I was cleaning our home this morning and was really bothered by all of the small particles of dust, dander and hair that I could see floating around in the rays of sunshine. I vacuum a lot using a hepa filter, and I change the filter on our furnace frequently, but still I am sure there are a lot of particles that I can't see all the time. Today I even took the vacuum and tried to suck up these particles that I could see in the ray of sun. We are building a new house, and I would like to keep it as clean and fresh as possible, so I wanted to seek the recommendation of this group to help me decide what to do. First, I have been reading about several different air purifiers. I am a little confused on what to look for to remove the dust and dander, as opposed to some of the gimicky things out there. Can anyone help educate me on what I should be looking for in a quality air purifier? Is there a difference between purifier and filter? Also, how do I think about using these machines? I have two dogs and a cat that have a lot of dander and hair (and we also have dander and hair). I will be moving into a 2-stroy house that is about 2300sqft. I can't imagine putting just one or two of these in my house and having them take care of the air for the whole house. Do I need one in every room? Does anyone have cleaning recommendations in addition to the air purifiers? I vacuum frequently, have hard wood floors with some area rugs (and in the new house the master bed, bonus room and guest rooms will have carpet). I got really frustrated knowing how much time I put into cleaning the house with what looks like minimal results. Your help is greatly appreciated. Tim

I think it may vary according to washing machine. I have Asko and Miele Fls (smaller Euro-style models with very high spin speeds. I also have 10 cats and two bunnies. Collectively they have nearly a dozen and half pet beds and sleeping pads in use at any one time. And I launder more than 3 dozen towels for the pets every week as I change the towels covering the pet beds and the other "unauthorized" sleeping places about every 10 days. I don't find that hair seems to get stuck in the drain path of the washers (I've had my machines completely apart on occasion for other reasons). It does clog the dryer lint filters, though, even just during the few minutes I use it before hanging them out to air dry. However your machines may be different. I just try to remember to make the next load after pet beds something other than my best sweaters or silk blouses. Not that there's any hair noticeable carry over, but it seems better to wash farm overalls or household cleaning clothes in the next load! L

We have a black lab/beagle mix dog and two Siamese cats. This probably goes without saying but the easiest way to remove pet fur from laundry is to limit how much goes in to begin with. No, I'm not advocating pet beds and never cuddling your pets -- I'd never suggest a rule I could never adhere to :) However: 1. Grooming does make a difference. I'm not great about it, but even once every other week or so with our short-hair breeds keeps the fur at bay. 2. Regular vacuuming. Much of the fur that winds up on bedding and clothing comes from the floor and furniture, as its carried on your feet and body. 3. Remove excess fur before laundering. Brush or tape-roll bedding to pick up the top-most layers of fur. Same for clothing or pet bedding. If the first layers are gone, the smaller pieces stuck between textile fibers have a better chance of working their way out, into the water, and down the drain. 4. Diet/hydration. Okay, feline nutrition is sore subject with me and apologies in advance if any of this comes off as abrasive. Dried kibble is one of the worst things you can feed a cat. Some vets will go so far as to say that the cheapest canned food is better than the most expensive kibble. The reason for this is that cats do not naturally feel thirst and seek out water, because their instinct is to get moisture/hydration from fresh kills. House cats have been domesticated for only a fraction of time as dogs (hence their behavior) and have not evolved to seek water from bowls. The result is a chronically dehydrated kitty and, in addition to the obvious kidney problems, what does this cause? You guessed it, excess shedding! We feed an entirely raw diet (rabbit, mice, chicks, etc.) and have almost no shedding. That said, raw is a huge commitment and I understand not everyone will do it. I encourage anyone with cats to read the most excellent research done, entirely pro-bono, by Dr. Lisa Pierson after her struggles keeping her own cats healthy. Her research, include food reviews is here: CatInfo - Dr. Pierson Meow :)

UGH! I dealt with my new microfiber pet furniture covers for the first time this afternoon. Just as lukkiirish says - the fibers inside the material came up through. What's up with that? I thought it was hair, but no. And they've only been on the chairs for a couple of days. I tried the sticky roller - didn't get the hair up much. Then did the sweeper brush attachment. Still wasn't very effective. However, the furniture underneath didn't have any hair at all which I guess is the main reason for the furniture protectors, right? Anyway I say don't buy the microfiber. I wasted $50 for the two. What I had been using was a long, vintage, $12 tapestry with a tight weave. It only covered the seat and back. I tried to find another one to slip under the top one, so that it would cover the arms. It even looked better on the antique wingback chair than the modern microfiber because it had an old faded Italian scene, but the antique shop that usually has lots of them because they don't sell of course didn't have any more. I'm going to keep looking. The sweeper picked up the hair from it easily.