Tips on Clean Air for Indoor Pets
As responsible pet owners, many of you are already concerned enough with your pets health to make sure they get the proper type of food and exercise, but one thing you might not have considered is the air that your pet is breathing indoors. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, many of respiratory problems are directly related to indoor air. Inhaled irritants can even cause bronchitis and asthma in animals.
Since the energy crisis of the 70’s, we have insulated and caulked our homes to help conserve energy. The problem now is we have no fresh air coming into our homes. We have central heat and/or central cooling and we don’t even open the windows anymore. The air that is trapped indoors contains harmful microscopic particles, live viruses and bacteria. Mold, dander and mites (and their microscopic droppings) need to be filtered out to protect our pets’ lungs and reduce the likelihood of allergies and respiratory disease.
Some of you try room air purifiers to help keep the indoor air clean. Your pets have clean air as long as they stay within a few feet of your air purifier, but since the air in your home is moving all the time, the only way to filter it properly is to clean it all. These room air purifiers can also produce harmful ozone which the EPA and American Lung Association determined to be an irritant to human and animal lungs.
Electric filter panels, in conjunction with UV lights, are being used in casinos, hospitals, restaurants and high-rise office buildings to scrub the air and control the “live” particles. Now it is easy and affordable to use them at home. Unlike expensive and bulky air purifying units, an electric air cleaner simply replaces the paper filter in your furnace, which was designed to protect the furnace, not you or your pets. A UV lamp attaches above the air conditioning coil to control the mold that is growing on it. (Yes, you have mold on your coil if you have central air and no UV lamp!)
If you are considering replacing your paper filters with electronic air cleaners, here is what you should look for:
- Ability to catch 97% or more of what goes through at 0.3 microns. (A micron is one thousandth of a millimeter.)
- Easy to install and maintain
- Uses approximately 10 watts of electricity or less
- Complies with American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Underwriters Laboratories, and Canadian Standards Association standards
- Comes with at least a five year warrantyGive your pet friend the benefit of clean air today!\
About the Author
- John Hendrickson and his dog, Mabel enjoy clean air everyday with Electrobreeze filter panels. You can find out more about them and about UV mold killers at www.airlifeone.com or call 1-800-916-7873 with any questions.