Nationwide shortage of asthma medication albuterol could worsen in hospitals
Food Allergies With Multiple Children
Baby number three! How exciting is that? We were overjoyed to find out that we were having a son after having two beautiful daughters, but I would be lying to you if I said I didn't immediately wonder if he was going to have food allergies. In fact, it is the number-one question people ask me. He is currently 4 months old, which is the same age as my oldest daughter when she was tested for the top eight food allergies (now the top nine). She was only drinking breastmilk, but her eczema was so bad that both the pediatrician and dermatologist recommended that we take her to an allergist. Little did we know that she was going to be allergic to six of the eight allergens being tested.
It was tough finding out that my daughter had food allergies, but my husband and I immediately immersed ourselves in the education on how to best care for her. We got this, so we thought. Only to find out that our second daughter was going to have a few different allergies from our first daughter. Our second daughter was allergic to shellfish, fish, and strawberries, although my oldest daughter wasn't, but my second daughter was not allergic to wheat and soy like my oldest daughter. It was a lot to take in and manage those first couple of years. Fortunately, they have both outgrown some of those allergies.
The girls are now 6 and 8 years old, and they finally ate their first piece of cake at a birthday party last month. We were elated and nervous at the same time. I still have to cook multiple meals for our family because of their current food allergies, but not as many separate meals as before. My husband and I are finally able to breathe a little easier. Right when we are beginning to feel less pressure, we notice eczema on our 4-month-old son.
He is only drinking breastmilk and has not begun eating food yet. Is he going to have food allergies? If so, which allergens will he be allergic to and how severe? While we don't know if our son will have food allergies, as parents, we will do whatever it takes to ensure his safety and well-being. In due time, we will know more. Of course, I will keep you updated.
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The Best Air Purifiers For Pets To Help Reduce Allergens And Odors
Finding the best air purifier for pets that live in your home ensures that both you and your furry friends are breathing cleaner air indoors. As much as we love them, our pets release particles into the air due to their furry coats; dander, in particular, can be problematic for people with allergies and breathing sensitivities. After careful consideration, our top pick for 2024 is the Levoit's Core P350 Pet Air Purifier, an updated model with a custom filter that deodorizes the air while effectively pulling out dander. But, there are many more worth considering, depending on your needs and budget.
The best air purifier for pets overall, Levoit's Core P350, features specialized filtration that ... [+] targets pet fur, dander and odors.
ILLUSTRATION: FORBES / IMAGE: RETAILERIn general, air purifiers are helpful for capturing extremely small particles which "can become aerosolized with activities such as fluffing pillows or using the vacuum," says Evan Li, M.D., assistant professor of immunology, allergy and rheumatology at Baylor College of Medicine. "An air purifier can extract these airborne allergens and provides improved overall air quality," he adds. Before you look for the best model for your home, you'll want to consider factors like the type of filter the device uses, the size of the room in which it will be stationed and, of course, your budget. Ahead, our expert home editors—many of whom are pet parents—curated the eight best air purifiers for pet owners so the entire family can breathe easier.
MOST POPULAR
Amazon
Levoit Core P350 Pet Air Purifier
Dimensions: 8.7 x 8.7 x 14.2 inchesWeight: 7.5 poundsFilter: HEPACoverage area: 219 square feet
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Levoit's Core P350 Pet Air Purifier is specially designed with pets in mind. It has a custom three-stage HEPA filter that tackles things like litter box odors and general eau de pet by as much as 92% while also pulling pet dander from the air. A non-woven pre-filter goes to work trapping larger floating particles like pet fur to remove gunk that would otherwise hang out on your furniture and floors. There's also a whisper-quiet sleep mode and pet lock to keep your furry friend from messing with the controls. You can operate this machine from an app or sync it up to your voice assistant to control it from nearly anywhere. Designed for rooms up to 219 square feet, this air purifier works for most bedrooms and home offices. And, at $130, the Core P350 has a price tag most pet owners can feel good about.
Amazon
Alen BreatheSmart 75i Air Purifier
Dimensions: 27 x 18.5 x 11.5 inchesWeight: 27 poundsFilter: HEPACoverage area: 1,300 square feet
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It's not uncommon to deal with allergies and asthma when you have a sensitivity to pet dander, and you want a device that can handle all your needs. The purifier's HEPA filter snags airborne particles as small as 0.01 microns, tackling pet hair, dander, mold, pollen and more allergens that could trigger symptoms. The BreatheSmart 75i features a laser sensor to detect airborne particles like pet hair and self-adjusts to speed up or slow down the fan. Plus, it tackles up to 1,300 square feet of space. While an air purifier with this capacity has to be sizable, Alen gives you the choice of six different finishes so you can match your device to your decor.
Amazon
Coway Airmega 400S
Dimensions: 24.5 x 17.5 x 17.5 inchesWeight: 24.7 poundsFilter: HEPACoverage area: 1,560 square feet
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When it comes to dealing with dog hair, the Coway Airmega doesn't hold back. This robust air purifier packs plenty of power, capable of effectively cleaning spaces up to 1,560 square feet in just 30 minutes, making it an excellent choice for your living room or even an entire floor of your home. Equipped with a pre-filter, it efficiently captures dog hair, while the deodorizing filter works to eliminate odors. The HEPA filter goes a step further, removing up to 99.99% of particles as tiny as 0.01 microns, including pet dander. With its app-enabled feature, you can conveniently monitor indoor air quality, schedule run times and adjust settings from anywhere with cell service. Whether you prefer smart, eco or sleep modes, you can easily switch between them to find the optimal fan speed and energy level for any situation.
Dimensions: 25 x 8.3 x 14.75 inchesWeight: 18.25 poundsFilter: HEPACoverage area: 327 square feet
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Pets tend to bring in dirt and dust, leading to airborne particles circulating in your home. The Bissell purifier addresses this issue with its three-stage filtration system, designed to handle various pollutants. A pre-filter captures pet hair, while an activated carbon filter combats odors. Additionally, a HEPA filter removes 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns. The Air320 includes an automatic CirQulate System, which detects environmental conditions, provides feedback and adjusts fan speed accordingly. Suitable for rooms up to 327 square feet, it's an ideal choice for bedrooms, dining rooms and living rooms.
Honeywell
Honeywell HPA300/4 HEPA Air Purifier
Dimensions: 20 x 10.8 x 22.4 inchesWeight: 17 poundsFilter: HEPACoverage area: 465 square feet
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Got some serious square footage to purify? The Honeywell HPA300/4 HEPA Air Purifier covers an impressive 2,250 square feet of space (or about 4.8 times the size of a 465-square foot room) every hour, allowing you to have fresh, clean air in multiple rooms at a time. Flip through three air cleaning modes, including Turbo Clean which quickly snatches pet hair, odors and dander from your breathing space. The purifier's HEPA filter captures up to 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns and up.
Amazon
Winix A231 Air Purifier
Dimensions: 9.5 x 9.5 x 14.6 inchesWeight: 6.8 poundsFilter: HEPACoverage area: 230 square feet
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This purifier claims to feature air-cleaning technology, and is sized just right for small to medium-sized living rooms—up to 230 square feet or so. The Winix A231 comes outfitted with a fine mesh pre-filter that is washable and an activated carbon filter that will filter the air and reduce VOCs as well as general household odors, including those from pets. Winix designed this small tower with a HEPA filter that captures 99.97% of airborne allergens, like pollen and dander. It features built-in sensors that measure air quality and will adjust the fan speed in real-time. For those that want to run their air purifier at night, simply put it in to sleep mode for whisper-quiet operation while you snooze.
Amazon
RabbitAir MinusA2 Ultra-Quiet Air Purifier
Dimensions: 20 x 21.4 x 7 inchesWeight: 19.4 poundsFilter: HEPACoverage area: 815 square feet
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RabbitAir's Minus A2 features a sleek panel design that can perch on a desk or be mounted on a wall. But this purifier is more than just good looks. It features a unique odor-removing filter that targets and traps odors from pets so your home can smell fresh. There's also a specially designed filter to remove pet dander and pet allergens to help people in your home with sensitivities. Enjoy an impressive six stages of air purification and deodorizing for coverage in rooms up to 815 square feet. Worth noting: With a coverage area that broad, you can place this purifier just about anywhere in your home.
Amazon
Dyson Purifier Cool TP07
Dimensions: 41 x 4.7 x 8 inchesWeight: 11 poundsFilter: HEPACoverage area: 800 square feet
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Dyson's TP07 is unlike other fans on the market thanks to its unique shape and technology. The TP07 uses intelligent sensing to detect and react to your air quality, delivering crisp air in the process. The machine syncs up with the MyDyson app so you can control the action from anywhere. The TP07 uses two stages of purification to capture 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns or larger and keep them there, so you don't have to stress about your purifier shooting pet dander back out. While this air purifier can double as a fan, it also has a backwards airflow mode to give you clean air without a breeze.
Why Trust Forbes VettedThe members of Forbes Vetted's home and kitchen team are experts in the field, spending countless hours researching, testing and writing about the latest residential products. Our vast library of home and kitchen stories includes extensive coverage on air purifiers, including our main story on the best air purifiers, the best air purifiers for smoke, the best air purifiers for allergies and the best-rated air purifiers on Amazon. This story was written by lifestyle contributor Korin Miller and is overseen by Forbes Vetted's team of experienced home and kitchen editors.
To ensure we had the best sense of what to look for in an air purifier for pets, we consulted with two medical experts with specialties in allergy and asthma: Purvi Parikh, M.D., an allergist and immunologist with Allergy & Asthma Network; and Evan Li, M.D., assistant professor of immunology, allergy and rheumatology at Baylor College of Medicine.
We regularly review our selection of the best air purifiers for pets to make sure it is as up to date as possible. This story was last updated in April 2024.
How We Chose The Best Air Purifiers For PetsTo choose the best air purifiers for pets, we focused on the top devices from trusted brands such as Levoit, Bissell, Coway and Honeywell. We sifted through customer reviews, ensuring each pick had mostly positive feedback (particularly accounting for reviews from pet owners) and an average rating of four stars or more. We consulted two medical experts with a focus on allergy and immunology to get their input on the most important characteristics to focus on. Each product was analyzed for features like efficiency, coverage area, design, filtering performance and value. In making the final selections, we kept various lifestyles and budgets in mind.
What To Look For In A Pet Air PurifierA quality pet air purifier can pull dander and other allergens out of your air, as well as telltale odors that come with pet ownership. When picking out an air purifier for pets, consider these key factors.
FiltrationThe goal of an air purifier for pets is to pull pet dander and other allergens out of your home's air. While many machines can do this, each has its own filtration system and number of filters. HEPA filters are considered the gold standard, given that they can trap very small particles. If pet odors is a big concern, look for a purifier with a charcoal filter—these tamp down on smells by trapping odor-causing particles within the filter. Some purifiers will also have a pre-filter, which is helpful for removing larger items like pet hair from your air.
Fan SpeedMost air purifiers have more than one fan speed, but some have three or more options to flip through. If you tend to deal with intense odors or air quality issues after, say, cooking steak or having a wet dog troop through your home, a turbo fan speed can be helpful to clean your air fast. Many people who sleep with an air purifier running also appreciate having a purifier with a sleep mode, which is typically quiet. Most people toggle through two or so speeds, but some prefer more.
PortabilityAir purifiers for pets come in a wide selection of sizes. Petite models are usually simple to transfer between rooms, but larger machines can pose more of a challenge. If you decide to invest in a sizable machine and plan to use it in multiple rooms, look for features like wheels or a handle to make the process of moving it around easier on you. If you're planning to have a purifier stay in one room, though, portability is less of an issue.
Additional FeaturesSome air purifiers for pets have extra features to make your air filtration experience even easier. Certain machines come with remotes, allowing you to adjust settings from across the room, and some have apps, so you can make changes from practically anywhere. A turbo boost setting, which allows the purifier to quickly spring into action, is also helpful. If you prefer a more hands-off air purifier experience, consider a machine with sensors to detect the quality of your air and respond accordingly.
Do Air Purifiers For Pets Really Work?Yes. According to Purvi Parikh, M.D., an allergist with Allergy & Asthma Network, these units can remove unwanted particles and irritants from the surrounding air—and those unwanted particles can include pet dander. "An air purifier can filter particles down to a specific size," says Parikh. "This is helpful for allergens like mold and animal dander, as well as certain viral, bacterial, fungal and other irritants and pollutants." Often, these machines utilize a fan that shepherds air through a filter to remove impurities.
Can Air Purifiers For Pets Be Kept On While I Sleep?Yes, air purifiers for pets can be left on while you sleep. Not only is it safe to do so, but it's actually a good idea if you're really suffering from poor air quality. Most people spend the most time in their home in the bedroom, giving your purifier plenty of time to work as you sleep. Chances are, your sleep will be greatly improved. Another element to consider: Many people enjoy the gentle whir of an air purifier's fan at night, noting that it can double as white noise.
Will An Air Purifier Get Rid Of Pet Odors?Not all air purifiers will get rid of pet odors, but many will. For best results, look for an air purifier with a carbon filter. This filter is designed to trap odors, whether it's from cooking or your pet. If you're unsure about an air purifier's filters or its odor-busting capabilities, read the reviews. Owners will usually comment on an air purifier's ability to remove odors, as well as when certain models fall short.
Which Air Purifier Is Most Effective On Pet Hair?Air purifiers are not typically designed to remove pet hair. Instead, they can pull in pet dander that's floating in your air. But if your pet has light hair that tends to float through the air or it gets stirred up in front of the air purifier, it may get sucked in. If you have a particularly fluffy pet, consider an air purifier with a pre-filter. This is designed to trap larger items like pet hair and prevent them from reaching your main filter, extending the life of your main filter in the process.
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