RE: Air Purifier for Pet Rabbit Allergy and Odor

Mr. Sherbenou,

Thank you for your very informative site. I appreciate the passion with which you investigate all of the purifiers available.

Choosing one is daunting.

We're trying to spend about $400.

My wife and I recently got a rabbit and are trying to keep him an indoor "house rabbit," which is causing problems.

My wife and I are both sensitive to his littler box odors (despite changing daily).

My wife also seems to have sensitivity to his hair or dander, and I have a pre-existing allergic reaction to most grasses (especially timothy, a very prevalent hay sold as rabbit food.)

We currently feed him oat hay, which seems to help me, but my wife still has problems. We've also decided to feed him "hay bricks," starting tomorrow. They are compressed hay with no dust.

Our primary concern is odor and particles from the rabbit and hay.

I'm looking to buy a purifier soon, but can't make the $800 dollar plunge for the IQair.

I was interested in the Alen, but the lack of carbon tells me the odors won't be addressed. I was interested in the Rabbit Air, but it doesn't have much carbon either.

Then I saw the austin "Pet Machine," but amazon reviews I found were both one star.

So now I'm thinking possibly a Blueair.

We have a 300 square foot master bedroom and need decent capacity. There's one for a good price at Costco, but for some reason I can't find this model (Blueair 455EB) on Blueair's website.

Also, after reading further on your website I'm considering the Sharp Plasmacluster. It seems to have plenty of carbon, but I'm not sure about whether the ionizing feature is useful for us -- but I guess it couldn't hurt?

Also, after your comments about the couple's furniture polish catastrophe, I worry about whether other odors could be made permanent by the plasmacluster.

I'm having a hard time finding the 60cx. Sylvane has the 40cx.

If you could comment on whether you think the Blueair or Sharp are a better choice for me, I would greatly appreciate it. Or maybe you recommend something totally different?

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Ed's Reply

Hey Reader;

Unfortunately, you have one of the problems that $400 in air purifiers will struggle to solve - a continuous source emission.

The pet's odor, especially after the litter box is dirty, will foul a carbon filter in just a couple weeks. This is why you see the dissatisfied Amazon.com customer reviews on Austins.

Carbon is not nearly as efficient as a HEPA particle filter, it will release scents and toxins back into the room.

Air purifiers are not designed to deal with strong sources - the first principle of indoor air quality is always complete source removal.

Pets, smokers, fresh paint, cleaning solvents, cheap formaldehyde-emitting furniture.....are the cause of most air cleaning disappointments.

Of course you want to keep your pet, but solutions will be difficult.

First, realize that many of the allergy symptoms may come through non-airborne transmission. Bunny proteins found in the animal's saliva, left on the fur after grooming, transmitted by touching bunny or places he has been, are the big contributor.

Skin flakes and dried saliva particles - dander - will be shed wherever bugs goes.

Rabbit urine also may be allergenic.

Hand and face washing immediately after petting or maintenance might help.

Changing clothes post pet is also an idea.

Limit bunny to one room, not your bedroom.

I am no pet expert, (who seem to say that bunnies need "hay,") but it seems like rabbits should prefer fresh greens and vegetables over commercial pet products. Occasional rotation might help the feed allergies.

Some folks have more allergies to the "hay" than to the bunny. Try to determine which is the case for each family member.

Hay generally contains a very wide spectrum of biologically active particles - dust mites and their droppings, mold, pollens, insect eggs and fragments, multispecies dung...

Keeping the feed ration in a sealed container might help. Avoid having the sensitive person handle the hay.

Try putting out only the hay that bunny needs immediately, rather than a full ration.

Without the steps above, you may be disappointed with what $400 buys in air purifiers.

240 CADR machines in a 300 sq ft room will need to run predominantly on high speed, even when auto sensors may indicate "green."

Blueair sometimes offers big vendors like Costco specially built - "455EB" - deals. Obviously something has been changed to require the additional letter in the brand.

It looks like a regular 450E, same CADRS, sensors, filters - I can't find anything they left out.

Sharp has switched emphasis to their humidifier-based Plasmaclusters, KCC150U and ect. FPP40cx is still available, but pretty small for your application. I think you will need an active odor removal ingredient - like plasmaclusters or ozone - and strong particle filtration, to be more comfortable with your pet.

A Blueair would need the SmokeStop filter option and frequent expensive filter replacements. Blueair is maybe a bit expensive for your stated budget.

Besides which, I'd have to prefer the Sharp KCC150U, widely available, sometimes under $400, for your situation. Since you are already doing daily maintenance, filling the water reservoir will be part of it.

Sharps are quiet, even on high. KCC150U has Sharp's washable carbon bag, good for keeping odor control costs down.

You might also try getting cheaper particle gathering machines for other parts of the house, like near the box, especially if bunny tends to stay in one area.

Good luck with your pet rabbit project,

Ed