Allergy-Proofing Your Home Room by Room
Ahhh! If you’re tired of saying “Ahhhchoo!”, there are several home remedies to alleviate your allergies this spring. Is spring cleaning your home not part of your “to do” list yet? You might want to consider putting it at the top of your priorities, if you experience hay fever, asthma, or have allergic reactions towards pets. There are many household allergens lurking in your home that can make your allergies worse. Pollen, dust mites, pet dander, mold and mildew are just a few enemies in the battle against allergies, but have no fear! We have mopped up some easy ways to reduce indoor allergens room by room for a nearly allergy-free household.
“Bedtime!” Not so fast…
You breathe, sweat and lie in this room for the majority of the time you are asleep, so it’s best to start here first. What are you looking for? Dust mites. These little critters are not visible to the naked eye, but they sure do love to sleep and spend the majority of their time in here, too! We won’t go into detail about what they enjoy feeding on, but trust us, you’ll want to wash your bedding at least once a week in hot water. You can also think about getting pillow and mattress protectors to act as a shield against the dust mites. Next, get rid of any clutter or unnecessary objects that collect dust such as books, magazines, or even stuffed animals in your child’s room. Putting your child’s stuffed animal in a plastic container until it’s requested for playtime is a great way to prevent your allergies from worsening. If you’ve got carpet, consider firing up the ol’ vacuum each week using a HEPA filter, as well as changing your home’s air filter frequently.
What’s living in your living room?
While you may enjoy lingering in your living room during most of your time at home, keep in mind this is also where you could be having a bad reaction to allergens. Be sure to vacuum and wash rugs or carpets periodically, keep your windows closed and clean them from any condensation, and if you have a lot of potted plants, use aquarium gravel on the dirt to prevent molding. You should also avoid burning wood in your fireplace, which can worsen respiratory allergies.
Cooking up a new kind of clean in the kitchen.
Do you know what’s under your stove-top’s hood? Be sure you’re using a vented exhaust fan to reduce moisture and fumes. Water that sits will welcome mold, so wipe down wet surfaces in the sink, counters, and in the refrigerator. Taking out your trash daily will help prevent rodents and other unmentionable things from growing in your kitchen.
Pull back the shower curtain on allergens.
You might be avoiding your rubber ducky because of what’s hiding in your bathroom. Although you may scrub-a-dub-dub, there are other things hiding in your bathroom that could shower you with allergies. Be bold and tackle that mold by cleaning your tub, shower and faucets with bleach. If you have a ventilation fan, suck out any excess moisture. You can also wash bathroom mats and mop floors to get your bathroom extra squeaky clean.
Overall home maintenance
Regulating the temperature in your home between 68 degrees and 72 degrees to control humidity, changing your air filter and using a dehumidifier to prevent mold, as well as vacuuming any carpet in your home and washing hard surfaces can help remove allergy-triggering residue from pets, pests and houseguests.
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