While animals have always had a close relationship with humans, animals living at home 24/7 is a unique characteristic of the 21st century. Who doesn’t love the cuddly dogs that pour their love into their human? However, there is a boundary for everything.
The odor your dog gives off, especially when you haven’t bathed him, isn’t something any owner would enjoy. So how do you tackle the situation?
If you have an air purifier, you may have tried to use it to freshen up the room. But do air purifiers get rid of dog smell?
Well, air purifiers can and will reduce the pet odor in your home. However, to do that, you need an air purifier with something that they call an “activated carbon filter.
Will Air Purifiers Help with Dog Smell?
Air purifiers are the only home appliance that can be a weapon against uncomfortable odors inside the home. And yes, it can also protect you from the pesky smell of dog odor with the right system.
Usually, air purifiers aren’t effective when it comes to removing odor. It’s because they aren’t designed to do so. The HEPA filter used in those purifiers wasn’t made to trap gas molecules and odorants.
However, the activated carbon filters are made for this exact purpose; to retain the gas molecules and keep the air free from bad odor.
- Gas Molecules and Odorants
The air contains all sorts of things. It carries the dust and allergens that cause allergies; on the other hand, it also carries the smell of all things fragrant and nasty.
We know that HEPA filter works very well to keep the air free from dust and allergens. But we are dealing with smell here. What causes it? It’s the odorants and chemical gas particles.
Odorants, which get their name from Odor, are tiny particles that float in the air. When they reach your olfactory receptacles, you smell that particular thing.
In terms of particle size, they are not too dissimilar from dust particles and allergens. But they have a different structure, so it needs a different filter than the usual HEPA filters.
- Activated Carbon Filter
The best filter to tackle the gas molecules and odorants is what they call an activated carbon filter. Another name for it is “charcoal filter.”
It’s simply a bed of carbon in powdered form.
Why is it so effective at trapping odorants? It’s the absorption quality of carbon. And it absorbs moisture and everything around it better in its powdered form.
When the air containing odorants passes through the thin layer of carbon, it absorbs the odorants and retains them. And the fresh air is pushed out by the fan.
Tips: When you’re using an air purifier containing a carbon filter, make sure to change the filter every 6 months to a year for optimum performance. You can extend the life of these filters by washing them. But 4 years is the limit on these amazing filters.
When An Air Purifier Can And Can’t Help
The sources of dog odor dictate if an air purifier can remove the dog smell or not. Herein, one of the common mistakes of an inexperienced pet owner is the lack of attention to obvious sources of pet odor.
Mark the places where your dog spends most of its time and clean them thoroughly if you want your purifier to work the way it’s supposed to.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why Can’t a HEPA Filter Trap Small Particles?
The most common filter used in air purifiers is the HEPA filter. It was invented to keep the house fresh from dust and allergens. And it has the highest efficiency rating for trapping tiny particles, hence the name High-efficiency Particulate Filter.
But it’s simply not designed to absorb anything, and that is why it isn’t as effective at trapping odorants.
2. Will an Air Purifier Help with Dog Pee Smell?
An even more annoying smell than dog odor is the smell of its urine. You’ll suffer if you forget to clean it up as soon as it drops on the floor.
But thankfully, the right air purifier will also take care of the pee smell as it does with body odor.
Final Words
So, do air purifiers get rid of dog smell? As you’ve found out, it can remove any pet odor if the air purifier uses an activated carbon filter. However, it cannot address everything about the dog odor.
Therefore, you need to clean the odor sources; otherwise, the air purifier will have a tough time. A suggestion would be to use an odor-reducing shampoo to wash your dog.
Last Updated on January 1, 2023
