How to Prevent Allergies in the Home
Allergy season is a dreaded time for many people. If you or someone in your home suffers from allergies, making your home allergy-proof might seem like a tough task. However, there are plenty of ways to maximize allergy prevention in the home.
From regularly vacuuming and dusting to replacing your windows and everything in between, preventing allergies is far from impossible.
We’ve narrowed the list down to 7 ideas that’ll reward you with fewer allergens in your home and will help prevent them from happening in the future.
Allergy Prevention Starts with a Cleaning Routine
One of the most helpful things you can do to maintain allergy prevention is to keep a regular cleaning schedule. This way, you’ll remember the last time you cleaned and dirt, dust and other allergen producers won’t have a lot of time to accumulate.
Make sure you wipe down surfaces with a damp rag instead of dry dusting which often just puts dust back into the air.
Watch eHow’s video on how to clean a room in order to allergy-proof your home:
Stop Allergens at the Door
Allergens can sneak into your home a number of ways. If you don’t make everyone take their shoes off at the door, then you’re creating a very easy entrance for dust, dirt and pollen to walk right in.
Allergy prevention can be done right at the front door. If your doormats are worn and out of shape or you simply don’t have any, then get a new one to help trap shoe dirt and dust.
Pair your new doormats with taking off your shoes at the door and you’re on your way to a more allergy-free home.
Clear the Air
Making sure the air is as clean as possible in your home is key to maximizing allergy prevention.
Your house should be well-ventilated and your ductwork should be in proper condition. They’re some of the first things you should take care of in order to allergy proof your home.
Use HEPA filters in your home’s heating and air conditioning systems to ensure clean airflow in your home.
Keep your windows closed during peak pollen times – usually early mornings until the mid-afternoon.
Another important factor you shouldn’t forget is to monitor your home’s humidity. It’s important to maintain steady humidity because too little or too much can trigger your allergies in a heartbeat.
Make Sure Your Windows and Doors are Properly Working
One way to help prevent allergies in the home may be looking you right in face. People often forget how much of a factor their windows and doors are in keeping the home free of allergens.
Old, drafty windows are a major contributor of allergens in the home. Also, if your windows are damaged and have broken seals, it can lead to a slew of problems. Mold, mildew, condensation and other problems will arise with damaged windows.
How does that effect allergies? Mold and mildew can cause allergies themselves and also trigger other seasonal allergies you may have. Condensation and other water build-up helps raise humidity in your home which will help trigger any allergies as well.
With properly working windows and doors, your home will be safely shielded from any outside allergens entering you home.
If you find that any of yours are damaged, you should replace them right away. You can get a free quote for the most energy efficient windows and doors in the Midwest by clicking here.
Maintain Pet Dander
If you have any pets, they can be a huge trigger for allergies in the home. One way to reduce pet allergens in the home is to limit how often pets come into the bedroom. Ideally, you should try to keep them out of the bedroom at all times, but we all know that’s not going to happen.
Be sure to vacuum the carpet and dust frequently to keep pet hair to a minimum.
Avoid Carpet Wherever Possible
Your carpet can act as a sponge and absorb almost everything from food and drink spills to dust and pet dander. Avoiding carpet in as many rooms as possible is a great way to practice allergy prevention in the home.
However, sometimes you just can’t get rid of the carpet. In such case, be sure to vacuum regularly and to steam clean instead of shampooing your carpet. Steam cleaning does a far better job of getting rid of allergens as opposed to shampooing the carpet.
Be Smart With Window Treatments
Big, heavy drapes are a gold mine for dust and allergens to accumulate. If you must have some sort of window treatments, stick to blinds or light, machine washable curtains.
Besides, large and bulky window treatments are a thing of the past. Check out our article about the latest window trends to keep your home updated while preventing allergies.
Allergy Prevention in the Home
Allergies can be a real damper on your day, and your home should be a place where you can limit the triggers as much as possible. Whether that’s maintaining clean air filters, establishing a cleaning routine or even replacing your windows, preventing allergies in the home can be done in many ways.
If you do find that your doors or windows are the culprit of your home’s allergen problem because they’re out of date or just plain broken, you can trust Feldco for all your replacement window and door needs.
Get a free quote online or call us at 866-4FELDCO to start your replacement project so you can get rid of those pesky allergies in your home.