Let’s face it: Fido and Tabby might get you worried with dander flying around your house, which is why you’ll need an air purifier for dust and pet hair. Among the many benefits of an air purifier includes allergy and asthma relief. And with that, pet dander is a common allergen that will trigger rhinitis and/or asthma attacks, which is why you’ll need it if you have both pets and allergy sufferers at home.
Because we want to help you find the best air purifier that will remove dust and pet hair from the air you breathe, we’ve done a series of tests around NYC with “fur parents” – people who own dogs, cats, and similar pets. By doing these tests, we can give you an idea of how the air purifiers work.
How can I reduce dust and pet hair at home?
An air purifier will help keep pet hair and dust to a minimum thanks to their special filters, especially HEPA or True HEPA. One example is the NuWave OxyPure Smart Air Purifier, which we tested with our friend, Johnny, who owns a Labrador retriever named Spark.
Johnny not only has trouble sleeping due to stuffy air in his apartment but he’s also worried about Spark leaving pet dander everywhere – from the couch to his beddings. That’s why he was interested in getting an air purifier.
With the help of the air purifier’s true HEPA filter, the air became fresh within 2 hours or so. We noted that the room smelled less like a dog than before. Perhaps what helped was the combination of HEPA and activated carbon filters, which will get rid of both pet dander/dust and smell.
After leaving the air purifier overnight, we visited Johnny the next day. He told us that he slept like a log (much better than before). The Wi-Fi controls and the night mode, which turns the LED screen off, both helped Johnny sleep while cleaning the air in the background.
Do air purifiers remove dog hair dust?
Yes, they do! With the right filter (HEPA and above) and proper cleaning/maintenance of the filters, an air purifier will remove dog hair dust in no time. Our college friend, Brent, owns an Akita named Yuri (a female) in his apartment. We thought it was the perfect place to try the Medify MA-40 Air Purifier, which has a HEPA H13 filter (better than standard HEPA).
We asked Brent why he volunteered to try an air purifier for his apartment. Among Brent’s concerns with his dog (and his overall health) are the following:
- Stuffy air when he works from home
- His dog, Yuri, is a heavy shedder of pet dander
- Brent gets asthma attacks from time to time
After testing the air purifier in his 300-square-foot apartment unit, we felt the difference. We only turned it on the medium speed (it has 3 fan speeds to choose from) and it already made the room smell fresh within half an hour!
The next day, Brent reported more of the benefits of the air purifier that he tested. He found the child lock feature handy because Yuri seems to be a curious little Akita when it comes to any button or panel that can be pressed. Brent ran the air purifier all night (with its 8-hour timer) and he woke up not getting his usual asthma attacks.
Do air purifiers help with dust and pet hair?
Definitely! Air purifiers help clean pet hair and dust thanks to their HEPA filter, which will remove up to 99% of particles in the air as small as 0.3 microns – which includes anything your dog or cat sheds.
The HATHASPACE HSP002 Air Purifier is a great air purifier for large areas since it will clean up to 1,500 square feet of space – ideal for large families (or those with many pets around the house). Because of this cleaning capability, we decided to test it in a 1,000-square-foot studio-type room.
Ann, the owner of the condo unit, has a cat named Nicky, a female Russian Blue. Nicky likes to run around, roll on the floor and the carpets, and jump on the couch and the bed, much to Ann’s dismay. But because the air purifier has both a HEPA filter and an activated carbon filter, both Nicky’s pet dander and cat smell didn’t linger that much in the air anymore.
We tested it for about 1 hour and the air did smell fresher. Just in time for our experiment, Ann’s niece and nephew (Aaron and Libby) both came to visit with their Aunt Martha. Aaron and Libby, according to Martha, have pet allergies so they rarely visit Ann. However, on that day, the kids didn’t seem to display any sneezing symptoms much to Ann’s and Martha’s surprise.
The best air purifier for pet hair
So, what’s the best air purifier out there that will get rid of your pet hair problems? Well, we recommend our overall top pick, the Alen 45i Air Purifier, which will clean up to 800 square feet and has a slim design that suits most apartment dwellers and condo unit owners.
Tom, who owns a Ragamuffin named Snickers (we dare not question why), lives in a 500-square-foot apartment. Tom is yet another college friend we decided to bother to test an air purifier – and we believe he’ll benefit the most from it because he gets hay fever from time to time (and yet he refuses to let go of Snickers).
With 4 speeds to choose from, we think this is the best choice because of its medical-grade H13 HEPA, which best suits Tom’s situation of wanting to keep a shedding cat but also not wanting to have allergic rhinitis that hinders his freelance writing job.
True enough, the air purifier made positive changes to the surroundings within 30 minutes or less. There’s a color-coded light that informed us of the air quality (it’s smart enough to adjust the fan speed on its own as it detects air quality).
Conclusion
Keeping a pet at home doesn’t have to be bothersome when it comes to the pet dander they leave behind. By choosing the right air purifier for the job, you’re making your living space comfortable – even if your dog or cat sheds excessively. Just make sure to still maintain your pet’s grooming schedule!
