Cat Allergies - How Can
Air Purifiers Help?
To understand how an air purifier may help with cat allergies we need to understand the cause of cat allergies. Many people think that being allergic to a cat is directly linked to the amount of hair the cat has, which is a wrong assumption. The length of a cat’s hair has no significance in relation to the allergy. Cat allergies are based on the dust on their hair, dead skin cells on their hair, and the cat’s dried saliva on the hair. Additionally, cat dander comes from glycoprotein found in the sebaceous glands of the cat’s hair root and in their salivary gland. It is also present in the urine of male cats.
Many people have cat allergies from mild to very strong and the only true way to get avoid cat dander that triggers these allergies is to stay in a plastic bulb. Cat dander can be found in places where cats never lived. This is because cat dander attaches to the clothing of someone who owns a cat and then cat dander rubs off their clothes where ever they go. But obviously we can’t live in a bubble the rest of our lives.
The reason people who have cat allergies come in contact with cat dander are that it can be as small 0.1 microns. This is 10 times smaller than one millionth of a meter, making it extremely small and light weight. So when a cat grooms its self, the dander becomes airborne. The dried saliva that is on the hair releases and becomes airborne as well. Any dry urine that is on the hair of a male cat also becomes airborne. The combination of all these factors makes up the cat dander in the air.
For people who are have cat allergies, taking the cat out of the home will not solve the problem. Cat dander will remain in the air and on furniture for up to six months after the cat is removed. The only way to get rid of it is to wash what can be washed and replace everything else. Except for washing, the rest is unreasonable. The only way to control cat allergies is to do two things.
The first is to bathe your cat one to two times a week. The second is to purchase an air purifier. Purchasing an air filter by itself will not work. Air filters will only remove particles that are as small as 0.3 microns. Cat dander is typically 0.1 microns in size. So unless the cat dander clumps together it will fly right through even the best air filtering system.
What is needed is an air purifier that has an ionizer and Hepa air filter combined. An ionizer creates negative ions, which changes the polarity of airborne particles such as cat dander. This causes the dander particles to magnetically attract together. As a result they become large clumps and are susceptible to filtration by a Hepa filter.
The combination ionizer and Hepa filter air purifier brings the dander that is in the air under control. A good unit to consider is the Fresh Air by EcoQuest which can be fitted by an extra HEPA filter. Anyone with cat allergies should have this type air purifier in their bedroom and main living area to help control their allergies, so they can enjoy their pet cat and breathe a little easier.