Have you noticed you’ve been sneezing in your home more often? Has your family? Does anyone have hay fever or allergic asthma in the home? If so, it is time to take steps to reduce the allergens in your home. Some of these things will be time-consuming, but beneficial to your health. We will be focusing on the three assumed rooms that you spend the most time in and what you should do in each room to reduce your exposure to harmful allergens.

Start with the bedrooms because you spend the most time there

Start from the floor up. Remove clutter and anything that can collect dust. Remove carpeting and use hardwood or linoleum flooring. If removing the carpet isn’t an option, make sure you a vacuuming twice a week and shampooing the carpet frequently.

Choose furniture that’s easy to clean. Make sure your dressers, nightstands, and tables are made of wood, leather, metal or plastic. An important step is making the area that you sleep in allergen free. Encase pillows, mattresses and box springs in dust-mite-proof, hypoallergenic covers. Make sure you are washing sheets, pillowcases and blankets at least once a week in hot water.

As wonderful as fresh air can be, make sure you keep your windows closed and rely on air conditioning during pollen heavy seasons.

Next do the living room because this is where your family spends the most time together

Start from the floor up. Remove clutter and anything that will simply collect dust. Remove carpeting and use hardwood or linoleum flooring. If removing the carpet isn’t an option, make sure you a vacuuming twice a week and shampooing the carpet frequently.

Choose furniture that’s easy to clean. Make sure your dressers, nightstands, and tables are made of wood, leather, metal or plastic. Make sure you are washing curtains at least once a week in hot water. If you have plants indoors, spread aquarium gravel over the dirt to contain mold. If you have a wood-burning fireplaces or stoves, try and avoid using it because the smoke can worsen respiratory allergies. If you have a natural gas fireplace, don’t worry, it shouldn’t cause this problem.

The last room to work on it your kitchen because you prepare food for your family here.

The biggest thing to remember about keeping your kitchen clean is your trying to keep the mold to a minimum. Make sure your stove has a vented exhaust fan to remove cooking fumes and reduce moisture. Wash your dishes daily and make sure you scrub the sink and faucets weekly to remove mold and food debris. Make sure you clean your refrigerator and wipe up excessive moisture to avoid mold growth. Discard out-of-date food and keep your dripping pan empty. Make sure you are cleaning your cabinets and counter tops with detergent and water. Ensure there are no plumbing leaks and make sure you a storing all food, even your pets, in sealed containers.

 

Ensuring that you do all these steps will help you to keep the allergens at arm’s length and your family’s health in check!