Air Purifier for Pet Dander
Pets. We love them from the moment we see those adorable eyes and fuzzy ears in the rescue shelter to their final golden years when they quietly keep us company, still able to conjure a heart-melting look or obedient wag of the tail. In fact, across the globe, there are more than 471 million dogs and 373 million cats that are kept as pets,1 so it’s no secret that we consider them members of the family. Still, pet dander remains an issue we all have to contend with, meaning the market for air purifiers for pet dander is going stronger than ever before.
Despite all the positive joy and lifelong memories our furry friends bring us, the combination of pet dander and fur shed by our furry friends can wreak havoc on allergy sufferers, regardless of the time of year or how well we groom them.
All of which is to say that a few small measures can go a long way toward helping reduce allergens known to cause sneezing, coughing and itchy, watery eyes that plague so many of us who just want to enjoy the companionship of a pup or kitten at our side. If you’d like to learn more on that topic, read our content about air purifiers for allergies.
Although, it’s important to understand that an air purifier isn’t a silver bullet that cures all ails but it can go a long way to help improve your indoor air quality along a multi-pronged approach that includes both reducing the source of pollutants and improved ventilation.2 When added as part of a comprehensive plan to reduce allergens and airborne particles in your home, these purifiers for pet owners can help provide cleaner, healthier indoor air.
Do I Need an Air Purifier for Pet Allergies?
First of all, it’s important to understand air purifiers don’t directly treat allergies. Instead, they can help filter allergens that are known to cause allergy and asthma symptoms. According to the Mayo Clinic, although there can be a variety of causes of pet allergies — including hair and saliva — pet dander remains the number one cause for all that sniffling and sneezing millions of people experience when they are around animals.2 Other common symptoms of pet allergies include coughing, trouble sleeping, painful sensations in the face and an itch in the back of the throat that can’t be shaken until the allergens are no longer present. If you’ve ever experienced a perfectly fine day at the office only to come home to experience a virtual sneeze-fest at home, you’ll understand why this is the case. That’s why an air purifier for pets and allergies is so important.
In essence, dander consists of dead skin cells that animals regularly shed.3 Within these cells are tiny but potent allergens that can stick to nearly anything the animal touches — from your bed sheets to your favorite sweater to your skin. These allergens can even linger in the air for some time, making it especially difficult for those whose primary approach to combating pet allergies involves using a lint roller to remove pet hair from their clothing or regularly vacuuming the spaces within their homes. These efforts, while valiant, do not do much to counteract the power of environmental allergens that are literally found everywhere you turn when you keep animals as pets.
It’s also worth noting that allergens can also be found in pet urine, saliva and near your pet’s sweat glands, and these allergens may also become airborne. For this reason, choosing a “hypoallergenic” pet with less hair may not be the perfect solution it seems on the surface to be. Some animals may shed less than others, but the idea that there is such a thing as a hypoallergenic pet is something of a misnomer at best or overstatement at worst.
As we’ve mentioned, even the most rigorous home cleaning routines will only eliminate a portion of the pet dander. Once the dust has literally settled, it can remain on nearly every surface you and your pets encounter.
Purchasing an air purifier for pets is one simple and affordable way to help reduce pet allergens in your home. The best part? It works behind the scenes and cleans the air while you enjoy a little cuddle time with your favorite fur baby.
Best Air Purifiers for Pets
It is important to know that HEPA air purifier filters are considered the gold standard in air purification. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that “portable HEPA filtration units that combine a HEPA filter with a powered fan system are a preferred option for auxiliary air cleaning”… “especially in higher risk settings".4 In this section, we will discuss four of our best air purifiers for pets.
Each of Carrier’s room air purifiers for pets has been certified by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM). AHAM has developed a standard for measuring the efficacy of an air purifier called the Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR rating). CADR informs you of the volume of filtered air produced by an air purifier and provides a separate score for tobacco smoke, pollen, and dust. AHAM recommends the CADR of an air purifier to be at least two-thirds of your room’s area.5 For example, the Smart Air Purifier XL has the following CADR scores: Tobacco Smoke CADR – 365; Dust CADR – 385, Pollen CADR – 427. These are independently tested and demonstrate performance in the maximum recommended 560 square feet size space. To compare the CADR ratings on other Carrier air purifier models explore our air purifiers.
Carrier Smart Air Purifier
The Carrier Smart Air Purifier includes a HEPA filter that captures 99.97 percent of airborne particles 0.3 microns in size. All of which is good news for pet owners, as the Carrier Smart Air Purifier is great at trapping pet dander. The three-in-one high efficiency filters come with a pre-filter for larger particles, a HEPA filter for finer particles and an activated carbon filter to help clear the room of pet odors and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Air filter replacement is a snap, and the built-in change indicator will let you know when it’s time for a new one, but a good rule of thumb is to replace it every six to 12 months, depending on your personal usage
Our smart air purifiers come in two different sizes. The regular size Smart Air Purifier (model RMAP-SST) is designed for rooms up 430 square feet, while the Smart Air Purifier XL (model RMAP-SXL) is suited for larger rooms up to 560 square feet.
Both models have the unique ability to automatically adjust between 18 different fan speeds depending on the level of pollutants in the air. You can either adjust the fan speed manually or select Smart Auto Mode which allows the air purifier to automatically adjust the fan speeds based on the air quality level in the room – delivering cleaner air more efficiently. The 360-degree airflow capabilities pull polluted air from multiple directions and return cleaner to the room. Additionally, our Smart Air Purifiers offer greater convenience through smart home integration and Wi-Fi® capability. With the user-friendly Carrier Home app, you can easily monitor and control your air purifier, even when you’re away from home.6
Shop for a Carrier Smart Air Purifier today.
Carrier Air Purifier
If you’re not interested in a Wi-Fi connected air purifier, our regular sized Carrier Air Purifier would be a great option. With dozens of five-star ratings, the simple but effective Carrier Air Purifier remains a great choice for smaller rooms up to 430 square feet. Or if you have large rooms, the XL sized Carrier Air Purifier can accommodate rooms up to 560 square feet.
The Carrier Air Purifier packs many of the same features found in the Smart Air Purifier, just without the Wi-Fi capabilities or the HEPA filter. While not a true HEPA air filter, this model includes a high-efficiency filter that can still trap more than 99 percent of airborne particles sized 0.3 microns
Shop for a Carrier Air Purifier today.
Regardless of the model you choose, Carrier’s certified air purifiers work to reduce the amount of pet dander in your home, thus helping improve the quality of your indoor air.
1.https://www.statista.com/statistics/1044386/dog-and-cat-pet-population-worldwide/
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pet-allergy/symptoms-causes/syc-20352192
3. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pet-allergy/symptoms-causes/syc-20352192
4. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/ventilation.html#refphf
5. https://ahamverifide.org/ahams-air-filtration-standards/
6. Wi-Fi® connection required. Works with Alexa, Google Assistant and select Apple® and Android™ mobile devices. Free Carrier Home App download required. See User Manual for more details
