Even the cutest of doggos get that “wet dog smell” from time to time. While we hold our furry or feathery friends near and dear to our hearts, sometimes we want to hold them just a little further away because — let’s face it — they can be stinky. Whether your dog got caught out in the rain or your cat just visited the litter box, pet odors are part of pet ownership.
Plus, most pets aren’t stationary creatures, so these odors don’t stay in one spot — they travel with your pet, all over the house. An air purifier can help remove these pungent odors from a room, instead of just covering them up with a better scent.
What Causes These Odors?
Lots of things can cause pet odors. Here’s a few:
- Pet urine, litterbox smells or, worse, those carpet accidents. Uric acid is the culprit here. It crystalizes and doesn’t dissolve in water. These crystals are difficult to remove and will react to moisture or humidity, causing the smell to resurface after you think it’s gone.
- Wet dog smell. Dogs have teeny, tiny microorganisms living in their fur. Water breaks down the chemical bonds of these microscopic organism’s byproducts and can release a fog of musky molecules in the air — which our nose easily identifies as a “wet dog smell.”
- Dirty fur. Dead skin cells, dried saliva, dirt and anything else trapped in your pet’s fur can exacerbate odors, leaving your indoor air quality less than desirable.
- Medical conditions. Sometimes a foul odor coming from your pet can be a sign of a bacterial infection. If odors is linger even after a bath, it may be a good idea to schedule a check-up with a vet.
To minimize pet odors, address the issue closest to the source of the problem. Use specialty cleaners that are specifically developed to remove uric acid crystals, and groom your pets regularly. Even so, odors are inevitable when you own a pet. Air purifiers, such as the TruSens series of purifiers with DuPont™ activated carbon and DuPont™ 360° HEPA filtration, can help minimize those smells.
How TruSens Can Help
It’s all about the activated carbon filter: an air purifier absorbs the foul-smelling particles from the air, runs it through the filter and distributes cleaner, fresher air. Activated carbon filters are specifically designed to remove gases and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Most air purifiers come with a HEPA filter, which can mitigate dander, but the next-level carbon filtration is necessary to help remove the odor.
TruSens purifiers also includes PureDirect, a proprietary dual air flow system that moves clean air in multiple directions for more even clean air distribution. Two TruSens models come with SensorPod, a unique remote monitor that communicates with the purifier to respond to air quality changes in real time. Choose the purifier size that best suits the size of your room—but keep in mind that the larger the purifier, the more clean air it is able to circulate in a shorter time, so a large purifier in a small room may be extra powerful.
Watch Out for Ozone
When deciding which purifier is right for your home and pets, check whether it qualifies as an ozone generator. While billed as a way to remove odors, ozone can potentially harm to pets in general, and birds specifically are at a higher risk. What does that mean, you ask? An ozone generator essentially generates oxygen molecules that have an additional oxygen atom, instead of only the usual two, and releases them into the air. Ozone can react poorly with the organic material that makes up living organisms, such as pets and humans. Being a heavier compound, it is typically found lower to the ground, and therefore is particularly unsafe for smaller creatures. Purifiers that are ozone generators often have a separate “ozone” button or are classified as such.
Other Tips & Tricks
Besides using an air purifier, here are a few other tips to keep your space smelling fresh in the presence of pets:
- Make sure to get your pets groomed regularly and keep up with their dental hygiene.
- Invest in a high-quality pet shampoo that can remove odor-causing bacteria.
- Clean up feces and urine right away, but do not use a steamer.
- Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to remove dander.
Keeping up with these habits and investing in an air purifier let’s you keep your pets close, but keep the odors away.
