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
BelKraft introduced air purification in
1998, 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
Nutri-Tech air purifier 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 BelKraft air products (all
models). If your species of bird doesn't
have too much dander but the odor bothers
you, the 6-stage models will work just
fine.
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. 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
BelKraft 6-stage unit 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.
(Go
here for more info on Pet Dander)
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