Review: CritterZone, the Best Pet Odor Remover I’ve Tried

If you’re like me and have a houseful of animals (just talking about the non-humans here 🙂 ), you’ve most probably  had to deal with pet odor. They can’t help it. Indoor cats need someplace to go to the bathroom (hopefully, it’s the litter box) and dogs have been rolling around or walking in who knows what outside. After trying supermarket-bought air fresheners, which tend to just mask the smell with another smell, bulky ionic air purifiers that were a pain to clean, and various natural options I’ve ordered online, I’d come to the conclusion that this was going to be the best I could do. That’s why I’m so excited to report that I’ve found something I would consider to be the best pet odor remover I’ve tried yet. It’s called the CritterZone Air Naturalizer, and it has worked really well in my house, which is quite a challenge. We have one dog, two cats and three litter boxes. Because I like this product so much, I did some research on it and spoke with the company who makes it, AirRestore, Inc. Stay with me,  because I have a special offer for my Bark and Swagger readers below. But first, let me explain to you how CritterZone works, because it’s not very fashionable to have a house that smells.

How It  Works

CritterZone uses a one-two punch system to clean the air. First it employs what’s called plasma ionic technology, which takes microscopic materials out of the air. Then, it uses hydroxyls, which apparently break down the chemicals that make up pet odors and other smells. So, CritterZone is chemical-free, filterless, and its technology is nature-inspired. Think of how much cleaner the air smells and feels outside after a thunderstorm. That’s kind of how this works.  The unit produces a natural charged flow to the air that gives indoor air the same energy the sun gives outdoor air to clean itself. Isn’t that cool? You just plug the compact unit in (the units come in either wall or corded) and let it get to work, making your air cleaner, less smelly and dust, bacteria and allergen free. The allergen free part is critical too, because there are a lot of us who are allergic to our animals or to other airborne pollutants that enter our homes and we can attest to how awful an allergy attack can be. I’m allergic to cats and have had a terrible time of it some days. I haven’t had an allergy attack since I’m using CritterZone and that’s a big deal for me.

The company recommendation is to start the unit on low, which is the lever position all the way to the right. The reason for this is, when your air is very dirty with pollutants, the unit will emit a slightly metallic smell, which means it’s doing its job. That smell subsides as your air gets cleaner. By starting on low, you won’t overwhelm yourself with this smell, yet the unit will still be steadily cleaning the air. Each unit works in an area up to 800 square feet, so we got two of them to cover the areas we were most concerned about. It doesn’t use much energy to operate, either. About 3-watts. So,  you can purify the air on an entire floor of an average-sized home, using only about 1/20th of the energy used to power a 60-watt light bulb. Wow!

If you have a humidifier, that increases the ability of the CritterZone to clean the air by providing the added moisture the unit uses to do it’s work. But you don’t have to have a humidifier for it to work either. We don’t.

The Results

After only a couple of days, we noticed a difference. We did smell a slight metallic odor, but it wasn’t offensive at all. After a week, I didn’t notice the metallic smell anymore, but my husband said he still detected a slight smell. However, what we didn’t smell for the first time in a very long time were the cat litter boxes! And that was a major relief. And any doggy smells from her food, rolling around on the carpet, were gone too.

Because CritterZone worked so well for me is why I’m recommending it so highly to you.

It Does Require Cleaning

Like every air purifier I know, CritterZone, too, requires regular cleaning. The company suggests cleaning it every two weeks. But, if you notice dirt in the vents of the unit or white crystals (more common for people with cats and other small animals), it’s time to clean. They give very specific instructions on how to do so in the packaging, which I liked. And they give you a URL for a page on their site containing an instructional video on cleaning the unit. We haven’t cleaned it yet, but it doesn’t seem very complicated from reading the instructions.

What  Else It Can Do

The CritterZone technology can also help to remove odors and germs within materials, ie: your upholstery, carpet, mattresses, clothing, shoes, wood surfaces, even inside of vehicles. The instructions are, you just lay the unit, face-down directly on or within 6″ of the soiled area and leave it there for 30-60 minutes. You can repeat 2 to 3 times, as necessary. And if you have an old “accident,” you can use a water mist to re-activate it, and then follow the steps above. There’s a list of things CritterZone can help remove the odor of that goes way beyond pets. I like that, too.

Rating:

I give CritterZone a 5 out of 5 rating. It’s easy to set up, small and unobtrusive in the home and, best of all, it works. I would recommend this product to anyone looking for help maintaining an odor-free home.

Price

$89.95 with a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty

$109.95 for the Holiday Travel Pack, which also includes a car adaptor, a blue velvet carrying pouch and a holiday gift bag

Special Offer for Bark and Swagger Readers

As a thank you to my Bark readers, I’m offering you something special.  If you want to try CritterZone for yourself, click here or go to www.critterzoneusa.com, plug in the code word Swagger where prompted during check-out, and receive $10.00 off of your purchase! We  know that every bit helps, especially during the holidays, so I hope you will take advantage of this offer.

I would love to hear feedback on CritterZone from those of you who try the product. Please reach out in the comments section or email me at jody@barkandswagger.com.

Until next time...