Allergies make your eyes itch and water and your nose stuffy. Your symptoms may also include fatigue, headaches and difficulty breathing. The changing of the seasons is a big trigger for many allergy sufferers but another high trigger is indoor allergens. These include everything from dust mites to mold and mildew. It would be difficult to make your home completely allergy free but here you’ll find out how to reduce allergens at home so you can breathe easier.
How To Reduce Allergens At Home – 14 Different Ways
1. Use a Damp Cloth When Dusting
Dust mites are one of the leading causes of indoor allergy symptoms. To help reduce the amount of dust that collects in your home, avoid clutter and dust regularly. Spray a clean cloth with furniture polish or a cleaning solution and then slowly wipe the dust up to avoid spreading it all around the room where it will just settle somewhere else. You can also use a special cloth or dusters designed to attract the dust so you can actually remove it, instead of scattering it around.
Here’s a dusting spray recipe you cam make yourself.
2. Only Use a Vacuum with a HEPA Filter
Hoover Vacuum Cleaner WindTunnel T-Series Rewind Plus Bagless Lightweight Corded Upright UH70120 Vacuuming regularly is important but the type of filter you use is also very important. If you’re not using a vacuum with a HEPA filter, they you may be sending those dust particles right back into the room. Regular filters allow the small dust particles to escape back into the air but the HEPA filters are designed to trap them inside the filter, leaving your home fresh and clean.
3. Protect Your Home against Water Leaks
That slow drip under your kitchen sink or that one tiny leak in the roof could be filling your home with mold spores or mildew may be growing. Either one can cause some serious allergy symptoms for everyone in the home, especially if you already have allergies or asthma.
The bathroom is usually the worse place in the home for mold and mildew to grow. Clean up any water that spills onto the floor immediately and wash your shower curtain regularly. Of course, mold and mildew can grow anywhere including under tile or carpet, inside the walls, in the laundry basket and even in the soil of houseplants.
4. Make Your Own Detergent and Dryer Sheets Using Essential Oils
Commercial detergent and dryer sheets are full of chemicals that can cause your allergies to flare up. If you have asthma, these chemicals can easily trigger an asthma attack so you have to be careful what you use to wash your laundry. One great way to solve this problem is to make your own dryer sheets and laundry detergent using essential oils. It’s not as hard to do as it might sound and it has many benefits.
5. Control the Humidity in Your Home
VicTsing 300ml Essential Oil Diffuser, Wood Grain Ultrasonic Aroma Cool Mist Humidifier for Office Home Bedroom Baby Room Study Yoga Spa The humidity inside your house really does make a difference when it comes to allergens. Humidity levels should stay somewhere between 40 to 50 percent for the best results. If the humidity is too dry, the allergens tend to fly around the room from one place to the other. When you walk by, you’re breathing them in causing your symptoms to flare up. If the humidity is too high, it will encourage the growth of mold and mildew.
The best way to control the amount of humidity in your home is with a humidifier or a dehumidifier. Use a humidifier if your home is dry and a dehumidifier if it’s damp. Take advantage of the exhaust fans in your bathroom and kitchen. They really do pull the moisture out of the air and help to reduce the growth of mold and mildew. You can also try using an air purifier with a HEPA filter to help control humidity.
6. Remove Pet Hair and Dander
If you have inside dogs and cats, chances are you have hair and pet dander all over your furniture. These can cause your allergies to flare up especially if you’re very sensitive. Reduce the amount of hair and pet dander in your home by vacuuming your floors and furniture and washing your pets bedding regularly. You may also want to keep them out of your bedroom to prevent the hair and dander from getting on your bedding.
7. Pay Attention to Your Landscaping
When you’re making plans to landscape your lawn, you might not be thinking about indoor allergies. However, what you plant outside will have an effect on how much allergens are carried inside your home. Do your research before choosing trees, brushes or flowers to plant to avoid planting something that can easily be carried inside on your clothing, skin and hair.
8. Clean the Air by Diffusing Essential Oils
URPOWER Essential Oil Diffuser 120ml Aromatherapy Diffuser Portable Ultrasonic Aroma Humidifier with 7 Color Changing LED Lamps, Mist Mode Adjustment and Waterless Auto Shut-off Function One of the best ways to eliminate allergens is to clean the air inside your home with essential oils. Diffusing certain oils such as tea tree, lavender, lemon and thieves will help purify the air and eliminate odors that can trigger an allergy attack. Essential oils will leave your home smelling fresh and clean and they have many therapeutic benefits that may also help improve your overall health.
9. Take Steps to Keep the Allergens Outside
If you suffer from seasonal allergies such as hay fever, you need to take steps to keep the pollen and other allergens outside your home. Here are a couple of ways you can do this. First, when you come in from outside, change clothes to prevent transferring the allergens from your clothing to your furniture. Be sure to wash the clothes as soon as possible. Next, take a shower to wash the pollen from your hair and skin.
The second way is to keep your doors and windows closed to prevent the allergens from blowing inside your home. A big gush of wind blowing through a window can easily cover everything within the room with a dusting of pollen or other allergens.
10. Protect Your Bed from Allergens
If you wake up with a stuffy head, there’s a good chance your bed is to blame. Dust mites live inside your mattress and pillows but you can help protect them from allergens by using a mattress cover and pillow covers. Wash them regularly along with the rest of the linen to keep your bed clean and free of annoying allergens.
11. Keep under Your Bed Clean
Don’t neglect under the bed. What’s lurking under there could set off your allergies or if you have asthma, it could set off an attack. It can be tempting to use the space under the bed for storage but it’s not a good idea. Dust will collect and build up very quickly, creating a breeding ground for dust mites and other allergens that will keep you sneezing and blowing your nose.
12. Make Your Own Cleaning Supplies with Essential Oils
Just like laundry supplies, cleaning supplies are also full of chemicals that can set off your allergies. Use essential oils to make your own cleaners and air fresheners and you won’t have to worry about it. Essential oils will leave a clean, fresh smell behind instead of a perfumy scent that may aggravate your allergies. They also help to eliminate odors instead of covering them up and these homemade supplies clean just as good, if not better than commercial brands.
13. Replace Your Air Filters Regularly
Replace your HVAC air filters regularly to keep the clean air flowing through your home. Over time, dust and other small particles cover the surface of the filter preventing it from breathing. When this happens, the system doesn’t function properly and it won’t filter out these particles. It can also cause damage to your unit by making it work harder.
14. Clean the Blades on Your Ceiling Fan
Dust and other particles settle on your ceiling fan blades. When you turn on the fan, you’re slinging all of these allergens into the room where you’ll be breathing them in, so keep those blades clean. Use a damp cloth when cleaning to prevent scattering the dust particles everywhere.
Protecting yourself from indoor allergens is an important part of taking care of your health. In general, most people spend more time inside than ever before so it’s important to take steps to avoid allergy triggers. These fourteen tips can help you reduce indoor allergens so you can have a clean, allergy free home.
We have eczema and respiratory allergies in our family and are in the process of becoming more militant about removing allergens. Thank you for the list of tips!!