How to Allergy-Proof Your Home All Year Long
Having allergies can be a really annoying thing to have. Whether it’s sneezing a lot, having a scratchy throat or watery eyes, it’s something that everyone wishes to not experience and get rid off entirely. With that being said, make sure that you don't let the dust, dirt, mold, and asbestos prevent you from making your home a wonderful and exciting place. With these simple steps and recommendations, we’re here to help you make your home spotless and safe from any annoying allergies you might experience.
1. Be wary of how much dust you accumulate
If you didn’t know, dust mites are actually one of the troubling little critters that you can find in your home. They’re tiny insects that can trigger a lot of allergies and can cause severe asthma to the homeowners living inside. What’s worse is that, they’re essentially barely visible to the naked eye, because they live in small dust particles that naturally build up in our homes.
To keep these nasty bugs from becoming a bigger threat, it’s recommended to keep your windows closed and keep your home cool using an aircon, as fans tend to stir up more dust into the area. Also, make sure that all your pillows. Mattresses, and box springs, are covered up in plastic and/or allergen-proof covers. If you can as well, replace those old venetian blinds as well with curtains and window shades to avoid more dust from being collected.
2. Toss out those wall-to-wall carpets
Did you know that carpets trap just about every dust found in your home? Almost every allergen can be found in the carpets you use, so if you’ve been wondering why you’re feeling unwell and all your allergies have been acting up, then you probably blame this as the reason. If by any means possible, switch to natural floors such as tile, hardwood, or other types of impervious flooring, most especially the ones found in your bedroom. If you can’t, then make sure that vacuum it every week to keep it allergen-free.
3. Use the right vacuum cleaner
In relation to what we just said, you have to make sure that you’re using the right vacuum cleaner for your home as well. For starters, make sure that it has a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate) filter installed because these are essentially the standard vacuum cleaners that you have to be using right now. They’re specially designed to clean every particle as little as 0.3 microns, which means that they’re able to capture most, if not all, allergens found.
4. Consider getting air filters
Air filters are a big help in keeping your home from having toxic air pollutants. Not only do they refresh the air, but they also have HEPA technology along with their package. It also relieves symptoms of asthma and harmful chemicals that are usually found in the inside of your homes. It’s important as well to buy one that doesn’t produce ozone, a type of gas that can cause more allergies, which is the exact opposite of what you want it to do right?
5. Minimize mold buildup as much as possible
It’s scary to think that, in just this planet alone, there are over 100,000 types of mold found, and there could be thousands of them just lying around in your home. Most especially, your bathroom is the most vulnerable part of your house that is susceptible to mold buildup if left untreated for a long period of time.
In this situation, it’s important for you to clean the bathroom regularly, as mold lives off of damp corners. Make sure as well that everything inside is dry, from the floors up to the walls and curtains. You also have to make sure that it’s well ventilated and natural air can come in from the outside. Alternatively, you can opt to install a ventilation fan to reduce the chances of moisture buildup that will eventually lead to molds.
Effective ways to get rid of mold in other areas of your house
- Repair any leaks or water seepages, both inside and outside
- Use exhaust fans in other areas of your home
- Have a dehumidifier in other damp and condensed areas where mold can grow
- Put plastic above dirt in small crawl spaces
- Don’t leave your wet clothes inside the washing machine
Be wary of asbestos
You may tend to overlook it, but asbestos can actually do more harm than good when you have as a part of your house. Commonly found in household substances such as cement, asbestos releases tiny fibres into the air surrounding your home, which in the long run can cause severe respiratory problems even with just a small exposure of it, some of which include coughing, difficulty in breathing, bacterial growth in the lungs, and even more serious diseases such as lung cancer and asbestosis.
Oftenly, asbestos can be found in a lot of older homes which used asbestos cement, and they could be in the kitchen walls, ceilings, floors, and pretty much anywhere else that’s part of your home's structure. On the outside, asbestos could also be found in fences, roofs, and the outside part of your walls too.
How to remove asbestos
Asbestos can be a tricky thing to remove, especially if you’re attempting to do it by yourself. If you’d ask us, we highly don’t recommend doing it solo and would advise to call in professional asbestos removers for the job. A number of experts have already argued that performing a DIY removal could cause you more serious problems than not just your allergies because of the small fibre particles that can be found inside. As we’ve said before, breathing them in could lead to some long-term diseases that you might not even notice until it’s too late.
Normally, professionals would be able to safely monitor the asbestos content in your home through the use of proper industry-grade equipment. If they decide that the asbestos is too hazardous to be left untreated, they would set up a proper containment area to minimize exposure and keep homeowners safe. After all contaminants are removed, the area is HEPA vacuumed to ensure that the area stays clean, all the while removing other allergens as well.
