Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
Allergies can bring on a lot of discomfort for those who suffer. There are things everywhere that you can be allergic to including pet dander, dust, mold, and every tree, flower, and shrub. If you or a family member suffers from allergies, hay fever, asthma, or any type of breathing problem, keeping the air inside your home as clean and free of allergens as possible is critical. You can win the battle of the allergens by using the following tips to help you minimize these irritants in your home.
Purchase Zip-On Plastic Mattress & Pillow Covers
Encase your pillows, mattresses, and box springs in plastic, allergen-proof covers to cut down on dust mites. Also, check into purchasing a foam core mattress.
Get Rid of Your Drapes
Replace bedroom curtains with horizontal blinds or washable roller-type shades to attract fewer allergens.
Replace Your Wall-to-Wall Carpet and Padding
Carpet collects dust, pollen, and pet dander. When you walk across it, you release these into the air. There are many beautiful flooring choices available today, and you can wet mop weekly and really keep the allergens down.
Invest in a HEPA Filter Vacuum
A HEPA filter vacuum cleaner can trap particles as small as 0.3 microns, so they are awesome at eliminating a majority of allergens from your carpets and drapes and preventing them from getting into the air. Vacuuming at least once or twice a week will significantly reduce allergens.
Change HVAC Filters Every Month
Replacing heater and air conditioning system filters so that the airflow is coming into your home through a clean filter will help maintain a healthier indoor air quality, and it will also extend the life of your HVAC system.
Don’t Forget to Clean Mold-Collecting Places
Mold thrives where there is moisture, and your bathrooms and beneath your sinks are their favorite places to grow. Replace broken bathroom tiles and re-caulk sinks and bathtubs every few years to discourage mold growth behind walls. Check under sinks to make sure no pipes are leaking and no mold has begun to take up residence.
Consider Purchasing a Room Air Filter
Filters will trap airborne allergens, but they don’t trap dust already in your carpets, furniture, or drapes. Still, they reduce airborne allergens effectively. Make sure to buy a filter that doesn’t give off any gas that can further irritate your allergies.
Dust Smart
When you dust, use a damp or specially treated cloth that attracts dust and wear a dust mask.
One Last Caution
Warm, moist places attract dust mites and mold, so keep inside temperatures between 68 and 72 degrees and humidity to 50 percent or less. Also, plant pollens are highest between 5 and 10 a.m., so stay indoors during these hours during pollen season. If you have to be outside, shower and change your clothes as soon as you come in to eliminate any pollen you picked up outdoors.
There are many additional ways to allergy-proof your home. Do a little online research to learn more.
Thank you for sharing Kaboutjie. Your tips is helpful and I am learning a lot
Wow awesome tips, love it
Awesome info thanks
With it being winter in South Africa now we have the aircon heat on most of the night to warm up the room especially with baby. I find that it dries out the air so much so that baby and I become congested. Once the room is warm enough we switch the heater off. What I have found that works is running a humidifier so the air doesn’t become dry and stuffy. Our main trigger seems to be dust. So with baby crawling and almost walking now we have had to be extra diligent with dusting. She seems to sneeze more and have a constant runny nose when near dusty areas.
I hear you Nishaat – the dry air can be a really big problem. I’ve heard that if you don’t have a humidifier when using the aircon heat you can put a bowl of water in the room which helps a bit! I couldn’t agree with you more, the crawling stage really is tough.
We found out two weeks ago my 3year old has allergies, and wow this really helps alote.
My girls both suffer from allergies, they have eczema which makes them extra sensitive to almost everything… Keeping the house allergy free is a lot of work. I breathe better when they’re at my parents’
I’m sorry to hear that Portia, it must be so tough!
Really helpful tips, my Mom and oldest son suffers from allergies.