The best air purifier for pet hair: Comparing the options

If you’re a pet owner with allergies, you may want to consider an air purifier for pet hair. Both pet hair and dander can be controlled with air purifiers by trapping the allergens floating in the air. While an air purifier won’t completely rid your home of pet allergens, the right one can significantly reduce the amount circulating in your breathing space.

Here’s a rundown of the most common and effective types of air purifiers for pet hair:

Activated carbon filters

Activated carbon filters use charcoal to neutralize odors and remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air. By chemically bonding with the offending molecules, the activated carbon filters are great for improving air quality. This type of filter is commonly used both in air purification and water purification. 

However, since they’re chemical rather than mechanical filters, they’re not particularly effective against pet hair and dander. If your pets are stinking up the house, however, you might want to use one for odor control.

HEPA filters

HEPA filters are mechanical filters, meaning they can physically trap particles of dust, pollen and pet allergens. This makes them extremely effective in reducing the amount of dander and hair circulating in your home’s air.

While HEPA filters can clean up the air in your home, they cannot do anything about the pet dander and hair caught in fabrics, carpets and on surfaces like your vacuum cleaner brush roller. However, combining a HEPA filter with careful cleaning habits can definitely bring some allergy relief.

Ionized air purifiers

Ionized air purifiers use electric charges to trap allergen particles in the air. Similarly to HEPA, this type of purifier will work to reduce pet dander and hair floating in the air. They work without a fan, which makes them quiet - however, this also means they can only clear a small portion of the air in a room.

Overall, if you’re trying to get the best relief from pet allergens at home, a HEPA filter will be the best air purifier choice. You can get standalone filters for individual rooms, or upgrade your HVAC system by adding HEPA filtration. Combined with regular cleaning habits, you’ll be able to fight back against pet allergens and breathe cleaner air.