Passing by that pet shop in your neighborhood, you see the cute, harmless looking cat or dog and can’t just help but buying it though you have allergies and react in certain ways you still cannot do without them even when your breathing becomes a struggle. In this case, you would want to get a HEPA cleaner i.e., the best air purifier for allergies and pets which contain a High-Efficiency Particulate Arresting (HEPA) filters.

Most of us are well aware of the negative effects of contaminated air on our health, and we even have countermeasures against them. But we often ignore the fact that even the particles from our pet’s body Constitute more to the impurities in the air and could cause an allergy or be harmful to our health. Therefore, having pets at home increases the chances of these happening.

Several air cleaners for allergies and pets are now available in the market so that you can enjoy your furry family member who contributes immensely to indoor air pollution.

Do air purifiers work for pet allergies and odors?

Short answer:

YES. Air purifier works very well for removing impurities caused by pet allergies provided the purifier is made up of true HEPA filter

Detailed Answer:

As long as there is pet, there are impurities in the air, and there is also an air purifier in the market for you. But not all purifiers perform the task of removing dander or odor or even pet hair. Henceforth, let’s consider the types of Air purifiers for pets.

Types of air purifier for pets allergies and asthma

Air cleaners in the market are based on four different types of air filtration technology, each of which has their capacity of cleaning the air. The types of air purifiers are:

  • HEPA Purifiers:

This is the most popular type of air purifier which has been proven to have the capacity to remove 99.97% of particles that floats in the air. They work solely based on the HEPA art technology i.e., High-Efficiency Particulate Arrestance.

Apart from removing smokes, pet dander, and other impurities that we are aware of, it is also very efficient in cleaning the air of microbes like viruses and bacteria.

This type of air purifier is so useful that they even trap mold; hence it has been the best and most suitable and capable purifier for pet owners.

  • Activated carbon purifier:

In most cases, the carbon filters are often an addition to the HEPA filter in most purifiers. They work based on the activated carbon technology which is capable of removing impurities by the help of installed carbon filter which is carbon pores that filter smoke, pet hair, pet dander, and even pet odors. These set of purifiers have not been found to be effective in microbe removal.

  • Ultraviolet Technology Purifiers:

These are the best cleaner for removing microbe in the air we breathe. Their working principle is based on the use of Ultraviolet light to trap and remove virus, germs, and bacteria. Although, they are still the best value for the money in the market they are generally not effective in removing pet impurities. They may only be used alongside the HEPA purifiers for absolute cleansing

  • Negative ions purifiers:

These are filter-less purifiers that capitalized majorly on the power of ions. Anions and cations are used instead of the filter. These charged ions are arranged on the plate where they remove impurities by attracting them unto the plate. As good and economical as they could be, they are inferior at removing microbes in the air. The safety of negative ions depends solely on the ozone level generation

Best air purifier for removing pet hair, dog smell, pet allergies, and pet dander

When particles like cat dander or even dog odor are removed from your indoor air, it means you breathe in less of them which in turn reduces your allergic reactions to the cat or your pet’s dander. The same goes for other pets

The major function of Air purifiers is to filter the air around us so that it is free of impurities; it goes as far as removing dust and other contaminations from the atmosphere such as bacteria, mold, dust, smoke, etc.

Air purifiers also carry out filtration of pet dander released by pets and other animals in the home. Therefore, as long the purifier is made of HEPA filter, it can certainly help in reducing pet allergy up to less than 0.5% if not completely.

Therefore, you might also want to ask that will an air purifier help with cat or dog allergens if it doesn’t contain HEPA filter? I would say NO, WHY? You only get to notice a positive change in your pet allergy reaction levels only when your air cleaner contains a HEPA filter.

In short, since you wouldn’t want to get trade your anima pet for anything, it’s advisable you purchase a HEPA air purifier for your health sake.

 Considerations for choosing the best air purifiers for pet allergies and pet odors

  • HEPA filter:

The most important component to consider when purchasing an air purifier is the presence HEPA filter, because this is what traps the micron particles in the air. The absence of this in the filter would reduce the efficiency by a large margin and would leave the indoor air quality of the room with much undone.

  • Other filtering abilities:

some air purifiers are designed to filter not just dust particles and pet dander but have other filtering capacities such as VOC (volatile organic compounds) filtering capacity. VOC are among the smallest particle in the air and may not be caught by just any filter; they are compounds that turns to vapor at room temperature, e.g., alcohol, formaldehyde, etc.

Henceforth, some air purifiers are treated carbon with a porous surface that absorbs these chemicals and other odors.

  • CADR number: 

The clean air delivery rate is a rating system created by the Association of Home Appliances Manufacturers to evaluate the quality of air purifiers when dealing some particular pollutants. The higher the CADR number, the faster the purifier cleans the air of that particular pollutant.

  •  Noise:

This may seem irrelevant but sounds from device operation might be very intolerance sometimes that you might likely be thinking of even considering switching it off. Better still, you should consider going for the unit that whisper quietly.

  • Cost:

This is very important. You shouldn’t consider only the cost of buying but also the cost of operating and maintaining the purifier. There may be continuous expenses like electric bill and filter replacement to keep your unit working. All in all, ensure that you calculate the monthly cost before opting for any of the purifiers.

Top 5 Best Hepa air purifier for allergies

1) Dyson Air purifiers for pets:

Unique feature: Automated, Tri-function, True HEPA filter, and Noiseless

best air purifier for allergies
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I can confidently say this Dyson worth every penny spent on it. In what way?

Talking of the shape, the upper part is a cylindrical filter unit, and the vertically oriented oval is the loop amplifier. The base of this unit is circular and it houses the motor and electronic components.

There are two main settings which are the cooling fan or hot heater. The cool settings will allow you to set an intensity of 0 to 10 while the hot setting will let you to set the purifier to a temperature of your choice which when reached, the unit will stop drop down back to a low setting. This heating and cooling are to pre-purify and condition the air before purifying.

It comes with an option of you connecting with your home Wi-Fi alongside some other sensors on it. The remote control is also perfect and incomparable with others. The app connects with the WIFI also offers the remote control function, filter status information, event scheduling, indoor and outdoor air quality info.

It works on HEPA filtration mechanism and also has a carbon filter (activated carbon /graphite crystal). These filters can be easily replaced. The HEPA filter element is found at the circular area just below the amplifier which has a nominal lifetime of a year when used 12 hours daily.

It provides a fresh and nice air movement and also when in the Night mode, it dims a led display and automatically select a slower airspeed. Conclusively, it’s a good product with a good design that functions very effectively for pet and allergies.

Pros

  • Triple function;
  • Easy to use;
  • Portability and lightweight;
  • Wifi compatibility

Cons

  •  Expensive;
  • The filter cannot be washed;
  • No warranty.

2) Rabbit Air Minus A2 Ultra Quiet HEPA Air Purifier:

Unique Feature: BioGs HEPA filtration, 700sqft coverage and Ultra quiet

Best hospital grade whole house air purifier
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The rabbit air minus is one of the best air purifiers for pet odors. It is designed to fit your personal, with a dense germ filter that effectively traps and reduces airborne bacteria, mold spores, and particles that carry viruses.

It contains a pet allergy filter that traps and reduces pet dander and pet allergens, it also includes toxin absorber filter for dealing with volatile organic compounds and other chemicals. The presence of the odor remover ensures odors pets, cigarettes, and cigars, cooking and mildew doesn’t last long in the home.

Although at a high price, yet high quality. This unit exceeded expectations when placed in a master bedroom or 400 sq. Ft. and for those living in the home, it eradicated wheezing, coughing, sneezing and itchy eyes in the morning or night.

A course mate of mine got a house that is located in the Silicon Valley smug pit, and the occupants got severe asthma from the smug, however since this air purifier was mounted, it gave immediate relief and sound sleep throughout the night.

Pros

  • presence of several layers of a filter; pre-filter, medium filter, carbon filter, and bio HEPA filter;
  • negative ion generator,
  • ultra-quiet operation,
  • could choose to let it stand alone or be mounted on a wall,
  • the automatic reaction to environments placed in and large room coverage area.

Cons

  • it is expensive.

3) Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 Ultra Quiet HEPA Air Purifier (SPA-625A):

Unique Feature: BioGS HEPA filtration, Ultra quiet, and Energy efficient

best air purifier for allergies
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This product is designed in such a specific way, cutting back on light and sound pollution generated by the air purifier to ensure that while it takes pollutants from the environment, it leaves nothing but clean air in return.

The typical HEPA air purifiers trap allergens and contaminants, which accumulate on the filter and interfere with the efficiency of the filter with time, but this device employs the BioGS HEPA filter that traps and reduces common allergens to support optimum filter efficiency and prolong filter life.

This device is something that actually works as it is described to do, from minutes of turning it on auto mode, it starts to freshen up the room.  It is really worth it when you think about the filters lasting for so many years and it being easy to clean.

Pros

  • smart operations
  • childproof feature,
  • energy efficient,
  • ultra-quiet,
  • It comes with a 5-year warranty and
  • an inbuilt battery.

Cons

  • it is expensive.
 

4) Hamilton Beach air purifier:

Unique Feature: Zeolite technology, permanent HEPA filter, and 140sqft room coverage

best air purifier for the price
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This air purifier applies a triple filtration technology which are; a permanent pre-filter for pet hairs and large particles, two zeolite filters to target pet odors and a HEPA filter for capturing small particles as small as 3 microns. It can serve rooms efficiently up to 140 square feet and works vertically and horizontally for maximum impact in a quiet manner.

The equipment works great and for the first time since allergy season started, people who purchased and run it in their homes notice a big difference after just the first hour and after a few days, the dog fur continually flying around the house became much less.

Pros

  • high-performance filters,
  • 2 replaceable carbon zeolite filters,
  • it is not expensive,
  • ultra quiet operation.

Cons

  • useful in medium or small rooms,
  •  lack of smart operation unlike the Winx,
  •  no negative ion generator.

5) GermGuardian AC4100 3-in-1 Desktop Air purifier:

Unique Feature: Compact design, on/off UV-C control and Filter replacement reminder

best air purifier for allergies and pets
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The AC4100 3-in-1 desktop air purifier is designed to occupy little space when placed in a room.  with a HEPA filter, it captures dust and allergens, while the UV light kills germs and charcoal filters capture odors. The 3-speed controls include a low speed that runs ultra-quiet, ensuring there is no noise pollution during operation.

Installing this in a room after the occupants had itching eyes and nosed during the summer, and making it run all day and off at nights made a huge difference. The itching all left. The bedroom smells and feels better since it was installed.

Pros

  • changing filters is comfortable and convenient,
  • a monthly timer helps with knowing when to replace the filter,
  • portable compact design and
  • it is cheap.

Cons

  • air flows at a 45-degree angle towards the left

Final Verdict: Best air purifier for Pets and allergies

The efficiency and capacity of a purifier to deal with the pet allergens in the air depends on its HEPA filtration capacity. As discussed earlier, this is only the way of removing the danders, hair, and some other particles that are not visible to the eye.

Dyson Pure Hot + Cool Air Purifier, Heater + Fan – HEPA Air Filter, Space Heater and Certified Asthma + Allergy Friendly, WiFi-Enabled – HP04 came out as the overall best that fulfill all the considerations.

If you are after the waranty and a non expensive cost, we pick the Hamilton Beach air purifier 

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