Best Air Purifier for Cat Litter Dust Buying Guide with Top 5 Reviews
By Debbie Short Last Updated January 18, 2022
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The best air purifiers for cat litter dust can help you get rid of this problem, but there are so many available that it's easy to get overwhelmed. We've created a buying guide to help you understand what you should look for when you shop for your new air purifier, and we've also rounded up our top five picks and reviewed them for you below.
Our Top Picks for the Best Air Purifiers for Cat Litter Dust
What is an Air Purifier?
Simply put, an air purifier is a device that sucks the air in your room through a series of dense filters that help to clean the air of any contaminants like litter dust. There are five main types of air purifiers to pick from, and each air purifier has good points associated with it. They include:
- Activated Carbon - Activated carbon filters work to neutralize the things like bacteria that can cause odors. You usually find these filters paired with HEPA filters to maximize their potential.
- HEPA - HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air, and this filter is extremely dense to allow it to trap particles as small as 0.3 microns. Each time the air passes through the HEPA filter, the more contaminants it'll catch.
- Negative Ion - Negative ion air purifiers release charged ions into the air that latch on to the litter dust and make it too heavy to stay in the air. The particles fall to the floor where you can vacuum or wipe them up.
- Ozone - Ozone air purifiers work to emit small amounts of ozone into your indoor air that reacts to the bacteria and germs your litter dust could spread. It effectively neutralizes them to help remove any odors.
- UV Technology - UV technology doesn't screen particles out of the air, but it works to kills the germs by passing your air through a UV light. This light kills the bacteria and germs, and this can reduce how your litter area smells.
Once you decide on an air purifier that works the best for your situation, you can immediately narrow down your choices, so it's not so overwhelming. It is a good idea to make sure that your air purifier has a HEPA filtration system though because it can help pull the litter dust out of the air and lock it in, so you don't breathe it in.
Buying Considerations for Your Air Purifier
There are several things you want to look for when you start searching for an air purifier. Keeping the following considerations in mind can help ensure that you get one that'll be a good fit for your space.
Brand
Look for an air purifier that comes from a reputable brand because it's usually easier to get in touch with them if something should go wrong and you need customer service. Hamilton Beach, Guardian Technologies, Levoit, and SilverOnyx are all examples of reputable companies that have a good reputation for quality products.
Budget
Your budget will play a role in your air purifier choice because the cost varies from one end of the spectrum to the other. You should set a budget and narrow your choices down in accordance to your price range right when you start shopping to avoid getting an air purifier that is out of your price range.
Coverage Area
Air purifiers measure their coverage area in square feet, and you want an air purifier that is strong enough to cover your room's size. You can find the square footage of your room by measuring the length and width of the room and multiplying them together. This calculator can also help multiply it for you if you're not sure of the measurements.
Filtration System
We touched on filtration systems earlier, but it's a good idea to make sure that your air purifier comes with at least a HEPA filtration system and an activated carbon system as well. The HEPA filter will do a great job at removing all of the stray particles from the air, and the carbon filter will work to neutralize any odors to give you clean and fresh air.
Energy Efficiency
Depending on how often your cat uses the litter box and how much dust they manage to kick up, you may want to run your air purifier on a constant basis. If you do, you want to have an energy-efficient model that uses the least amount of energy as possible to save you money. Look for an energy efficiency certification on the box.
Noise
Some air purifiers run louder on their higher settings, and this can be a problem for people who run it close to where they sleep or spend a lot of time. Your air purifier shouldn't emit more than a hum on the higher settings, and it's a good idea to double check this noise level, so you're not stuck with an extremely disruptive machine.
Replacement Filters
Do you have a permanent filter in your air purifier, or will you be responsible for replacing it every four to six months? If you have to replace it, how much will it cost you and what brands does it take? Some only allow you to use brand-specific filters, and they can be expensive.
Warranty
No matter where you buy your air purifier from, it should come with a warranty that protects you against hardware failure. Many companies will give you a short period where you can get your money back, and they give you a slightly longer warranty that allows you to switch the defective unit out for a new one.
Our Top Five Picks for the Best Air Purifier for Cat Litter Dust
1. GermGuardian 3-in-1 Full Room Air Purifier
This sleek black and grey air purifier come equipped with a HEPA filtration system that can trap and lock in 99.97% of allergens like dust, mold, pet dander, and pollen. It features a slender upright design that is easy to place right by your cat's litter box to clean most of the dust.
You'll get an activated carbon filter that works to help reduce any odors by filtering out the contaminants and particles like litter dust that can smell. It also comes with UV-C light technology that wills odor-causing germs as they pass through it on their way into the purifier.
This system is energy star certified, and this means that it draws as little power as possible when it runs to help save you money. This device runs best in rooms that are 167 square feet big and smaller, and this size lets it circulate the air four times every hour you have it run.
People who purchased this filtration system liked that it came with several different ways to kills germs and trap and lock odors in. People who purchased this filtration system didn't like that it tended to run slightly louder.
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2. Hamilton Beach Air Purifier
Hamilton Beach's air purifier comes in the choice of classic white or sleek black, and it comes with zeolite technology that helps to eliminate both litter dust and any odors that may come with it. This smaller air purifier works in rooms that are up to 149 square feet, and this size lets the purifier cycle the air several times per hour.
You get two carbon zeolite filters each time you order this purifier, and the carbon filters are what work to trap odors and pull it from the air. There is also a HEPA filter installed in this air purifier that works to trap everything from dust and pet dander up to mold and pollen spores down to three microns.
The permanent HEPA filter helps to reduce your costs because you can just vacuum it clean instead of trying to replace it every four to six months. You can run this filter upright or on its side, and this allows you to quickly and easily fit it into several different spaces without a problem.
People who bought this air purifier were happy that it came with a permanent HEPA filter that they could simply vacuum clean every few weeks instead of having to change it. People who bought this air purifier did note that it is larger than it looks.
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3. LEVOIT Air Purifier
You'll get a triple stage filtration system with Levoit's air purifier that has a pre-filter stage, HEPA filter, and an activated carbon filter that traps and locks in contaminants and germs. You can program three different speed settings and set it higher when your cat uses the litter box before switching it to low or medium.
It comes with a contemporary design with a soft LED light that doubles as a nightlight, and it's a more compact air purifier that has a quiet operation across all of the different speed settings. You get a full year warranty against defects or damage that allows you to exchange this air purifier for a new one.
The filters in this air purifier come designed to be very cost-effective when it comes time to replace them. You get a very user-friendly interface that includes your power button, nightlight button, filter reset button, and a fan speed button with three settings.
Cat parents who bought this air purifier liked that they could run it on different speed settings to clear out the litter dust when they needed to. Cat parents did say that this air purifier doesn't work well in larger spaces.
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4. GermGuardian GG1000 Small Air Purifier
This small air purifier from Guardian Technologies uses UV-C light technology to effectively kill odor-causing germs and bacteria that can float into the air as your cat uses their litter box. The UV-C lighting combined with Titanium Dioxide helps to remove bacteria, germs, viruses, and mold spores from your indoor air.
The small and compact design can fit into any wall socket, and this means that you can put it right alongside your cat's litter box and let it run on a continuous basis. It doesn't come with a filter, and you only have to replace the bulb every six to eight months to keep this air purifier in good working order.
Each air purifier comes with a full year warranty against defects of damage, and you're able to send it back for a new one if something should happen to it. It draws very little power as it runs, and this can help you save money in the long run.
People who bought this air purifier for their cat's litter box dust were happy that it was compact enough to place right next to the litter box by plugging it into the wall outlet. People who bought it did say that this air purifier by Guardian Technologies didn't work well with more than one litter box.
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5. SilverOnyx Air Purifier
This compact but powerful air purifier comes with a five-stage filtration system that includes a mesh pre-filter, HEPA filter, activated carbon filter, UV-C light, and an ionizer. These five stages help to trap and lock in litter dust, and they also work to get rid of any odor-causing bacteria and germs.
You'll get a rounded filter that gives you a wider surface area to screen for litter dust, and it can trap in particles as little as three microns. There is a reminder light built into this air purifier that lights up when it's time to change your filter system for a new one.
It comes with a very user-friendly interface that features pictures and writing to tell you exactly what each option is when you switch it on. You also get 360-degrees of filtration, and this is great for rooms with more than one litter box because it draws air from all over.
People who purchased this air purifier to reduce the amount of litter dust in the air liked that it came with five filtration stages to effectively clean the surrounding air. They did say that it can be tricky to get the filter out the first time to change it when the indicator comes on.
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What's the Best Air Purifiers for Cat Litter Dust?
Our pick for the best air purifier for cat litter dust is GermGuardian 3-in-1 Full Room Air Purifier because it's a larger air purifier that comes with both a HEPA filtration system and an activated carbon system to trap and lock odors and contaminants. The smaller design allows you to put it right by your cat's litter box for maximum efficiency.
We also liked that it was certified as being very energy efficient because we could run it all of the time without drawing a lot of power. Finally, it can cover a room up to 167 square feet without an issue.