If you suffer from allergies that are triggered by your pet, you are really in a tough spot. Using the right air purifier to help you clear the air can help you manage your allergies and keep your pet too. To insure you choose one that is effective, don’t bring it home unless it has the following 5 features.
HEPA Technology—This is the type of filtration hospitals use to insure clean air because it has proven itself to be incredibly efficient at removing airborne particles. As an allergy sufferer you know all too well all the airborne particles that can trigger a flare-up. Pet related particulates such as dander can accumulate to such a level that you can hardly stand to be in the same room with the pet you love.
Other more normal particulates in conjunction with those from Beethoven, Fluffy, or Rio can create just as many problems. Normal household dust, dust mites, mold and mildew spores, bacteria and viruses are present in everyone’s home, regardless of how clean it is. And these working in concert with the pets’ particle can make the air thick with allergens.
By definition HEPA filters must be able to remove airborne particulates as small as .3 microns in size with a micron being defined as one millionth of a meter. That makes this type of filter able to eliminate all of the airborne particles above with 99.97% efficiency.
Carbon-Based Filter—Every animal has its own unique scent including humans. We bathe and use personal products to mask our more natural and not always more pleasant scent. Pets don’t have that option. So with animals there is going to be some smell.
As a pet lover you probably don’t even notice the smell of your pet anymore. Friends, family, and others who visit your home may not be as forgiving. Carbon is renowned for its ability to remove gases, odors, and airborne chemicals. And there’s just no sense in bringing an air cleaner home that can’t remove odor.
Carbon does not discriminate about the type of odors it will remove. Gases, odors, and airborne chemicals from any source will be eliminated by filtering the air with carbon.
360 Degree Intake—This feature is important because it gives you the most options in terms of placement of the cleaner. Because it can pull air from all sides with only a 6 inch clearance you can put it in a corner, down low, or up high and it will be equally effective. Units without this feature often have to be placed in the center of the room to function well.
Split Capacitor Motor—It’s important to look for this type of motor in the technical specifications of the unit. This type of motor is built to run safely and continuously without needed time to rest or cool down. This means that your air can be continually filtered of the gaseous and particulate allergens that could cause flare ups.
5-Year Filter Warranty—A purifier that requires you to replace the filter every 6 months to a year to be effective and/or to keep the warranty active adds significantly to the cost of the unit. Finding out about this seemingly minor detail can derail your ability to keep the air filtered and your pet allergies managed.
It will take a little attention to the fine print to check for these 5 features, but you will reap the benefits 24 hours a day every day.. And you stand a greater chance of being able to manage your allergies and keep your pet. Doesn’t that make it all worthwhile?