Pets and Air Purifiers
I.
Introduction
"I have terrible allergies but I can't possibly get rid of my pets, maybe
I need a home air purifier." Since ClearFlite began in 1990, we have been
continually amazed at the love and adoration people have for their pets,
despite their adverse health reactions to keeping pets in the home. We've even
had several customers who were struggling to choose between keeping a spouse
or keeping a pet! Fortunately, we've saved a lot of marriages with the right
room air purifier in the right place for clean air.
The problems that arise from keeping pets in the home vary considerably
depending on the type of pet, quantity, and how much of the house the pets are
allowed to roam. Another consideration, if you are considering home air
purifiers to help with pet allergies is the type of symptoms you're
experiencing. Below we review the problems and clean air solutions in each pet category,
and we recommend specific home air purifiers to remedy them.
II. Room
Air Purifiers and Cats
Cats top the list because huge numbers of cat lovers are allergic to their
pets. However, recent science points out that it's not their beautiful fur
which is the culprit. It's the cat's saliva which contains an allergen that
gets deposited all over the fur when the cat licks herself. When it dries, the
saliva forms a fine dust sort of like dandruff but much, much finer, which is dispersed through the
air when the kitty scratches or a loving owner strokes her. It's the most
unfortunate of circumstances, since the best thing about having a cat is being
able to sit and stroke it while listening to that pleasant purr.
Hairless cats are finding popularity now, however, in reality there are no
totally "non-allergenic" cats. Even hairless cats wash, and the dust
accumulates on their skin. Cat lovers often experience hay-fever like symptoms
including itching eyes, running noses, skin rashes, and other such
unpleasantries. As with other allergies, it happens because the human body
reacts to the allergen by producing excessive histamine, leading to a rush
on the medicine cabinet.
If you can't part with your beloved cat and wish to breathe
clean air in your own home,
the next best thing is to keep a room air purifier continuously running in the
room where the cat spends the most time, and if possible to either keep the
cat out of the bedroom or to run home air purifiers in there as well. The
room air
purifier must be able to absorb both the fine dust and the floating fur, in
large quantities. We have found the Blueair 601 to be particularly effective
in cleaning up airborne cat particulate.
We also recommend washing the bedclothes, rugs, and other room fabrics often
and buying litter that isn't full of dust. Donning a surgical mask and giving
the cat a good combing outdoors or in the garage is also a good weekly plan.
III.
Home Air Purifiers and Birds
Birds compete with cats for the top honor of driving their owners
crazy. We've had many customers call with this lament over the years: "I just
paid $3000 for my gorgeous cockatoo and I'm allergic to it - get me
clean air!!" Bird feathers are
interlocking and each time a bird moves the tiny barbs that hold feathers
together rub against each
other and produce a super fine dust. The bigger the bird, the more dust for
your air purifiers to deal with.
Cockatoos and cockatiels seem to be the dustiest perhaps because the are
desert birds. If that weren't bad enough,
bird urine and feces can also contain allergens that turn into dust when they
dry and become airborne. In the wild, Mother Nature in the form of wind and
rain helps keep the birds clean, but locked in a cage, both people and the
birds themselves suffer from the airborne products of their captivity.
A room air purifier with the capability of absorbing the large quantities of super
fine dust will help immensely in your bird room. We again recommend the
Blueair 601 and the
IQAir products (all models). If your species of bird
doesn't have too much dander but the odor bothers you, the
Austin Air Superblend models will help.
Austin Junior home air purifiers are smaller and a nice size for bird
rooms that are smelly but not super dusty.
IV.
Air Purifiers and Dogs
Dogs can be as problematic as cats indoors although we seem to have fewer
customers who have problems with dog allergies than cat allergies. Any person,
however, with allergic sensitivities or asthma, may have problems with all
animals. Dogs also lick themselves and the saliva dries and becomes airborne
as tiny particles. The saliva may contain irritating allergens as may dried
urine. In dry houses during wintertime, dogs seem to shed even more as any
person who regularly uses a vacuum cleaner can attest. As with cats, there are
no truly non-allergenic dogs, although certain breeds (like schnauzers and
poodles) don't shed and make it easier to keep clean air in your environment.
Room air purifiers in the key living areas will help clean up the airborne
pollutants from living with man's best friend. Keeping a dog out of the
bedroom is always a good idea, but if not, using a home air purifier in the
bedroom 24 hours a day is helpful, particularly if you run it on high an hour
before bedtime. Bedding should be washed weekly at least. Electrostatic
filters on the central heating system can work well with the strategically
placed room air purifiers to clean the entire house. Combing the dogs out
frequently (outside whenever possible) and bathing them helps too. We
recommend the
IQAir and
Blueair 601
room air purifiers for dog dander. The electronic
Friedrich C90B can also help if you are willing to clean the filters
frequently. The room air purifiers with their odor filters will get both the
particulate and the odors associated with family pets.
V. Other
Furry Critters
"Mom, let's get a hamster!" Mom thinks, "hmmm, small size, don't have to
walk it, easy to care for – sure! – but only one, no babies!" Small furry
rodents (guinea pigs, gerbils, etc) also groom themselves, leaving saliva on
their fur where it dries and flakes off. The animals in their small cages also
come into frequent contact with their own urine which dries, flies off, and
can contain more irritating allergens than the saliva. The kind and
unsuspecting humans then pick up the cute little critters not thinking about
what this does to the clean air in their home. Forgetting to wash
their hands, they transfer the dried saliva to their eyes, noses, mouths, and
skin. The dried urine or saliva on humans can result in sneezing and itchy
eyes or skin. In wire cages, particles will escape and float around just like
they do with cats and dogs. When they float by the human nose and are breathed
in, irritation can result. If small animals such as hamsters or gerbils are
the only animals in the house that might be causing troublesome airborne
particles, a small room air purifier near the cage, such as the
Blueair 402 or the
Austin Junior will
generate the clean air you need.
VI. In
Conclusion - Clean Air with Air Purifiers
Pets enrich our lives and especially those of children and the elderly.
Mammals living indoors (even humans – we shed tons of hair and skin that an
air purifier can absorb) of the pet variety can cause allergic reactions in
their owners. The degree varies greatly as do the times of the year that the
animal may pose a problem. Winter can be difficult because humans and pets are
stuck in tight houses waiting out the weather. Spring can be difficult because
an allergenic might already be suffering from seasonal pollen allergies and
the pets make things worse.
HEPA room air purifiers running 24/7 in key living
areas of the home (particularly where the pet hangs out), and the bedroom will
remove a significant amount of the floating particulate resulting from dried
saliva and urine, as well as fur and skin. Clean air is the the key to
living with pets, a home air purifier in key areas will certainly help with
asthma and allergy symptoms.
