A few years ago, I bought my first HEPA-quality air purifier, primarily to remove pollen and microbes. It immediately revealed an unexpected advantage, as the amount of dust and dog hair in the apartment significantly decreased. Thanks to this, much less vacuuming and dusting were needed, and my clothes no longer got covered in dog hair. If you also want to make the shedding season easier (and collect less dust all year round), try the tips below to get the most out of your air purifier.
Good to know: Air purifiers not only capture dog hair but also effectively neutralize dog odors. The stench from the dog bed and the general “dog smell” disappears!
Placement of the air purifier
Place the air purifier where the dogs spend the most time, e.g., near their favorite resting spot, the waiting area by the door, or close to the play area. This way, the falling hair and dander are more likely to go directly into the device instead of wandering around the apartment. Also, it is advisable to place the air purifier on the floor rather than on a table. The closer it is to the ground, the more dust and hair it can “catch” before it settles (or before the dogs stir it up while playing).
Using a pre-filter
Many air purifiers come with flexible fabric pre-filters that can be pulled over the internal HEPA filter or the device itself. These catch all the larger hair strands, thus extending the lifespan of the internal filter. In my experience, after a week of intensive use, only as much hair accumulates on the pre-filter as can be comfortably washed in the washing machine. Tip: get several so you have spares while one is drying.
Use the cleanest settings or set it high
Most modern air purifiers can detect when air quality deteriorates even in automatic mode and switch to a high setting. However, if you want to prepare specifically for the dogs’ shedding season, it is worth running the device manually at the highest setting or on the “ultra-sensitive” automatic level to remove as many hair strands and dander from the air as possible.
Don’t be afraid to over-insure yourself
The performance of an air purifier is indicated by the CADR (clean air delivery rate), meaning how many cubic meters of air it can filter per minute. The general rule is that the CADR value should be at least two-thirds of the room’s floor area, but feel free to choose a higher performance. This way, I effectively “cover” twice the area with a single device, and almost nothing can settle in the apartment.
Filters specifically designed for dog owners
Look for models or additional filters labeled “pet” or “allergy.” These usually contain a stronger pre-filter for large hair strands and an activated carbon layer that effectively traps odors, including the stench coming from the dog bed or litter tray.
Don’t forget about soft surfaces either
Although the air purifier works excellently for air and hard surface hair removal, some fur residue always remains on our sofa and blankets. In these cases, we keep a soft rubber brush or silicone hair remover on the coffee table to quickly “clean” the surface comfortably before guests arrive or just when preparing for an evening movie.
