You love your cats, but you love a pristine home just as much! Cat litter dust, those annoying pebbles or pellets, and a less-than-fresh litter box smell have no place in your house. You need the best air purifier for cat litter & odors. And if a family member has asthma, allergies, or a sensitivity to smells, you really want a model that will not let you down.
Fortunately, there are many air filters available to provide an easy solution to cat-related decreases in air quality. Do you want to spend less time cleaning cat litter dust out of your house? Read on for the top 4 best air purifiers for cat litter & odors!
Table of Contents
- Best Air Purifiers for Cat Litter: What To Look For
- How to Choose the Best Air Purifier for your Cat & Litter Box Dust, Germs & Odors
- Best Air Purifier for Cat Litter
- Best Air Purifier for Litter Box Smell
- Best Air Purifier For Cat Litter Dust & Litter Box Smell in Large Spaces
- Best Air Purifier for Litter Box Germs & Outdoor Cats
- Air Purifier for Cat Litter FAQs
- The Pristine Home (with cats) Air Dream Team
- Best Air Purifiers for Cat Litter
| Product Image | Pros | Product Name / Primary Rating | Primary Button |
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Best Overall Air Purifier for Cat Owners |
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Best for Large Spaces |
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Best for Germ Destruction |
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Best Air Purifier for Litter Box Smell |
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- Electrostatic, mechanical & charcoal filtration
- Air quality report on the touchscreen interface
- Purifies 1300sqft area every 30 minutes
- Great for open-concept homes
- PECO air cleaning technology
- No ozone production
- No ozone production
- Washable prefilter
Best Air Purifiers for Cat Litter: What To Look For
Before we begin, here’s a teeny tiny glossary of terms:
- HEPA filters: High Efficiency Particulate Air filters
- VOC: Volatile Organic Compounds, or gasses and other non-particular chemicals that are stinking up your home (so…cat farts are VOCs).
There are several different types of air purification technologies. Each of these addresses pollutants in the air in different ways, and each is best for certain scenarios.
Six types of air purification technologies are:
- ✅ HEPA Filter Air Purifiers: High Efficiency Particulate Air filters use a pleated material to mechanically filter out usually 99+% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, and other pollutants. HEPA filters are a must if you’re looking for the best air purifier for cat litter dust removal.
- ✅ Activated Carbon Air Purifiers: Activated charcoal is a highly porous substance with a vast surface area per particle size. It is able to capture odors, VOCs, and other gaseous pollutants to clean the air. An activated charcoal filter is a must-have if you’re looking for the best air purifier for litter box odor removal.
- ❌ Ionic Air Purifiers: These purifiers don’t filter anything at all. Instead, ionic devices release negative ions into the air to stick to particulates. Then, the charged particulates are supposed to be attracted back to a charged plate on the device. Aside from limited filtration and effectiveness, the real downside to ionic air purifiers is that they release potentially dangerous ozone. Cats are very sensitive to ozone, so it’s better to find a different air purifier option that doesn’t release as much or any ozone. If you purchase purifier that uses ionizing technology, check to make sure it can be turned off and be sure to remind household members that that feature can be dangerous for sensitive cats (and sensitive people as well).
- 🆗 Ultraviolet Air Purifiers: These air purifiers use short-wave UVC light to inactivate mold, bacteria, and viruses. This type of air purifier is great if your concern is with germs and pathogens. However, UVC radiation has been shown to create ozone out of oxygen in the air. However, certain models of UV air purifiers have a modified coating on the machinery that lowers or eliminated the release of ozone. Since this doesn’t take odors out of the air as effectively as charcoal filters, and doesn’t remove particulates such as litter dust as effectively as a HEPA filter, UV air purifiers alone won’t get the job done. However, if an air purifier has a UV component, that’s a great addition as long as it doesn’t release ozone that could harm your cat.
- ✅ Electrostatic Air Filters: This is a filtering layer, not to be confused with the electrostatic air cleaner below. This filtering layer, which tends to be cheaper than a HEPA filter, has electrostatically-charged fibers that trap particles in the air by causing them to stick with electricity. One major downside is that as the filter gets dirty, it becomes less effective. And the fibers are farther apart, so there’s the potential that more particles will leak through and the air won’t get as clean. This type of filter should be combined with other filters for maximum particle capture.
- ❗️Electrostatic Air Cleaners: These purifiers use a different mechanism from the filers above, and draw air through a space in the device that has an electric charge. Particles in that air become charged, and then stick to oppositely-charged plates within the purifier. These filters work well when the filter is clean, but quickly lose efficiency with an increasingly dirty filter. Just like the ionic air purifiers, some electrostatic air cleaners can generate ozone. Look for models that are certified low-ozone or ozone-free – all the purifiers we recommend below are in those categories.
How to Choose the Best Air Purifier for your Cat & Litter Box Dust, Germs & Odors
When deciding upon the best air purifier, you should consider how many cats you have. Are your cats indoor only, or indoor-outdoor cats who might track in germs from outside the home? Think about how often you clean your home, especially vacuuming with a HEPA-equipped vacuum cleaner. Consider whether you tend to open windows for fresh air, and how large your rooms are.
If you clean more often and have a smaller home and one cat, you may decide that one powerful air purifier is the best choice. If you clean less frequently, have multiple cats, or are very sensitive to air quality, multiple air purifiers might be right for your home. You may choose to get a larger coverage air purifier for your living room, and two smaller germ-busters for the room with the litter box and your bedroom where you spend the most time breathing.
You may also want to augment your hard-working air purifiers with charcoal air purifying bags in the stinkiest areas of your home.
Nature Fresh Bamboo Charcoal Air Purifying Bags These bamboo charcoal bags helps to eliminate odors and purify the air wherever you have musty smells. Activated bamboo charcoal is highly porous which causes adsorption when exposed to toxins in the air. Toxins, chemicals and other particles gravitate to the charcoal bags allowing the air to be purified and deodorized.
Best Air Purifier for Cat Litter
The Blueair Classic 680i Air Purifier is an all-in-one machine that uses every gold-standard tech available to filter, scrub, and decontaminate air. A combination of electrostatic and mechanical filtration snatches every particle out of the air, while activated coconut carbon charcoal filters absorb smoke and odors. The air quality report on the touchscreen interface gives detailed info about the current state of your air, including particulate and VOC levels.
The Blueair does use electrostatic charge generation as part of its air cleaning process, which has the potential to generate ozone. However, the California EPA Air Resources Board has certified that this purifier meets strict safety standards for minimal or zero ozone output. If you’re uncomfortable with that possibility, the VEVA and the Molekule listed below contain no ozone generating technologies at all.
Blueair Classic 680i Air Purifier with HEPASilent This is the one of the quietest air purifiers available, using HEPA filters to capture 99.97% of litter dust, dander, mold, pollen, and other airborne contaminants. Activated coconut carbon filters out odors. The California EPA Air Resources Board has certified this Blueair for safe ozone emissions.
Best Air Purifier for Litter Box Smell
The medical-grade VEVA ProHEPA 9000 Premium Air Purifier produces zero ozone as it cleanses fine particulate matter and VOCs from your air. Air is first pumped through a washable pre-filter catches cat hair and larger particles. The second filter captures micro particles and scrubs odors using activated carbon. The final step is a higher-than-normal grade H13 HEPA filter, which captures well over 99.9% of remaining are particulate. The VEVA air purifier can quickly remove strong odors from a 600 square foot area, whether the smells come from a litter box, cooking, smoking or other sources.
The prefilter is washable, and the company recommends changing the activated charcoal and HEPA filters every 2-6 months. The primary complaint with this air purifier is that the filter replacements are occasionally out of stock – so be sure to grab a few replacement filters to keep your house super fresh with this option.
VEVA ProHEPA 9000 Premium Air Purifier w/ H13 Washable HEPA Filter The VEVA ProHEPA 9000 uses four different types of filters in three layers to strategically catch every potential odor-causing particle. This model produces no ozone, and pre-filter is washable which means there are fewer filters to replace over time.
Best Air Purifier For Cat Litter Dust & Litter Box Smell in Large Spaces
If you’ve got a large space and only want to purchase one air purifier, the Alen 75i is the model you’re looking for. It’s powerful enough to clean litter dust, cat dander, odd smells, and anything else you’ve got out in a 1300 sq ft area twice every hour. Alen offers a filter insert designed specifically for pets and heavy odors. There is an ionizer option on the Alen 75i, but it can be switched off to alleviate ozone concerns. The noise levels varies with the air speed, but is acceptably quiet for normal use. This is definitely the best air purifier for cat litter dust and smell!
Alen 75i Air Purifier If you want one air purifier to cover a large area, this single machine will get the job done. Capable of filter the air in 1300 square feet every 30 minutes, it effectively neutralizes odors and captures the tiniest dust particles so you can have a cleaner home. Perfect for open-concept homes and large living spaces.
Best Air Purifier for Litter Box Germs & Outdoor Cats
For the latest in germ-busting technology, the innovators at Molekule bring us a brand new kind of air purification technology called Photo Electrochemical Oxidation (PECO for short). This process produces no ozone at all as it breaks down the tiniest particles, including viruses, bacteria, and other potential pathogens. If you have an outdoor cat tracking in outdoor germs, or if you’re concerned with not just removing but actively dismantling the germs on the litter box dust, the Molekule is the air purifier for you.
This model comes in the larger, more powerful Pro sizing as well as the very manageable Mini+.
Molekule - Air Mini+ - FDA-Cleared Medical Air Purifier with Particle Sensor and PECO Technology If you're a germ-o-phobe, this is the air purifier for you. Combining a pre-filter with a proprietary PECO system, this model can destroy germs and pumps out pristine air for a 600 sq ft room every hour. No ozone is generated during the Photo-ElectroChemical Oxidation process.
Air Purifier for Cat Litter FAQs
Can an Air Purifier Help with Litter Box Smell?
An air purifier can help eliminate smells from the litter box. This happens two different ways:
1) The smells can circulate throughout your home carried by particles. A HEPA filter will remove those particles from the air, thus decreasing the litter box stank. 2) Gaseous odors from the litter box area may waft through your home. An activated charcoal filter will absorb and eliminate Volatile Organic Compounds, whether they come from drying paint or your cat’s butt.
Can An Air Purifier Help With Pet Hair and Dander?
An air purifier will capture hair, dander, dust carrying odors, and other small particles floating around in the air. The air filter suctions up the air, processes it through one or a layer of filters, and blows out fresh clean air on the other side. A HEPA filter is the important elementof an air purifier for removing pet hair and dander. In addition to an air filter, vacuuming regularly with a HEPA-filter equipped vacuum cleaner will go a long way in eliminating pet hair and dander from your feline-loving home.
How effective are air purifiers for cat allergies?
Cat allergies are twice as common as dog allergies, and most people are actually not allergic to the fur of the cat. Instead, their immune system is overreacting to proteins in the cat’s dander, saliva, and urine. If your cat is an indoor-outdoor cat, he could also be bringing allergens such pollen in from the outdoors.
In any of these cases, an air purifier can help greatly with cat allergies. A quality air purifier will remove cat litter dust carrying particles of cat urine from the air. It will also remove dander, pollen, and other feline-related contaminants from the air. However, keep in mind that it may not be a complete solution for every allergic person trying to share space with a cat.
Will an air purifier help with cat litter dust?
Air purifiers both remove odors and physically remove small particulates. The size of the particulate that an air purifier is able to remove depends on the type of air filter within the air purifier. HEPA air filters are a common type of filter that air purifiers use to remove tiny particulates including mold, pollen, bacteria, and yes, cat litter dust.
The Pristine Home (with cats) Air Dream Team
To achieve an impressively clean house, even with multiple cats at home, with impressively little effort, use these three tools:
- Run a powerful, pet-appropriate vacuum cleaner over your home surfaces once each week
- Use one of the listed air purifiers to remove dust, odor, and potentially pathogens
- Change your HVAC filter quarterly.
If you do this, your air will be fresher than a kitten’s whisker. Bonus points for using your newfound zest for life to fill your home with the smell of freshly baked cookies.
Best Air Purifiers for Cat Litter
We’ve laid out 4 great options for air filters that keep your home smelling like your cat poops on the toilet and flushes like a human. Personally, I’m a bit of a tech-loving germ-o-phobe, and after spending unprecedented amounts of time researching and testing the best air purifiers for cat litter & litter box odors, I decided the Molekule was the right choice for our home (we have one Pro in the living area, one Mini in the bedroom and another Mini in the laundry room near the litter box). Armed with the information in this article, you’ll be able to make the right choice for your household.
