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As the thermometer creeps up and Spring and Summer arrive, many people will begin sneezing – a sign that allergy season has officially started. While the warmth of the sun surely will be welcome over the freeze of a few months ago, it also brings about a large amount of allergens – namely pollen which can make it’s way into the home, and stick inside upholstery and carpets. By utilizing regular carpet cleaning to eliminate impacted allergens and grout cleaning to remove any mold from tiles, you can prevent your allergies from getting that bad, so that instead of suffering from clogged up sinuses and a runny nose, you can get outside and enjoy the much nicer weather. Here’s some great tips for keeping your home healthier and allergy free.
Be Aware of What your Triggers Are
It’s important to learn what allergens trigger allergic reactions in you or your family members. The most common allergy triggers are animal dander, pollen, dust mites, mold spores, and cockroaches. If your triggers are outdoor alxlergens, keep your windows closed. If they are indoor allergens, open all the windows in order to air out the entire house.
Remove all Standing Water
Standing or stagnant water can be an ideal breeding source for mosquitos and mold; mitigate allergies in advance by making sure there’s no puddles or damp areas left standing in your home.
Trap Dust
Using common cleaning devices like feather dusters simply throw the dust around the air, distributing it to a different area of the room – instead, use a piece of damp towel or cloth to trap the dust, and actually get it out of your home.
Clean all Surfaces
Make sure to clean often neglected areas like under beds, windowsills, door frames, ceiling fans, and window frames.
Avoid all strongly scented chemicals
These strongly scented cleaning products can actually aggravate allergies and make them much worse.
Wash or replace old shower curtains
Mold from the floor of the shower can easily spread onto the shower curtain, especially in warmer months of the year.
Keep your home dry and cool
Make sure that you have 50 percent humidity or lower – this makes it much less of a promising home for mold spores or dust mites.
Clean all impacted allergens
Carpets, rugs, and upholstery act as air filters for your home – make sure that they get vacuumed weekly and cleaned professionally every 3-4 months in order to remove all the impacted dust, allergens, and particulates. Make sure to pay attention to entryways, oft-used furniture, or high traffic locations.
Wash all linens
Make sure to wash all bed linens about once a week to every two weeks.
Change your HVAC filters
All filters need to be changed every two months, but if you have pets you might need to change them more frequently. Before investing in an HVAC system, do a bit of research to find ones with the highest possible rating that still allows maximum airflow. The majority of homes use filters that are rated somewhere between MERV 7 and MERV 12; higher MERV ratings don’t necessarily mean they are better since higher ratings can reduce the airflow, which may make things worse, allergy-wise.
