Allergy-Proof Your Home This Spring
Spring allergies are upon us already, and with one out of every four Americans suffering from Allergies or Asthma, many of us are in for a rough couple of months. If you are suffering from an allergy to house dust mite, pets or molds have a look at our top tips that could help ease some of your symptoms. Here are a few quick tips to help keep allergy symptoms at bay this season:
- Add front door mats to the outside and inside of your home. This decreases the likelihood that your family will track allergens inside on the bottoms of their shoes. In fact, consider making yours a “no shoes allowed” home.
- Pollen can live in the carpet for three months, vacuum regularly with a cleaner equipped with a HEPA filter. When vacuuming, be sure to use a modern vacuum cleaner fitted with a HEPA filter. Also be sure you’re getting all the particles up off the floor. It takes seven or eight passes over the same area to effectively remove all the dirt and dust trapped in your carpet. Most people don’t vacuum one spot long enough.
- Wash bed linens in hot water once a week. Washing laundry in hot water (140 degrees) kills 100% of dust mites and their eggs. Washing the same items in warm water…kills only 7% of dust mites!
- Trap allergens by installing a high efficiency filter on your heating and air conditioning system. Whole home solutions are more effective than in-room styles.
- Regularly check and clean bathrooms. Kitchens and bathrooms are ideal breeding grounds for molds to grow, as are window sills, check these areas regularly. Rather than using chemical cleaners to remove mold try white vinegar or borax for cleaning, as this will remove the mold without increasing the chemical pollution within the home.
- By using anti-allergy bedding covers that have been scientifically tested, you can significantly reduce contact with the allergen.
- Padded headboards attract and hold dust, vacuum them regularly or opt for a wooden one.
- Air conditioning systems must be properly maintained otherwise mold can become established in the system and will be spread around the building by the very action of the air conditioning system itself.
- Soft toys are a favourite place for house dust mites to live in. By removing all but a favorite soft toy from the bedroom at night, you will lessen the house dust mites in your child’s room and bed. Every month, all soft toys should be either placed in the freezer for at least 24 hours and washed (in a pillow case) to remove the dead mites and their allergic droppings or washed at a temperature of 140F.
- Cat allergy is very common. Cat allergen is very light and sticky and stays around for months even after the cat is no longer around. Cat allergen sticks to carpeting, furnishings and walls, causing a problem for sufferers, regular washing down of walls and paintwork will help keep allergens down.
- Steam cleaning can make a great impact using a product that has been scientifically tested to ascertain its efficiency in removing allergens. Vacuuming the carpet after steam cleaning will completely remove dead mites and allergen.
- Regularly check fruit in the fruit basket removing any aging fruit as this will be a target for mold.
- Always use an electrostatic duster or damp dust, as this will stop dust particles becoming air-borne. Dust particles can remain airborne for several hours irritating the nose, eyes and chest.
IMPORTANT
These are tips for you! We have products that clean the air and keep the humidity at proper levels. Contact us and we will provide you with a FREE-NO OBLIGATION look at your particular situation. There is no silver bullet that fixes every house. Each house has its own issues and as a result-its own cures.