles, tortoises, geckos, to name but a few
- Curtains can also hold a lot of dust, so either clean your curtaining very regular (steam cleaning works like magic) or replace them with blinds
- Covering your mattresses and pillows with plastic covers can also help – not practical or fashionable but will eliminate dust and dander collection
- Avoid wearing wool or fleecy garments as dander sticks like glue to this type of material
- Invest in an Air Purifier
And this is where we come in.
Here are some features to look out for when wanting to buy the Best Air Purifier for pets and their dander.
HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air)
This is a particular filter that conforms to HEPA filter standards. Ensure your Air Purifier has this filter fitted. The best thing about this type of filter is that it is a mechanical filter that forces air through a fine mesh which traps harmful particles like dust mites, pet dander, pollen and tobacco smoke.
HEPA filters can come standard in air purifiers or even in certain vacuums. The beauty of these filters is that they trap more dirt as opposed to some filters, which throw the dirt back into the air. HEPA filters are perfect for allergy sufferers.
HEPA filters are perfect for allergy sufferers. Cleaning your filter – check how to clean this upfront as you want the least fussy way – preferably no cleaning and rather a need to replace – after a few years or 6 months, as the least
Area Size of Air Purifier
Check the size of the largest room in your house, so that you can be assured that your new Air Purifier can cover the entire area. Most Air Purifiers cover an average of 350 square feet, but some go right up to 2000 square feet.
Portability
A portable Air Purifier is essential or you will need to buy one for each room that needs purifying and essentially that would be all the rooms as dust and dander do not just hog one room. Most good Air Purifiers come with wheels and can easily be pushed around and plugged in anywhere.
Multiple Stage Air Filtration System
Check the Air Purification to ensure it has a multiple stage air cleaning system. 5 times in one hour would be good. This means that the system is kicking out the dirty air 5 times every hour that it’s on, thereby reducing the risk of any bad particles lingering in the air or being backwash (so to speak). Carbon Filters are also a good addition to looking out for, as they rid the air of certain gasses and in particular smoke.
Auto-off and Timer
Make sure your Air Purifier has an auto-off function, which can be set for a certain amount of hours; normally the maximum is 12 hours. Once it reaches the maximum hours, it will switch off, thereby saving you a possible burnout and/or waste of electricity. It is not necessary to keep Air Purifiers on all the time.
Some even have a Turbo Boost function which, when used, will blast the air in seconds for a quick clean up. (Think of that surprise visitor popping by when you know the lounge area reeks of wet dog! – life saver!) 
The timer facility is a must too. Maybe you want to just run the Air Purifier whilst you are out shopping, and you run over time. Set it for the 2 hours and it will only run for that time. No worry, no fuss!
So, in summary, there are many reasons to invest in the best air purifier for pets and their allergy-carrying dander. Odors are part of our world but it is the most harmful particles and even chemicals that are of more concern. Now, go ahead and buy one. You won’t regret it.
