We have 2 dogs and they shed a pretty normal amount. Is it worth it to buy an air purifier not just for the dogs but in general. I see there are some models with good ratings on Amazon around $100 but are there any brands to buy or avoid?
If there are significant times when people, pets, plants are out of your home I would suggest a ozone generator (and perhaps a smart switch).
Other then that, I have had good luck with a largish HEPA type filter
When I looked into air purifiers/cleaners awhile back, reviews suggested that except for certain large, expensive units the amount of “purification” was negligible in typical home/office use.
If you’re not allergic to the dogs and they’re not having problems, I wouldn’t bother (unless there are other, unmentioned human respiratory problems that might be helped by an air filtration device).
Most cheap air purifiers (and some expensive ones) are basically decorative furniture rather than serious devices to clean your air. I looked into this issue maybe 7 years ago, and at the time, this model (Whirlpool Whispure 510) was recommended by a lot of review sites as the best unit under $500. I’ve been happy with the model, and I’ve used this set of third party replacement filters with no ill effects that I can detect. This seems to be a newer, nicer similar model, but I’m not sure the improvements justify the extra $90.
But there may be nicer, newer models now. So you’ll just want to read some review sites that seem like they’re seriously trying to evaluate the effectiveness of the units, focusing on things like CADR (clean air delivery rate) rather than aesthetics or novelties.
You’ll definitely want a unit with a prefilter, to catch big particles like dog hair before it hits the HEPA filter, but I’d have to imagine that’s standard.
We have this model (Honeywell True HEPA Allergen Remover).
It seems to do what it’s supposed to. My wife’s allergies have not been bothering her in the house since we’ve had it. It’s literally been running 24/7 for almost a decade now and it’s still going just fine. The filters are relatively expensive, but they only need to be replaced once a year. There’s also a prefilter, but while the manual instructs you to replace it, I just run the vacuum over it a couple of times, it’s fine.
If I were buying a new one today, I’d probably go with the Whirlpool SenorBeef linked to above.
I just bought this one from Amazon; it arrived on my doorstep literally a couple hours ago. I’m about to unpack it in a minute.
I pulled the trigger because I am amazed at how quickly dust collects in my bedroom. I’m hoping this will, er, clear the air.
I’ll try to update after I’ve lived with it for a minute.
mmm
We have a Honeywell but no dog to it’s powers anymore. It seems to work well. I THINK I can feel a difference in the bedroom, then one of us opens a window or the door, so who knows. It has a quiet mode that gives a little white noise and air movement at night that I really like.
The big cost on these systems is in the filters. The one we have requires 3 HEPA filters besides the pre-filter.
How does it work that it needs 3 hepa filters?
Most popular models will have third party hepa filters (and pre-filters). Often it’s the same thing. It’s good to check reviews though to make sure they fit right and don’t have a weird smell or whatever. But you can often save more than half that way.
My Honeywell uses three filters. They’re about the width and height of a letter sized piece of paper. They fit inside like this: https://www.thespruce.com/thmb/NN9_OevPDAyn-jRwIEA4yz454j0=/1000x750/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/4062977-1-5bbf9e63c9e77c005175380b.jpg Then there’s a black pre-filter that attaches on top of the three HEPA filters.
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I have three of the Honeywells. I have bad hay fever, and I almost never sneeze in my house. We have two cats, so I vacuum the prefilters more often and they catch a terrific amount of cat hair that I therefore don’t have to vacuum off the floor and see floating through the air! I really think they help me a lot with allergies and cleaning.