Anyone who suffers from allergies knows the immense effect allergies can have on a person’s overall health.
Symptoms can range from minor things, such as sneezing fits and a stuffy nose, to more serious conditions, such as severe breathing difficulty or asthma.
Reduce allergens in your home by following these six tips.
1. Change Your Air Filters
One thing you can do yourself is keep an eye on your HVAC system’s air filters. Keep extra filters handy, and replace them according to the timetable laid out by the manufacturer. At the very least, regularly check your filters for dirt and dust, replacing them as needed.
2. Close Windows and Outside Doors
Pollen is a common allergen, but you can decrease the amount of pollen that enters your home during peak allergy season. Particularly in spring, keeping your windows and outside doors closed as much as possible.
3. Schedule Annual HVAC Maintenance Appointments
You can manage your own air filters, but don’t forget to also schedule annual HVAC maintenance appointments with a professional to keep your home’s heating and cooling systems running smoothly.
A professional will be able to spot problems that could be heightening levels of allergens in your home.
4. Dust and Vacuum Regularly
Allergens can easily accumulate in carpets, curtains, and dust piles on a variety of surfaces. Help reduce the levels of allergens in your home by dusting and vacuuming such areas twice weekly.
Moreover, when you dust the surfaces of your home, use a damp towel or rag to eliminate the spread of dust mites. Also, because vacuuming can transfer dust from the carpet to the air, use avacuum equipped with a HEPA filter or special filter bags if you can.
5. Do Away with Carpeting
Whether dust mites, pollen, or pet dander, allergens readily accumulate in carpeting and even vacuuming won’t always get rid of them all. Worse, simply walking across a carpet can release allergens into the air once more.
To keep allergen levels down in your home, get rid of carpeting when possible. For example, consider replacing your carpeting with affordable hardwood or tile flooring.
6. Install Protective Covers on Mattresses, Box Springs, and Pillows
If your home gets dusty easily, purchase zip-on protective covers for your mattresses, box springs, and pillows. Encasing bedding materials in protective covers will help eliminate dust and dust mites in your bedroom, helping you sleep well at night.
Better still, covering your mattress can actually be more effective than air purifiers at reducing allergy symptoms in the bedroom.
Because allergens are all around us, we can sometimes feel that allergy-proofing the home is impossible.
But nothing could be farther from the truth. Using these six tips, you can drastically improve the quality of your indoor air by reducing the allergens present in your home.