In this article, I will be answering the question “do air purifiers help with pet hair?” Which is often asked by pet lovers. As a pet owner, dealing with pet hair is inevitable. Shedding is a normal part of life.
Hairy animals shed hair from time to time and even humans shed off old hair and they get replaced with new ones (you might not really notice, I know). For pets, especially furry animals like dogs, it is hard to miss out on the fact that they shed hair.
You will find unwanted hair strands in your carpet, on your car’s seat, even on your precious suit, and maybe even get a glimpse of some strands floating in the air. There are different measures to take when it comes to dealing with pet hair and one of them includes using an air purifier.
In a bid to fight pet allergies, air purifiers are purchased for the purpose of cleansing the air of pet hair and pet dander. An adorable house pet can be a health threat to a friend or family member with an allergic reaction to pets, so actions need to be taken to minimize allergic symptoms as much as possible especially if such person will be within the same house with the pet for an extended period of time.
Persons with chronic symptoms are advised to avoid the source of allergic reactions entirely, but for most persons, the situation can be managed.
Keeping pets, especially furry animals like cats and dogs will involve putting up with their shed hair which gets dispersed around the house.
They get stuck in carpets and rugs, found on surfaces, and also float in the air. Apart from being a source of dirt, pet hair could transport allergens which will trigger an allergic reaction in some individuals. For those persons, it is important to keep pet hair in the air and surroundings as limited as possible.
To achieve this, an air purifier can help to some extent alongside other precautionary measures.
Read through to find out how pet allergies work and how air purifier cleanses surrounding air.
How Does Pet Allergies Work?
Cats and dogs are the most common household pets. Unfortunately, they provoke the immune system of some persons. This immune response occurs when allergic persons come in contact with specific proteins known as allergens produced by these pets.
Allergens are harmless substances secreted in an animal by different glands like salivary glands, sebaceous glands, and anal glands.
These substances get fused with dry skin cells forming dander.
Dander is usually shed alongside the animal’s hair and it can be inhaled. Pet hair or dander can fall off and lay around the house on the furniture, carpet, and even in the air. Exposure to the allergens in the air, floor, or even on the animal itself can trigger allergic reactions in individuals.
Pet hair by itself does not bring about allergic reactions, but it might carry some particles of dander or animal fluids like saliva containing allergens which are guilty of the above crime.
Pet hair can also pick up allergens from outside. Substances like mold spores or pollen are capable of triggering an allergic reaction in some individuals. Even though pet hair is not exactly guilty, it can be an oblivious accomplice to these allergens, both those secreted by the animal and gotten from the environment.
Being allergic to an animal means you have an allergy to a protein (allergen) secreted by the animal. Contact with body fluids or dander of such animal will trigger allergic symptoms. If you are suspected to have a pet allergy, your doctor would have to find out the allergen you are reacting to.
How Air purifiers Work
Air purifiers (1) have evolved over decades to what we all know today. From protective gear used by firefighters, it has become an instrument used to purify the air in our immediate surroundings.
Air purifiers can be beneficial for individuals with asthma and allergies because they remove harmful airborne particles in the environment that could trigger an attack. Air purifiers can help keep the air clean, which will reduce triggers to your body’s reaction as well as damage to vital organs from pollution.
Air purifiers are targeted at cleaning the air of irritants capable of triggering asthmatic or allergic reactions like smoke, pet dander, pollen, viruses, and others. Most of these allergens cannot be seen with our eyes, but they are present in the air. Air purifiers filter these allergens in the air using filters, ozone, or electric attraction.
Filters
Air purifiers make use of filters with fine sieves. The finer the sieve, the better job it does at filtering, which means it will trap smaller particles. As circulating air gets into the air purifier, it traps air pollutants and other small particles like dust present in the air.
When it comes to filters, HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters do an excellent job making them the best kind of filters. They are adept at trapping small microscopic particles and any particle of 0.3 microns and above will get caught in HEPA filters.
Human eyes can only see particles about 10 microns and higher, these are the sizes of particles that can be trapped in normal room conditioner filters. HEPA filters do a far more efficient job in that regard. Make sure to get a HEPA air purifying that can satisfy your needs depending on the room you will be using it in.
Alongside HEPA filter, top brands have added features like an ultraviolet system that destroys viruses and bacteria that get filtered in the air purifier. Some products also have a blend of zeolite or carbon that absorbs odors.
Electric Attraction
Some air purifiers utilize electrical attraction to trap irritants in the air. Three kinds of purifiers use this method, they are electrostatic precipitating cleaners/electronic air purifiers, electret filters, and negative ion generators.
An electronic purifier works by dragging these particles in with a fan, then, they get charged. Precipitating cells with contrasting electric charges attract particles as they go through the cells or plates.
An electric purifier is a cheaper option when you take into consideration how much you will spend replacing HEPA filters, but HEPA air purifiers are more efficient when it comes to removing pollutants or possible allergens present in the air.
Also, a lot of electric purifiers release ozone into the environment and ozone is a toxic substance.
Electret filters contain synthetic fibers which help produce static charges that attract particles. There are different kinds of electret filters; they include disposable, reusable, plain, and pleated. How often you replace the filter depends on the kind you get.
Some air purifier products combine electrostatic filter mechanisms with HEPA filters. These products charge particles that are moved into the air purifier, so it gets pulled to the filter once it gets to it.
These brands of purifiers will do an excellent job of cleaning the surrounding air by taking advantage of both technologies.
Ionizers or negative ion generators produce gas molecules with negative charges using charged wires.
These negatively charged ions combine with particles present in the air and they get filtered. Unfortunately, these ions might find their way into your air and surfaces leaving stains on them. Ionizers are not very effective when it comes to absorbing odors or chemicals. They are also known to release air pollutants that get back into the air.
Ozone
Ozone generators convert oxygen in the air to ozone using electrical currents. Ozone is a well-known oxidizing agent and when produced, it destroys pollutants and microorganisms frolicking in the air. They do a fairly decent job of ridding the air of allergens.
The ozone produced in the atmosphere protects us from ultraviolet rays, but when we are exposed to ozone in our surroundings, it could be dangerous to our health. Ozone produced artificially is a powerful lung irritant.
it intensifies allergic and asthmatic reactions, causes cough, and chest pain, and destroys the nasal passages and lungs on prolonged exposure. Ozone generators and ionic air purifiers release ozone; this makes them not ideal for your home.
Best Air Purifiers To Help With Pet Hair
Air purifiers can help remove pet dander and pet hair carrying dander or allergens in the air. To get the air in your surrounding well purified, I recommend using a HEPA air purifier.
HEPA air purifiers trap particles that are small as 0.3 microns in size and so, it will not be a problem for them to trap pet hair present in the hair. Alongside pet hair, HEPA air purifiers will also trap other air pollutants like bacteria, dust, pollen, etc.
Getting this air purifier will help limit the exposure of you or your family members to allergens.
Also, the HEPA purifier does not release harmful chemicals like ozone. Summarily, it does the best job at purifying the surrounding air.
By getting a HEPA filter, you are not only maintaining a healthy environment for persons with allergies, but you are also creating an environment with cleaner fresher air.
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