If you want to maintain a healthy home for your family, managing your home’s indoor air quality is the place to start.
Besides maintaining the temperature inside your home, try these 10 tips to help control the allergies in your home:
- Regulate the indoor air quality. Installing an air purification system minimizes dust, dirt, pollen, dander, airborne mold spores, germs, viruses and chemical smells or fumes.
- Run your air conditioner to filter the air. Running the A/C helps ward off irritants and control the humidity. Dehumidifiers keep moisture at a healthy level, which helps allergy sufferers breathe easier.
- Replace the filters on your air conditioner regularly. This can not be stressed enough. Replacing the filters keeps dust, pet dander and other allergens from circulating throughout your home. Filters should be replaced at a minimum of every 4-6 weeks to keep allergens from accumulating in your home.
- Install air filters to help eliminate dust from furniture and floor coverings. Again, replacing air filters is crucial to air quality.
- Place ventilation fans in the bathroom, the kitchen and the laundry room. Properly ventilating your home will lower the chances that irritants will accumulate.
- Bathe the family pet regularly so that allergens don’t attach to their fur. It also helps to remove excessive dander from your pet. Pet dander is a known allergen.
- Wash bath mats and tubs with hot water weekly. Mold likes to breed in warm, damp places, such as bathrooms. Running a ventilation fan when showering will also help to minimize mold.
- Keep your appliances free of crumbs and your sink free of dishes. This will deter mice and other pests from using your kitchen as a food source. Pests such as mice and roaches exacerbate respiratory conditions.
- Check that your dryer vents to the outside. Inside ventilation increases yet another source of irritation caused by the blowing particles of lint.
- Paying special attention to bedroom housekeeping can significantly reduce allergy symptoms. Keeping your beloved cats & dogs out of your bedroom reduces the accumulation of pet dander that you are exposed to while sleeping, thus reducing your allergy response.