Air Filtration

[Michael]

What kind of air filtration systems do you use? How effective are they? Are they expensive? Noisy? How far from birds do you keep them? How often do you have to clean them out?

[MandyG]

I've briefly heard of some people using air purifiers and humidifiers for their birds but I haven't done any research on them.

What is the benefit of having an air purifier or a humidifier?

[macawlover2]

I use a HEPA filter from Honeywell, and it works great! I'm not sure how much it cost, as it was a Christmas gift last year... Somewhere areound $150 though, I think.
I'm supposed to replace the filter/cartridge once a month, but instead I just vaccuum off the bird dander that it picks up. The filter starts out black, and by the end of the month it's like pure white. I had no clue that much bird dust was floating around the bird room until I got the filter!

I keep it close to the wall about 4 feet away from the bird cages. It's nice and quiet on it's "low" setting, and gets a bit louder with each setting higher.

[Michael]

I think I must have the same exact one. I have an ionic breeze too but it's pretty useless which is why I got the honeywell filter. The ionic breeze had to be cleaned weekly if not more frequently so i got tired of cleaning it all the time because it only catches a little before it turns off and says clean me. Now that I run both, the ionic lasts longer too and they can filter out different sides. I keep the purifiers on the opposite wall away from bird cage and point them away from the bird. This way it doesn't blow at her but rather sucks the dust away from that direction.

Parrots make a lot of dust and it will eventually settle but as soon as they start flapping around in their cages it all floats up. I am prone to allergies so I find it fairly important to run the air purifiers. Even with the air purifiers my apartment gets a thick layer of dust if I don't clean for a month. Not that it wouldn't get dusty otherwise but one bird seems to contribute twice as much dust as everything else. Both the ionic breeze and honeywell supposedly kill airborne bacteria so I guess that's good too. A bit pricey to have these air purifiers but I think they help. Supposedly they help with odors too but I don't know if I'm just used to the bird smell or if they really help.

Also if you have air conditioners, don't forget to clean the filters more regularly. They suck in a lot of bird dust and get clogged quicker if you have birds.

[Kathleen]

I imagine that you probably need a strong filter or purifier for each bird you have!

[alight15]

I chose the room with an air purifier to put the bird cage in..like this only white with a different remote.T
This is in a room of my house thats cause it's kinda secluded..far away down a hall...it has windows but they're facing a wall 4 feet away on the side of the house, the other straight onto the driveway.

I found this on the internet:

Why buy an Air Purifier?

Dust, pollen, pet dander, mold spores, and dust mite feces can act as allergens, triggering allergies in sensitive people. Smoke particles and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can pose a risk to health. Exposure to various components such as VOCs increases the likelihood of experiencing symptoms of sick building syndrome. Additionally, with the advancement in technology, air purifiers are becoming increasingly capable of capturing a greater number of bacterial, virus, and DNA particulates.

Air purifiers are used to reduce the concentration of these airborne contaminants and though very useful for people who suffer from allergies and asthma, technological and scientific studies are finding that poor air quality is more a contributing factor of some forms of cancer, respiratory illnesses, COPD, and other pulmonary infections and illnesses. They also reduce the need for frequent room and area cleaning. Air purifiers use a small amount of electrical energy, causing a small amount of expense and environmental effect.

Go to Our Products

I'm skeptical on what they claim but, it does circulate the air and it's not a fan(well it doenst have blades)and I've never smelled anything that was fried in the kitchen in that room(you still have to clean the filters,but if you compare that to dusty fan blades)

[skthurley]

I dont have an air filter yet, but it's on my to get bird list. I am prone to allergies, and have asthma, so I know it would be a great investment with or without birds. When we get one, I intend to put it beside the bird's cages

[Michael]

I have like 5 air filters at this point. Mostly because the early cheaper ones I bought turned out to be a disappointment. I'll try to post pictures when I have a chance. The first one I got spontaneously while shopping. I saw an air filter for $60 so figured why not give it a shot. It's not that bad but it wasn't very effective either. That one was noisy and the filter really inconvenient to clean or change.

I later bought an ionic breeze figuring that would be quiet without fan blades. It seems to pick up some micro particles and allergens but really doesn't filter the air significantly enough for a dusty parrot. Also the filter has to get cleaned quite regularly. Next I got an air filtration tower which I found to be quite effective and continue to use on a daily basis. I set it up to point away from my parrot's cage to suck dust away from her rather than blowing air at her. At higher fan speeds it get to be quite noisy but at the minimum setting it is reasonably quiet. I let it run 24/7 so it gets the job done. Filters only need to be cleaned every few months so it isn't much hassle.

Then I bought a round mega filtration system which is much stronger and more effective. It is round and sucks air to filter from 360 degrees and then blows the exhaust air upward. This brings dust in from the floor from all sides and sucks it in. This one is a bit noisy so I run it on high only when the parrot is out of the cage and run it low during the daytime. I continue using the ionic breeze by my bed but use the stronger filers near the parrot. The last filter I have is part of a humidifier I got and does well too. One of these days I'll make an article describing my experiences with each of these systems and pictures.

I definitely do recommend getting air filtration for anyone that owns a parrot.

[LiaraTivona]

Is the dust that everyone mentions mainly from larger birds? I've never noticed anything from my budgie and I hardly ever dust.

Maybe she just can't compete with my 3' hair Its a mix between a broom and a dustball generator.

[skeetersunconure]

i have heard cockatiels have ALOT of dander
anyway i dont have one and i havent noticed alot of dander but should i? see skeeter lives in my room most of the time during the day so its where i sleep and stuff so should i really get one?