Pollen, fur, dust- these are common allergens that many people despise. Nobody likes getting spring fever, nor getting all itchy because of dust and mites. This is why we always have to be careful whenever we’re outdoors, there’s a lot of triggers we don’t exactly see.
But it’s even more annoying when you get allergies in your own home. Your house should be the number one place you feel the most comfortable, without having to worry about things like allergies triggering your asthma or wheezing. To prevent that from happening, here are some tips to help you out.
Change Your Beddings More Often
Some people are allergic to the bed bugs found in beddings like blankets, pillowcases, or even curtains. Their skin reacts negatively to their bites and often includes large bite marks, horribly painful swelling, or even extreme itching. Even if you think you’re keeping your bedroom relatively clean, they can still find a way to squirm into the corners of your bed. Replacing your bed sheets at least once a week will help in keeping them away. It’s best to have spare beddings to shift and cycle through while the others are in the laundry. And store your beddings in an airtight container to prevent bugs and other insects from getting to them too.
Vacuum As Often As Possible
Carpet, sofa, and other forms of cloth-based materials are great places for mites to hide in. If you’re really intent on removing all possible allergens in your home, it’s best to switch to something like a hardwood floor, or even linoleum tiles and use washable rugs instead. Otherwise, get your vacuum repaired, because you need to suck out that dust and debris as often as you can. You don’t have to do major vacuuming every time, you can instead opt for quicker but more frequent vacuuming. Doing this means dust and mites never accumulate, and while it may be a lot of work, you won’t have to worry about feeling itchy.
Organize and Declutter Your Things
Having a cluttered space is the fastest way to breed dust, mites, and other forms of allergen. Look into decluttering, or even reducing your items so there’s less surface (and corners and small areas) for the dust to gather or insects to settle. Alternatively, you can arrange your items in an orderly manner so cleaning them is a lot easier and dust won’t gather.
It’s also a good idea to keep upholstery to the minimum, or even have an entirely separate room for your books and other items that easily gather dust. Also, pick up after yourself. You’ll find that simply putting dirty clothes in the hamper or avoiding storing things in nooks and crannies helps a lot in keeping allergens down.
Get Better Ventilation
Another reason why allergies are triggered is that musty air is being circulated throughout the room. All the dust, debris, and even germs that are in the air are potential causes of allergies. That’s why making sure your ventilation system is clean (through proper maintenance and regular cleaning) is important.
Take Care of Your Pets
What you may not realize is that you are not allergic to your pets’ fur, but you’re allergic to their dander. It’s basically dandruff but for pets, and many of our furry friends developed dander when not taken care of. Give your pets regular baths to get rid of allergens, not just dander, but also other triggers like ticks and fleas. If possible, get their fur regularly trimmed. Just as hygiene is important for humans, so should it be for your pets. However, it’s also important to have a doctor pinpoint what it is really you’re allergic to.
Set Pet-Free Zones
Of course, it’s often inevitable for your pets to bring hitchhikers along with them. Especially if they’re free to come and go as they please, you might not be aware that they’re bringing allergens like pollen, dust, or fleas from the outside. But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let them in your house or even let your pets go! Instead, consider creating pet-free zones for you to have a place to relax in the event that you have an allergy attack.
Make your bedroom or study room pet-free. Especially the former, as you want to sleep comfortably and without the worry of feeling sick the next morning.
Having allergies can be a pain to deal with, there’s no doubt about that. But through the right actions and regular cleaning, it can be prevented. Even if one of these tips doesn’t work, it’s best to try out the others to make sure that all your bases are covered.
