Woman Sneezing

Simple Ways to Make and Maintain a Hypoallergenic Home Environment

Greetings! This guest post is brought to you by Dan of Service Champions. He blogs about home maintenance and living in a world without allergies. Wow does that sound nice!

Woman Sneezing

We all want to create a comfortable home for our loved ones, where they can be safe, happy and healthy. To achieve that, we work hard and furnish our homes with the best we can afford, and try to keep everything clean and well-maintained. Is that really enough? Maybe not.

Allergies and asthma can cause as much trouble indoors as they do outside, so it’s essential to work on creating a hypoallergenic home too!

Control Allergy and Asthma Triggers at Home

 To keep allergens and asthma triggers at bay, here are some tips:

  1. Choose Cleaning Products Carefully – A spic-and-span home is great, but synthetic cleaning products can trigger allergies and cause irritation. Avoid products with VOCs (volatile organic compounds), gases, artificial fragrances and chemical odors. Read the label!
  2. Upgrade Your Vacuum Cleaner – If you’re using an old or outdated vacuum cleaner, you could be blowing dust and allergens around your home. Upgrade to a high-efficiency model with HEPA filters and tight seams, so there’s no leakage while using, cleaning or emptying it.
  3. Clean Mattresses and Pillows – Mattresses and pillows can harbor allergens, especially dust mites. Use hypoallergenic bedding to keep dust mites at bay, and vacuum mattresses and pillows once a week. Wash bedlinen in hot water every week too.
  4. Keep Pets Out of Bed – When pets curl up in your bed, their dander gets into rugs, blankets, mattresses and pillows, and stays there. These effectively become traps for mold, dander and dust mites, so letting pets into your bedroom is a very bad idea. Give them their own space!
  5. Buy AAFA-Certified Plush Toys – We all want to spoil our kids and “furbabies”, but plush toys for children and pets attract allergens, so opt for toys certified by the AAFA. Every week, kill dust mites on plush toys by freezing for 24 hours, rinsing in cold water and drying.
  6. Hypoallergenic Pest Control – Dander and skin shed by rodents or insects can trigger allergies, but most pesticides are harmful if you breathe them in. The effects can be far worse for allergy sufferers, so ask exterminators to use hypoallergenic products to kill household pests.
  7. Clean and Replace HVAC Filters – If dust or mold gets into your heating and cooling system, it can spread throughout your home. Schedule HVAC and furnace repair regularly, use certified air filters, keep them clean, and replace them every 1-3 months.
  8. Install Smart Window Treatments – Use wooden blinds or flat screens instead of drapes. They trap dust and prevent it from spreading, and are also much easier to clean. Clean your windows on a regular basis, as often as you dust other hard surfaces.
  9. Invest in Air Purifying Systems – There’s a huge variety of air purifiers available for homes, and these make for smart investments if you want to keep your home allergen-free. Look into smart thermostats, humidifiers and other comfort control systems too.

Maintain a Hypoallergenic and Healthy Home

If you want to maintain a hypoallergenic home environment, here are a couple of quick tips to remember:

  • Avoid common Allergens – Dust, pollen and dander are the most common allergy and asthma triggers in homes. Keep them (and dust mites) out by cleaning your home regularly, keeping windows and doors closed, using hardwood flooring instead of carpeting and ensuring that pets are clean (but still, keep them out of bedrooms). Avoid upholstered furniture and down pillows, cushions and comforters, which collect and trap dust.
  • Prevent and Treat Mold – Mold is another common allergen found in homes, especially in HVAC systems.

Since it’s a fungus, mold thrives in warm and humid environments. Prevent its growth by keeping surfaces clean and dry, using fans for ventilation, repairing leaks and cracks in pipes or ducts, and using a dehumidifier in regions with rain, snow and mist. If you find mold in your house, clean it or call a specialist right away.

It makes no sense to spend money on a comfortable home if it’s unsafe for loved ones. Try to keep it 100% protected, and make sure to schedule periodic cleanings with a professional heating repairs and HVAC maintenance company.

 

Author Bio:

Dan is the Digital Marketing Manager for Service Champions. He blogs about home improvement in his spare time.

 

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