No one likes walking into a house and the first impression they get is a big whiff of nasty, lingering pet odor. Air purifiers are extremely popular in American households and depending on the brand and quality, they can be very expensive. American’s spend an estimated $250 million annually on air purifiers for their homes, with the asthma and allergy sufferers responsible for most of the sales. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates about on average, indoor air is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air!

An air purifier is a device that removes contaminants from the air in a room. These devices are commonly marketed as being beneficial to asthmatics, allergy sufferers, people with COPD, because they help remove allergens, dust, smoke, and other contaminants.

So do air purifiers totally eliminate pet odor… not really. You can’t simply buy an air purifier and expect your pet odor issue to disappear completely. It’s way more complicated than that. It will usually be a lengthy and difficult process of erasing any signs of pet odor from your household.

Removing pet odor from your household goes far deeper than the air. The foul smell is originating from somewhere, and nine times out of ten, it’s coming from your carpet, furniture, or pet. If your pet has urinated or pooped on your carpet, then you probably have remnants of urine and fecal matter embedded in your carpet. Depending upon how thoroughly you cleaned, chances are there is still bacteria remaining. Pet odor is a bacterial infestation. In order to successfully get rid of pet odor you have to kill the source! So it’s imperative to take the time and effectively clean the pet stains from your carpet. This cannot be stressed enough, if you leave any small traces of bacteria in the carpet, or sub-floor then the bad odor will remain!

Air traveling through an air purifier doesn’t kill bacteria. Purifying the air means getting to the root of the problem first. There is way too much square footage in a home for an air purifier to thoroughly clean every inch. You would need multiple air purifiers to seriously cover all the square footage in your house.

Many people think that if you buy an air purifier that has a HEPA (High-efficiency particulate air) filter, that it will eliminate pet odor. Wrong! Actually, HEPA filters do not remove odors. A HEPA filter forces air through a fine mesh that traps harmful particles such as pet dander, pollen, and tobacco smoke. But, particles suspended in the air are not the only ones in your house. There are way more particles in your bedding, furniture, and carpet.

If you were looking for a simple solution of eliminating pet odor with an air purifier, now you know your answer. On the other hand, if people in your household suffer from allergies, or respiratory problems an air purifier would still benefit your home.

But, to solely buy an air purifier to get rid of pet odor, you are just wasting your time and money.