Do Air Purifiers Work for Pet Allergies?

Many homeowners in Montgomery, Alabama, couldn’t imagine their lives without a few furry friends to keep them company at home. However, for those of us with pet allergies, even visiting a home with pets for a short time can be unbearable – not to mention living in one! Thankfully, air purifiers can help these households achieve harmony between homeowners and their pets.

Pet Allergy Basics

In the U.S., pet allergies are quite common. Pet allergies are even more common in individuals who suffer from asthma or other allergies. 

• Allergies to cats and dogs occur in as many as three in 10 people in the country. 
• Cat allergies are about twice as prevalent as dog allergies in America.
• Approximately 67 percent of U.S. households have at least one pet. 
• About 42.7 million households have a cat, while 63.4 million households have a dog.

Pet allergies are formed due to a person’s immune system being overly sensitive when in contact with proteins found in pet saliva, dander or urine. Contrary to popular belief, pet hair or fur is not an allergen, although it can carry pet-specific allergens as well as other common allergens. In households with pets, pet allergens collect on various surfaces and maintain their strength for long periods of time. 

Common symptoms associated with pet allergies occur when pet dander comes into contact with an allergic person’s eye or nose membranes. If a pet scratches or licks an allergic person’s skin, symptoms may arise.  Swollen and itchy eyes, stuffy noses and red skin irritations are all common allergy symptoms from pets.

Do Air Purifiers Make a Difference for Pet Allergies?

With both the prevalence of pets and pet allergies so common throughout the U.S., households need solutions to safeguard the health of family members and visitors while allowing pets to remain a part of their families. Since pet allergens are easily picked up and transported throughout a home by moving air, solutions that work with a home’s heating and cooling system offer an excellent method for effective particle removal.

When looking for air purifiers to combat pet dander, consider a whole home air purifier that works with the home’s heating and cooling equipment. With a thick filter media, media air purifiers are particularly effective at extracting pet dander from circulating air, removing them from the indoor air supply and preventing recirculation back into living areas where those with allergies could be affected. 

Media air purifiers are an effective solution to eliminate pet dander because they are highly effective at removing particulates, even extremely small particles. With filter media typically rated MERV 10 through MERV 13 in these units, air purifiers offer an average arrestance of over 90 percent to 99 percent.

Whole home air purifiers pose no danger to the home’s furry family members. Installed with the home’s HVAC equipment, pets do not come into contact with the unit at all, nor do these air purifiers emit any particulates into the indoor air, which could be harmful to pets.

Address Pet Allergies with Air Purifiers From Hans

Don’t keep your pets and loved ones separated any longer – air purifiers offer considerable control over pet dander in the home, eliminating the vast majority of particulates that trigger allergy symptoms. Learn about solutions for your home when you call Hans Heating and Air today!