Air Purifiers For Pet Allergies: Do They Really Help?

We have two dogs and a cat in our house and we would not replace them with anything! However, as a person who has suffered from allergies over the years, I know firsthand that it can be tough.

I have had more than my fair share of sneezing fits, red eyes and generally a lot of discomfort due to my pet allergies. There are a lot of people who have pet allergies that still have pets or wish that they could.

Well, I am here to tell you today how you can help kick those allergies to the curb and make living with a four-legged buddy so much more pleasant and with a heck of a lot less sneezing.

Here is everything you need to know about air purifiers for pet allergies:

While some people may be sensitive to pet hair and there is not a person alive who enjoys getting a mouth full of it at an unexpected moment.

This is not actually the main cause of your sneezing, coughing and red eyes. It is dander! That's right dander, think of dandruff on a person and you are on the right track.

Basically, it is the dead skin that is coming off your dog, this with the dust, hair and so on make a mixture that your immune system does not like and kicks into high gear to fight.

The crazy thing is that it is not actually “dangerous” but some people (like me) have an immune system that is over dramatic and tries to fight it off like it is the plague!

Dander is the main culprit, but dander also is what dust mites like to eat, collects dust and that is why it is such a nuisance.

However, it is important to note that pet hair and pet urine are also triggers for some people’s pet allergies.

That is why you are here, isn’t it? To see if there is a way you can be in the same room as your dog and not sneeze up a hurricane?

The goal is to remove as much of the pet dander from the air as possible. You do this and there is less chance of your allergies causing you problems.

I want to look at a couple of types of air purifiers and let you know how they can help you when it comes to dealing with your pet allergies.

If you have been looking for a vacuum cleaner recently, HEPA filters are all the rage these days. A HEPA Filter has one job and that is to prevent as many particles from getting into the air as possible.

99.97 percent of yucky particles are removed thanks to a HEPA filter. So that is why looking for a pet hair air purifier that has a HEPA filter is going to be a real lifesaver for you. 

That number, 99.97 percent is not a typo either!

So in the case of pet dander, having an air purifier that has that HEPA filter inside it is certainly going to help. The only thing that a HEPA filter powered air purifier will not catch is anything that is from pet saliva or urine.

As I mentioned, some people have issues with these and so far the particles that are floating around from these are too tiny even for a HEPA filter to deal with.

While an ionizing purifier is not going to be able to deal with an issue like pet dander (as the particles are too large for it to handle) one thing that ionizing purifiers can do is fight any kind of virus that your pet may have.

They have proven to be able to in some cases kill a virus! I know that this sounds like a slam dunk and that you're thinking this is the way to go, though I would disagree. 

An ionizing purifier is great for many things, but for a person that is looking for an air purifier to specifically combat their pet allergies, I would not bother with an ionizing purifier.

As I said there is nothing wrong with them in general, but for what we are looking for today they are not very useful.

An air purifier that has a HEPA filter is most certainly the way to go. While there are other factors in play when it comes to pet allergies, pet dander is the main cause and a HEPA filter can really kick pet dander into touch.

Also, I would suggest that as well as a HEPA filter, look for an air purifier that specifically states it can get rid of much smaller particles.

This way if it is your pet's saliva or urine that is causing your allergies to flare up, this will also help.

I have a couple of air purifiers with HEPA filters in the house and they certainly help. However, you need to roll up your sleeves and do some work if you really want to be able to enjoy your animals (without a runny nose)!

Pet dander can float around the air for hours on end! The best way to combat this is with regular vacuuming.

We have already talked about HEPA filters, well many vacuum cleaners have HEPA filters in them these days and if you have pets and have pet allergies, you simply must not only vacuum on a regular basis, you need to make sure you have the right kind of vacuum.

One that has a HEPA filter and one that has a bunch of tools like a pet tool and a crevice tool so you can really get up all that pet hair and not have the pet dander spat out all over the house.

So yes, air purifiers for pet allergies can help, but it's not a magical device, you will also need to make sure that your home is nice and clean.

A clean home and an air purifier for pets can certainly make it so you are able to enjoy your pets more.