How to Choose the Best Air Purifier for Cat Allergies?

How to choose the best air purifier for cat allergies is a common question for me and all other cat-lovers. I love my cats so much. They are so cute but some of my friends and family members do not. They feel unwell when they come to my house and play with my cats. Some of my friends and family members with cat allergies will cough, sneeze, or have a stuffy nose and red eyes.

According to a study on Allergy, the official Journal of European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 26 % of Europeans and 12% of Americans are allergic to cats respectively. The syndrome ranges from mild respiratory problems to a life-threatening syndrome called anaphylaxis. Therefore, an air purifier to remove allergens from cats is so important to protect people with cats allergies.

In fact, from a general perspective, the air we breathe is very important and can go a long way in determining the condition of our overall health either at present or in the future. Issues such as airborne allergies, cigarette smoke, dust, smoke wildfires, or even air pollution caused by industrial activities, etc. are usually caused by circumstances beyond our control likewise allergies caused by pets around us, particularly cats.

Therefore, the best we can do is to consider how to effectively manage the situation with the use of an air purifier. It now leads to the all-important question for all cat-lovers: “How to choose the best air purifier for cat allergies?”.

Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Air Purifier for Cats Allergies

Regardless of how much we love our cats or other pets like dogs, they can adversely affect the quality of the air we breathe in our homes. There would always be challenges like unpleasant smells from accidental droppings on the carpet and odors emanating from the litter box as well as pet hair and dander that often tend to circulate is enough to trigger allergic reactions in some people.

However, some of the best air purifiers for cat allergies come in handy in such situations.

Granted that it can be quite confusing when trying to choose the most suitable air purifier, considering that a good number of them are backed by awards, charts, and certifications that “prove” they’re the best, I recommend that you sift through the data and consider the following factors as shown below:

• Make sure the model you want to buy is appropriate for the size of the room where you want to keep it. Some air purifiers for pets range in capacity from 140 to 1560 square feet.
• Virtually every air purifier for pets will make use of some form of filter, you should seek HEPA filters for optimal results.
• You should also consider other factors like the affordability of filter replacements (i.e. if you’re cash strapped and want to reduce recurring expenses). Note that some filters are permanent in nature and can be vacuumed. Some others have pre-filter that can be washed and reused (these ones will be ideal if pet hair is a challenge since they can trap fairly large particles.)
• Compare their CADR rating which is an indicator of how a particular air purifier would filter certain pollutants. The higher the CADR rating, the higher efficiency
• Check the respective product spec of each brand and take note of their noise levels indicated in decibels. Some air purifiers are noisy while others are noiseless, so depending on where you’re going to place it, you may want to go for a quieter device.

Now we are done with the basics, it is time to learn other necessary details about some of the best air purifiers for cat allergies, produced by top-rated brands such as Coway, Levoit, and GermGuardian, as well as the pros and cons associated with each of them.

Coway Airmega 400 Smart Air Purifier – Deal with Heavy Duty in Large Areas

This product is designed as a “heavy-duty” air purifier and can effectively protect massive areas of up to 1,560sq feet! Those with such expansive areas that may include the living room, dining room, and kitchen under one open floor would find Coway Airmega 400 as the perfect choice.

Indeed, air purifiers are hardly built to be as powerful as this product. It has 5 fan speed levels, and while the lowest level is almost noiseless, the highest results in 43.2 decibels at most. You can either set the fan speed to work automatically or on a timer at intervals of 1, 2, 3, 4, or even up to 8 hours.

It has one year warranty and is Energy Star Certified. As expected, Coway Airmega 400 Air Purifier is also relatively expensive at about $400 on Amazon.

Pros:

• It can effectively protect large areas of over 1500 sq. feet with purified air.
• It has a permanent pre-filter that can be washed severally and reused for a very long period of time.
• An inbuilt pollution sensor displays current air quality at all times.
• Makes relatively less noise in all of its 5 fan speed levels.
• It’s energy-efficient.

Cons:

• Coway Airmega 400 is quite expensive.
• Because of its bright LED lights, it is not ideal to be used in the bedrooms.

Levoit Core 300 Air Purifier – Customized Pet Allergy Filter

This air purifier is quite the opposite of the Coway Airmega 400 air purifier that is mentioned above in the sense that it is quite compact and can cover a relatively small area of about 219 square feet.

Similarly, it equally costs just a fraction of it as well, or most other HEPA filter purifiers available in the market. Levoit Core 300 air purifier is sold on Amazon for about $100.

There are multiple filter choices for you. You could choose from a variety of replacement filters to meet your needs. In order to remove the cat’s allergens, you could choose the Pet Allergy Filter to capture pet dander and absorb unpleasant odors in your rooms.

Levoit Core 300 air purifier is durable and compact, measuring 8.7L x 8.7W x 16.25H inches with a weight that is below 8 pounds, making it mobile and convenient for use. It is ideal for small rooms/areas.

Pros:

• It operates without disturbing the peace of the room with only a 24-decibel noise level.
• It is compact and has little weight which makes it convenient to be moved around with ease.
• It is durable and long-lasting.
• The product is energy efficient.

Cons:

• Its filters don’t last for so long and neither can they be washed and reused.

==> Click Here to Read My Full Review of Levoit Core 300 Air Purifier <==

GermGuardian True HEPA (AC5350B) Air Purifier

As its name implies, the GermGuardian is specially designed to help prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses in any home. Its 4-in-1 air purification system does not just have a pre-filter, a charcoal filter, and a true HEPA filter but also boasts of an extra purification stage that makes use of the UV light filtration process.

GermGuardian (AC5350B) Air Purifier covers only 167 square feet of room space and coupled with its strict filtration processes makes it ideal for personalized use by allergy sufferers.

However, one would have expected that GermGuardian would be noise-free and easily affordable considering its small nature but that’s not the case. It is sold on Amazon for about $140 as I’m writing. Nevertheless, it is more sophisticated and is protected by a 5-year warranty.

Pros:

• It is sophisticated and has a 4-in-1 air purification process
• It makes use of UV light filtration during its air purification process to ensure that bacteria and viruses are eliminated.
• Has a 5-year warranty.
• The product is Energy Star Certified.

Cons:

• The product requires frequent filter replacements.
• It is quite expensive considering its small size and little coverage area.

Conclusion – Hope My Recommendations Would Be Your Best Air Purifier for Cat Allergies

Having a lovely pet such as cats around us can be quite adorable, but it shouldn’t be at the detriment of our health and general wellbeing. Therefore, choosing the best air purifier for cats allergies is a necessity to ensure our immediate environment is not just germ-free but also smells nice.

If you need to purify large areas, you could choose the Coway Airmega 400 Air Purifier, but it is the most expensive one among the above three. On the other hand, if you have a limited budget, you could choose the Levoit Core 300 Air Purifier which featured a customized Pet Allergy Filter. GermGuardian (AC5350B) Air Purifier is my other recommendation which uses UV light as an extra filtration process.