With two cats and a lovable Black Labrador running around our house, I feel like my vacuum cleaner is always going. When I see how much pet hair is vacuumed up on a regular basis I can only wonder how much dander and other airborne particles are floating around as a result of our furry friends – and there is always that musty doggy smell near her bed, too.

When the team at Kaz.com, a world leader in high quality healthcare and home environment products, approached me about doing a review of the Honeywell Pet CleanAir Air Purifier for Pet Owners, of course I immediately said yes!  Anything that will help the quality of our air and not affect our pets is worth trying.

The PETCleanAir is a compact system that can be placed on a table, counter or floor. Simply install the filter and plug it in. It captures up to 95% of airborne particles from the air that pass through the filter leaving your air cleaner and smelling better.  The air purifier uses a HEP A-type filter that only needs to be changed once every 6 months.

So, does it work? YES! The first room we placed the PETCleanAir system in was the playroom. This is where the dog likes to play with the kids, curls up next to them when they play video games, and  for that reason it always smells like DOG. We plugged it in and with in 24 hours, I noticed a marked change in the way the room smelled. It didn’t smell like dog and after a week, I noticed that the baseboards did not seem as dusty as they usually are after a week of not cleaning. And another real sign that it works - my daughter has a friend with dog allergies. Every time she comes to our house she needs to take a Benedryl after being here for a few hours. She was here the other day and not even one single sneeze or sniffle and the Benedryl never even came out! So the PETCleanAir does a good job reducing pet allergens in the air, too.

Want one for your house? You are in luck! Kaz sent me an extra Honeywell Air Purifier for Pet Owners to giveaway!

What We Are Giving Away

• We are giving away one (1) Honeywell Pet CleanAir Air Purifier for Pet Owners from Kaz.com

How To Enter

• Leave a comment below telling me about your family pets – how many, what kind, a funny story about them – anything about your pets!
• Get bonus entries by letting your friends know about our giveaway. Get one extra entry for each of the following, but come back and leave a second comment telling us where you shared it:
  • Post about it on your own blog, in a forum, tweet about it or share it with your friends on Facebook
  • Tweet this giveaway on Twitter (copy and paste the following) – RT @charpolanosky – Enter to win a Honeywell PETCleanAir purifier- http://bit.ly/g8RRFZ
  • Like Kaz on Facebook

Rules

• Leave your comment(s) no later than midnight March 20, 2011.
• You must use your real name and email address in the comment form below – don’t put your email address in the comment itself. We don’t share this information, we just use it to contact you if you win.
• We will be using the “And the winner is” plugin to select one (1) winner at random.

Can’t wait to find out if you won? You can purchase the Honeywell Pet CleanAir Air Purifier for Pet Owners at Kaz.com.

Disclosure: I received the product for review, however, all opinions are my own.

Approximately 15% of the population is allergic to either cats or dogs, yet when faced with giving up a family pet or dealing with the symptoms of allergies, only one in five would give up their furry friend. (source) So, if you or a family member has an allergy to cats or dogs, what can you do to make the co-habitation work?

1. Try selecting a breed that typically has a lower dander level and is considered “hypoallergenic”.
   • List of Hypoallergenic Dog Breeds
   • List of Hypoallergenic Cat Breeds
2. Have a non-allergic family member brush and bathe your pet on a weekly basis. This process alone will greatly reduce the level of pet dander in the home. There are specialty shampoos like Allerpet – For People That Are Allergic to Cats that help to reduce allergy creating dander levels.
3. Sweep and vacuum surfaces in the pets’ living area frequently. Using a vacuum that has a HEPA filter will help.
4. Use HEPA air cleaners in the areas of the house that the dog or cat spends most of its time. We have an Air Cleaning Tower Fan running in the main living area of the house most of the day. It is easy to clean and really does work well to reduce allergens in the air.
5. Wash hands frequently, especially after touching the pet. Additionally, over the counter anti-histamines or even allergy shots may end up giving the most relief – just consult your family doctor first.

For more information on selecting the best breed for your family, check out the Dog Guide – comprehensive dog lovers resource.

When considering what type of pet is best for your family, dogs are a natural pick, however, knowing what kind of dog is going to be best for your family can be a challenge. You need to take into consideration:

• Size of your yard and house
• Ages of your children
• Time you have available to spend with the pet

The best dog I have ever owned was a female Rhodesian Ridgeback who was so mild mannered and great with the kids. Right now we have a male Rhodesian Ridgeback and a Black Lab – both are great with the kids, too, but we also have 4 acres where they have plenty of room to run and they have a very large outdoor run as well.

According to the Dog Guide, the best dog for families with children is the Newfoundland. Which other breeds made their Top 10 Best Breeds for Families with Children? Check out the article and see if your dog made the list.

Before going to a breeder or the pet store, check out your local animal shelter. Shelter pets are usually wonderful animals who have found themselves in a shelter due to situations with their owners. For more information, check out the Shelter Pet Project’s PSA video.