Allergy season can cripple the best of us. You spend weeks, if not months avoiding the outdoors, right when all you want to do is spend time at the pool or in your garden. Not to mention the piles of tissues you’ve used and number of meetings you’ve interrupted with your sneezing.
It’s not a fun time, but you can at least work on making your home a sanctuary. You may not be able to completely stop the sniffles or the sneezes, but you can help reduce the possibility by decreasing the allergens in your home.
If allergies are driving your entire family crazy, then try these 4 ways to make your home allergy friendly.
Start with Your Floors
No matter how careful we are, our shoes are probably exposed to more allergens and outdoor pollutants than anything.
This Old House recommends adding indoor and outdoor mats to keep these allergens from entering your home. You may even want to ask your family and guests to leave their shoes at the door.
Many different types of allergens, like dust and pet dander, live in your carpet. If you replace your flooring with hardwood floors, it’s much easier to clean and tackle dust.
Keep Allergens Out of Your Bedroom
Your bedroom is your personal space, so don’t let pollen or dust mites invade! Apartment Therapy has a few great tips for keeping your room from making your allergies worse:
-Take a shower before you go to bed. You’ll remove pollen from your hair and body, and ensure you don’t transfer it to your bed.
-Use a protective allergen cover for your mattress and box springs to keep dust mites from burrowing in your bed.
-Wash your bedding weekly in hot water to kill dust mites.
Replace Fabric Window Treatments
Heavy curtains or even sheer drapes can be a haven for allergens to accumulate and never leave. These types of window treatments can be very difficult to clean or may have to be taken to the dry cleaner.
Instead, opt for easy-to-clean shutters or blinds. Thin slatted blinds may not be the best choice as they are harder to keep clean. But, we offer many different types of shutters and blinds that are beautiful, functional and can help decrease the amount of allergens impacting your family.
Remember to wipe these down regularly. Though they are easy to clean, any surface is a friend to dust, pollen and other allergens.
Keep Your Windows Closed
This one is tough. When the air is cool and you’re trying to save a little on your electric bill, it’s so nice to let in a fresh, cool breeze.
But, with that breeze, you could also be allowing allergens to contaminate your air.
Allergy & Air says you can open your windows sparingly. But definitely keep them closed in these environments:
- Warm weather, especially when humidity is high
- Rainy/damp weather
- Night time through early morning hours
Your spring and summer struggles with allergies don’t have to be a battle. Try out some of these tips. Or, contact us about changing your current window treatments to a friendlier option for those suffering with allergies!