How good are air ionizers at alleving indoor pet allergies?
April 19th, 2005 by admin
Andrea M asked:
I’m moving into my own place soon, and I’d like to get a cat. I do have an allergy to cat dander, and I’ve read that cat dander allergies are worse than dog dander allergies because the allergens tend to stick to clothes and fabrics (like curtains and carpets). I understand ionizers work by sucking in air particles and giving the pollutants a negative charge so they “cling” to surfaces and can be cleaned up when the carpet is vacuumed or the drapes are washed. If this is the case, will an air ionizer really help my cat dander allergy at all, since it seems like the allergenic particles wouldn’t necessarily be airborne?
I’m moving into my own place soon, and I’d like to get a cat. I do have an allergy to cat dander, and I’ve read that cat dander allergies are worse than dog dander allergies because the allergens tend to stick to clothes and fabrics (like curtains and carpets). I understand ionizers work by sucking in air particles and giving the pollutants a negative charge so they “cling” to surfaces and can be cleaned up when the carpet is vacuumed or the drapes are washed. If this is the case, will an air ionizer really help my cat dander allergy at all, since it seems like the allergenic particles wouldn’t necessarily be airborne?
- Posted in Pets
April 19th, 2005 at 5:12 am
Given the particulate nature of animal dander you are better suited for HEPA filtration rather than negative ion generation — which will be less effective because it acts by charging the particulates whereby they cling to surfaces in general.
However, negative ion generation — though less efficient in this scenario is still beneficial nonetheless.
April 21st, 2005 at 11:32 pm
I have one and it helps my allergies (and my dog’s allergies, actually). But cat hair sticks to EVERYTHING. It won’t do enough good.