Your friendly, furry feline comes with his/her share of troubles – litter box dust and smell. That’s why you must get the best air purifier for cat litter.
If you are a cat person, this is a small price to pay, because felines do make the best companions.
Cat litter dust can be irritating. It can also bring bacteria and germs into your indoor living spaces. If you let the litter dust accumulate, it could be bad for a person with asthma.
Choosing the best air purifier is not only going to help with the litter dust. It is going to help with many more things, such as removing mold spores from the air.
It will also remove pet dander, fur and other pollutants. These irritate your respiratory system.
If left in the air, these indoor allergens can cause chest tightness. They can also cause other complications.
Air purifier for cat litter dust
It is best to inhale the purest air possible. That is why we invest in the best air purifiers. Not every unit can remove cat litter dust. You should order an air purifier that is specifically designed to remove litter dust.
Cat litter dust is not good for human lungs and it is certainly not good for your cat’s lungs. Yet, when you inhale air that’s riddled with this dust, it will go directly into your lungs.
When I was looking for information about how harmful cat litter dust is, I was surprised. Sometimes, the little things that we ignore end up causing so much harm.
I found this fantastic article about why cat litter dust is harmful to human beings and cats. It says this dust contains the following:
- Sodium bentonite
- Crystalline silica dust
Both have serious health effects on humans. For instance, crystalline silica dust is a carcinogen. Long-term exposure can cause cancer.
Now that we know how dangerous cat litter dust is …
The best air purifier for cat litter dust: LEVOIT Air Purifier
You can buy the Levoit Air Purifier on Amazon.com. This portable air purifier unit is going to help with the litter dust. It will also remove the smell from your home.
It is small, with a space rating for 215 square feet only. Keep the cat litter box in a small room. If you run the air purifier, the cat smell won’t spread to other rooms in your home.
This is a filtered air purifier, coming with the H13 HEPA. This filter will need replacement every 2 months. It can filter up to 99.97% of your indoor air pollutants.
This air purifier can remove formaldehyde and other VOCs from your indoor space. This leaves the air clean and fresh all the time.
This air purifier is worth it! It comes with three filtration layers. The first one is the pre-filter. This captures the dust, fur, fibers, hairs, dander and other “large” particles.
Then there is the H13 HEPA filter for particles of lower micron sizes. These include mold spores, smoke, dust, and other particles. If they escape the pre-filter stage, the second stage will trap them.
Thirdly, there is the activated carbon filter, which captures fumes, VOC and odors.
The design of this air filter enables it to draw in air from all directions. It can change a large volume air fast. This means you enjoy clean air fast, but remember to use it in a room size that it’s rated for.
Read our article on using air purifier with windows open
Best small air purifier for cat litter odor: Germ Guardian
This is a high quality, small air purifier that can work great for small rooms, and the litter box. You can order the Germ Guardian Air Purifier on Amazon.com.
This air purifier comes with many features. The most notable of them is the HEPA HP13 filter that captures odors, smoke, dust, pollen and mold spores.
It is perfect for small spaces such as offices, small bedrooms, kitchen and pantry. In that case, place the cat litter box in a small space so that this unit can help.
The Germ Guardian Air Purifier also has another vital feature – It kills germs! It has a UV-C light that kills different types of viruses.
The virus-infected air comes into the unit and clean, virus-free air comes out.
Another important consideration is the low noise level. You can use this unit in your baby’s room and it is not going to wake them from their sleep.
Will an air purifier help with cat litter dust?
If you choose the right air purifier with 3-stage filtration, it is going to remove cat litter dust.
And that’s not all, as it is also going to help with the smell that comes from the cat litter. They will also help to remove cat smell from the house, which can help people who are very sensitive.
Good thing is … one air purifier is enough. It can remove almost all the pollutants available in your indoor air.
Thus, buying a unit to help with the dust from the cat litter is like hitting two birds with one stone. If you have been seeing signs of mold toxicity in your home, an air purifier can help by removing mold.
But first, here is how you can ensure your air purifier helps with litter dust:
1. Buy the right air purifier for the job
Not all air purifying units can do a great job of removing VOC. Some cannot even remove the musty smell from mold and other pollutants from your air.
An air purifier must have a three-stage filtration system. That way, any particle that escapes the first filtration stages will be captured in the other two.
Check that the unit comes with HEPA filters.
2. Change the HEPA filters on time
In the past, we wrote an article on Honeywell air purifier not working. Dirty air filters are the number one cause of failure.
The same will happen to your air purifier for the litter box.
Your air purifier can be very good. But if you do not replace the HEPA filter as instructed by the manufacturer, it is not going to work well.
Most units have a warning light that tells you when it is time to change the air purifier filters. Even if yours does not have this light, change the filters in 60 days if you use it quite often.
Some units will stop working after running a short time. Others will continue working, but they will not filter the air.
3. Positioning the air purifier
The right position for your unit matters a lot. You want to keep it close to the litter box, but not too close. The odors, dust and other particles are best captured as close to the source as possible.
Also, place the unit in a free space, away from the walls (at least two feet) and away from any furniture. Since it draws air inside, you do not want anything to block the airflow to the unit.
4. Use the right-sized air purifier
Air purifiers have a space rating. This is usually indicated in the product description. If the manufacturer gives the space rating as 250 square feet, please do not use it in a bigger room.
Smaller room would be better. That’s how you get best performance from the unit.
Do you place air purifier near cat litter?
For air purifier, dehumidifier and humidifier performance, place them in the best position.
So, you might ask how close to the cat litter box you should place the air purifier. Place it close enough, but not too close.
Here are a few ideas to help you position the air purifier:
1. Place it three feet from the litter box
If you want to capture all the pollutants coming from the cat litter box, place the unit close. Three feet should be fine. If air suction fans are in the front, make sure the front faces the litter box.
If you get the Levoit Air Purifier we reviewed here, it draws air from all directions. It is still best to place it as close to the source of the pollutants as possible.
2. Raise it
Air purifiers work best when they are on a table, or desk, at least three feet off the ground. That way, they can draw the air from all over. They need enough airflow to work. There are wall-mounted air purifiers, so you can get one if that’s what you are looking for.
3. Keep it in a free, open space
Do not keep the air purifying unit in a place where there is no proper airflow. It needs to draw air from all sides.
Keep it away from the corners, a couple of feet from the wall and do not keep it under furniture. If you have indoor plants, keep the unit a few feet from them.
Generally, ensure there is no obstruction to the airflow.
Final Thoughts: Best Air Purifier for Cat Litter
A good air purifier for your cat’s litter box should be able to capture odor, and dust. It will not only capture the pet litter box dust. It will also remove dust from your humidifier, from outside, and from peeling paint and so on.
It should also be able to remove VOC, musty mold smell, kitchen smells and others. Buy a unit that can purify the air and remove 99.9% of the common indoor air pollutants.
You can choose a small one or a large one. Small, battery powered air purifiers for cat litter boxes are best if the litter smell is the only pollution you’ve to worry about.
If you live in a place with polluted air, buying a larger unit is more helpful.
