Posts Tagged ‘HEPA Air Purifier’

by Debbie

Bird Dust can be a huge problem if you share your home with a powder down bird. Left unchecked this dust can be a health hazard for both birds and humans. Here are 5 answers that will help you deal with this dust more effectively.

What is bird dust? It is a powder (generally white) that certain birds produce to keep their feather soft and their skin properly moisturized. Producing this dust is something your bird will do for as long as it is alive. While sometimes you may thing it would be nice to be able to turn a bird dust switch to off, this would lead to numerous health problems for your bird. So all you can do is to find ways to reduce the amount in the air and on surfaces in the bird room and around your home.

How is dander different? Dander is microscopic in size and cannot be seen with the human eye. Dander is a natural way of replenishing old skin with new skin that is better able to protect the bird and ward off disease and infection. Dander production is also a lifetime process. So a powder down bird produces this dust in addition to dander.

Do all birds produce bird dust? While all birds produce dander, the short answer is no, only some produce dust. There are 3 types of parrots that are the most well known for the powder they produce, and they are the African Grey, Cockatoo, and Cockatiel.

Which birds produce it? The birds that produce it are generally known as powder down birds and include the African Grey (both the Congo and Timneh), Cockatoos, and Cockatiels-all members of the parrot family.

How can you reduce the amount of dust the bird spreads? Gently misting your bird with water using a spray bottle that you would use to soften wrinkles before ironing clothes is a very effective way to reduce the amount of dust that will go airborne. Always mist early enough in the day so that your bird is able to go through the night with dry feathers. They are less likely to become chilled as the temperature drops during the night.

How can you effectively reduce airborne dust? Since your bird’s normal activities of flying from one place to another both inside and out of the cage, preening it feathers, and playing with its toys are sure to put dust in the air constantly, the best way to reduce the number of airborne particulates is to filter the air.

Even though most household heating and air conditioning systems have filters, they are often no match for the incredible amount of powder these birds can generate. Using a portable air filter with a HEPA (or high efficiency particle arresting) filter is the best plan of action.

In addition to the HEPA filter, an air cleaner that contains multiple pre-filters and a filter of military carbon cloth will give you and your bird daily relief from particle-filled air. Keeping the air clean makes you and your bird less susceptible to respiratory diseases.

About the Author
An excellent HEPA air purifier that comes standard with pre-filters and military carbon cloth is provided by PurerAir.com–the Bird Dust Air Purifier See it now at http://purerair.com/bird_dust_air_purifier.html
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com

by Debbie

If you’ve just adopted a beautiful bird only to find that your are allergies rev up when you come into close contact with the bird for prolonged periods of time, you may be allergic to your bird.

Don’t despair because as scary as this discovery can be, here are 7 things you can do as well as changes you can make to enjoy your bird while keeping your allergies under control.

Keep the Bird’s Room and Cage Clean-This cannot be stressed enough. Keep the cage clear of dropping and feathers, vacuum regularly, mop the floor daily, and change its drinking water as often as needed to keep it fresh. This is of course healthy for your bird, and it also prevents mold growth.

If you feed your bird fresh foods (and it will love you for this), be sure to throw them away after several hours to avoid mold growth.

Shower with Your Bird-This is convenient way to give your bird a bath, and spend time with it in an environment where the dander is low.

Bird perches are relatively inexpensive and are easily installed. Make sure they are placed away from direct spray, and turn the nozzle to a super gentle spray setting.

You’ll know immediately whether your bird likes the water. And if it does, it will do the rest for you. Always check with your vet about what products to use and how often to use them.

Wear a Mask-If you are the one doing the daily cleaning, be sure to wear a mask when you are performing task that are likely stir up dander and feathers. Your local hardware store is sure to carry a variety.

Experiment until you find one that allows you to be most comfortable when cleaning up after your bird.

Keep Your Hands Clean–Wearing gloves is best, but if you choose not to, wash your hands immediately after you finish to minimize contact with skin and eyes. This will greatly reduce the number of allergens that have direct contact.

Remove Fabrics and Upholstery-This process may have to be a gradual one, but it is well worth the time, money, and effort in terms of the significant improvement you will see in your allergies.

Draperies, carpet, upholstered furniture make great place for dander to hide, and sitting, dusting, and even vacuuming can send a ton of dander airborne. This makes it easy for it to invade your eyes, nose, and throat triggering the symptoms that can make you so miserable

Change Your House Filters Often-Get the smallest particulate size filter that they make for your central system. Start by changing them once a month. Take note of whether you find less dust on the furniture and floor. If this does decrease the dust, go to 2 months.

Gradually lengthen the frequency of filter changes until you have found the least number of changes that produce the desired result. Mark the dates on you calendar, and stay regular with replacing them.

Use a HEPA Air Purifier-Cleaning the air with a high efficiency particle arresting (abbreviated as HEPA) air purifier assures you that for every 10,000 particulates greater than .3 microns, it will remove 99,997 of them leaving only 3 out of 10,000.

Allowing your air to be filtered 24 hours a day is good for both you and your bird. Increase the rate of air exchange when cleaning the room and cage to keep the dander count low and the air quality high. And remember, clean air also cuts down on the spread of airborne disease and infections for both you and your bird.

About the Author

Feel better by taking the bird and household allergens out of your air with the air purifier at http://purerair.com/bird_dust_air_purifier.html
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com