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Air purifiers for pet hair and dander
Updated
An air purifier catches dander and hair while they are floating in the air. It does nothing for hair that has already landed on the floor or the couch. For a home with pets, get a unit sized for the room where the pet spends the most time, with a washable pre-filter. The Coway Airmega AP-1512HH fits that for rooms up to about 360 sq ft.
Hair and dander are two different jobs
Pet hair is big and heavy. It falls to the floor within minutes, so most of it is a job for a vacuum. Dander is tiny flakes of skin. It floats for a long time, and that is where a HEPA filter earns its keep.
The hair that does reach the purifier lands on the pre-filter, the coarse screen in front of the main filter. If the pre-filter is washable, you rinse it and move on. If there is no pre-filter to clean, hair clogs the costly main filter sooner.
Picks for homes with pets
| Model | Real room size | Pre-filter | Why it suits pets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coway Airmega AP-1512HH | About 360 sq ft | Washable | Owners say it cuts dust and pet dander |
| Levoit Vital 200S-P | About 390 sq ft | Not stated in the bullets we read | Maker says its extra U-shaped inlet traps pet hair without clogging |
| Afloia | About 310 sq ft | Washable, removable | Maker sells a Pet Allergy version of the replacement filter |
- Coway Airmega AP-1512HH. The washable pre-filter and the filter alert take the guesswork out of upkeep. The caveat: owners give its odor removal mixed reviews, so do not count on it to fix a litter box smell.
- Levoit Vital 200S-P. The right size for an open living room where a dog sheds all day. The U-shaped inlet is a maker claim, not something we can confirm. It is also bigger and louder on high.
- Afloia. A budget choice with a washable pre-filter. The caveat: there is no independent AHAM verification on the listing, and the maker says to replace filters every 4 to 6 months, which is more often than most.
Set it up for shedding season
- Put it in the room where the pet sleeps or spends the day.
- Rinse or vacuum the pre-filter every two to four weeks. Pets shorten every filter schedule.
- Keep vacuuming. The purifier handles what floats. The vacuum handles what lands.
- Keep the intake clear. A purifier pushed against a dog bed pulls hair straight into the grille.
About pet smells
Odor is gas, not particles. Only the carbon layer deals with it, and the carbon layers in home purifiers are thin. Treat odor control as a small bonus.
Check any other model with the room size calculator, or see all five picks on the best by room size page.
If someone in the home is allergic to the pet, a purifier is one small part of the picture.
An air purifier reduces airborne particles. It is not a medical device, and nothing here is medical advice. If anyone in your home has asthma, allergies or another condition, follow your doctor's guidance.