“Allergy season” can often be a myth. When you suffer from allergies, there’s no off-season from the symptoms triggered by allergens in the air. You also can’t take a day off from protecting yourself from allergens in your home.
Allergy-proofing your home is no easy task. From keeping dust under control throughout the year to removing the carpet if necessary, allergy-proofing takes time and know-how. However, for allergy sufferers, your quality of life at home can improve with a little effort to remove allergens in your house.
We’re here to help! Keep reading to learn how to allergy-proof your home.
Where Are Allergens in the Home?
Allergens are almost everywhere in your home. Where you find dust, dirt, or moisture, you’ll often find a concentration of things in the air that can trigger an allergic reaction. In Santa Cruz and San Jose, you’ll most commonly find dust mites, molds, and pollens. In southern California cities like San Diego and Los Angeles, you’ll deal with more significant indoor dust and mold problems.
On their own, most allergens are harmless. However, the way people react to allergens determines how harmful they can be. Household dust might not trigger a sneezing episode from one person, but the same amount of dust can make it difficult for someone else to breathe.
Research shows that air cleaners and purifiers can be very effective for filtering out common allergens. We recommend that you consider getting one for your home especially if you live in a highly polluted urban areas, wildfire-prone communities, or suffer from respiratory diseases. But, an air purifier alone may not be enough. So, here are some allergy-proofing best practices to keep you and your love ones safe from allergens in your home.
Start With a Deep Clean
You might think your home is clean, but a deep clean could reveal some areas that need more attention to reduce allergens. A deep clean goes beyond surface-level dirt such as removing mold and mildew that a light cleaning does not.
Be careful to use products that don’t aggravate allergic reactions. Consider wearing a mask when conducting a thorough clean. Sometimes an intense cleaning session can stir up allergens and trigger a reaction. Hire a professional house cleaner or professional housekeeper to handle your deep cleaning so you can avoid an allergy attack that may happen if you were doing it yourself.
Reduce Soft Surfaces
Carpeting is one of the most significant catch-alls for allergens in your home. Curtains also collect dust and dirt from the air.
To significantly reduce the number of allergens in your home, remove your carpeting and install blinds instead of curtains. Replace your carpet with wood, tile, or linoleum flooring. Smooth, hard flooring is easier to keep clean and doesn’t trap dust and dirt like carpeting.
If replacing your flooring and curtains isn’t a step you want to take, be sure to wash curtains several times throughout the year. Vacuum carpet weekly using a vacuum cleaner that gets deep into carpeting and uses a filter and canister system to collect dust and debris. Make sure that you’re using a HEPA vacuum.
While vacuuming the floor, use your attachments to vacuum upholstered sofas and chairs, too. Shampoo your carpet once or twice a year to get the dirt and dust that your vacuum can’t reach.
Protect Your Bedding
Dust mites love living in your bed! These allergens enjoy the dander you leave behind in your bedding.
To keep your pillows and mattress allergen-proof, encase them in allergy deterrent coverings. These mite-proof covers zip closed over your pillow or mattress. Add your pillowcase and sheets over the encased pillows and mattress.
Wash sheets at least once a week in hot water. Dry on high heat to help keep your bedding dust mite-free.
Make Your Moves on Mold
Mold and mildew thrive wherever there is moisture and heat or humidity. Your bathroom provides an excellent home for these allergens to grow.
To reduce the potential for mold and mildew growth:
- Keep your bathroom clean. Use cleaners that remove visible mold and mold spores to minimize the potential for mold to grow again
- After taking a shower, use a squeegee to dry the walls and shower door. Without moisture lingering on the surfaces of your shower, mold and mildew are less likely to grow
- Always hang towels to dry. Mildew loves a damp towel piled on the floor. Allow wet towels to dry, and be sure to wash them after a few uses
If your shower has a shower curtain or liner, clean the liner as often as you clean the shower.
Check Under the Sink
A leaky pipe or a dripping sink is another breeding place for mold or mildew. Keep an eye on any activity underneath your sink. At the first sign of leaky pipes, call a plumber to repair the leak.
Be sure to clean puddles and mold growth underneath the sink after repairing the leak.
Farewell to Fido
Pets can trigger allergies, despite the best cleaning efforts in your home. We hope you never have to say goodbye to your family pet, but if the allergy-proofing tips we’ve already shared haven’t reduced the allergy suffering in your home, it might be time to bid farewell to Fido.
Pets are a wonderful part of any home, but pet dander can lodge in carpeting, sofas, and bedding. You may have housekeeping services on a weekly basis, but it’s still very difficult to remove enough pet hair and dander to create a livable environment for allergy sufferers.
If you need some pet love in your home, choose a hypoallergenic breed of dog or another kind of pet that doesn’t produce dander.
Get a Professional to Allergy-Proof Your Home
Using a professional house cleaning service is one of the best ways to know how to allergy-proof your home. Expert house cleaners know how to deep clean your home using the best products and techniques to reduce the allergens in your living space.
Plus, regular professional cleaning helps keep your home allergen-free year-round. Anita’s Housekeeping can connect you with the right professional house cleaning service for your home. Let us help you find the best professional to improve your home’s air quality through regular cleaning services.
Request a quote for services in your area!
