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Since May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness month I thought it would be a great time to talk about the different ways to reduce allergens in our homes.
Many thanks to Bona for sponsoring today’s post and helping me to have an allergy-free home. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
1. Replace carpet with hardwood floors
The Mayo Clinic recommends replacing carpeted floors with hard surfaces to improve indoor air quality. Hardwood floors don’t trap allergens the way carpets and softer surfaces can, which makes them better choices when trying to reduce allergens.
Unfortunately, this isn’t always an option so vacuuming 1-2 times a week and shampooing your carpet regularly can also help in reducing allergens.
2. Bona Free & Simple Hardwood Floor Cleaner
Bona Free & Simple Hardwood Floor Cleaner is the perfect choice for a healthier home. It removes 93.33% of allergens from hard surfaces, and has passed the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America’s rigorous testing to achieve certification. It’s also non-toxic, free of dyes and scents, cleans effectively, and is hypoallergenic.
Be sure to stop by Bona’s site to join the BonaFide Fanatics mailing list to get a $3 off coupon and for your chance to win $500 or an Apple ipad!
3. Regularly bathe pets
If you’re able to have pets in your home, it’s a good idea to bathe them frequently. They can carry allergens on their skin and fur, and regular bathing helps to keep these contaminants at a minimum.
4. Plants
Having plants indoors can serve a few different purposes. It can help to bring the outdoors inside and add interesting decor, but some plants can also help to purify the air. This is a great natural, easy way to keep the air clean.
5. Change Air Filter
Furnaces with dirty filters are recirculating that dirty air through our homes. Regularly changing your home’s air filter helps to keep your air clean and your furnace in tip top shape.
6. Regularly wash linens
Washing your bed linens once a week is highly recommended. If you’ve ever seen one of those tv specials about how quickly our linens can become dirty you’ll know why. It’s amazing how much dust and dirt can end up on our sheets so washing them regularly is important for keeping a clean, allergen-free home.
7. Use allergy-free items
Using allergy-free pillows and pillowcases or dust-mite proof covers for pillows, mattresses, and box springs is highly recommended when trying to keep an allergen-free home.
8. Clean, uncluttered surfaces
Cluttered surfaces also tend to be dusty. Keeping surfaces clean, uncluttered, and regularly dusted are must-dos for reducing or eliminating allergens.
9. Reduce humidity
Reducing the humidity in your home helps to decrease dust mite and mold growth. As they say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It’s much better to avoid the growth of allergy-inducing culprits than to have to worry about cleaning it all up down the road.
10. Keep windows and doors closed
As tempted as it can be to let fresh air in after a long winter, it may be best to keep doors and windows closed if you’re particularly sensitive to pollen, grasses, or other outdoor allergens.
Does anyone in your family suffer from allergies? What are your favorite tips for dealing with them?
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com
Emily, good tips! I’ve done so much better with my allergies since we took out the carpeting.
Emily
Thanks, Jean. I hope to remove our carpet someday. We bought the house like this, and I’m guessing it’s original, which means it almost 20 years old! I can only imagine the junk that’s in there. Yuck.
Tove Maren
This is such great advice. I always forget the point about having house plants.
Vicki Finn
I love Bona products! I use Bona all the time on my wood floors – it’s the only thing that doesn’t leave streaks PLUS I feel comfortable with my kids and pets.
Kelsie Kleinmeyer
Thanks for these tips. This time of the year, my allergies are absolutely miserable! I’ll be working on some of these for sure!
Shavon Spraggin
This is extremely useful! My allergies in the warmer months are terrible. Thank you for sharing!
Barb @ A Life in Balance
These tips are so helpful! We’ve been struggling with allergies this spring. I finally told my dh I was closing up the house, and he had to put in the air conditioners. I need to be better about steam cleaning the carpet. Most of our carpet is in the bedrooms, and doesn’t get as much traffic as the downstairs areas.
Thanks for sharing your tips at Motivation Monday!
Brandi Clevinger
We have carpets, so I have to vacuum daily to reduce the allergens. My oldest son and husband have severe allergies, so everything helps. There are many plants that add to the air, and they work wonders.
Kathleen
Thank you for bringing these very valuable tips to #HomeMattersParty . Allergies are so miserable and anything that can help will be most welcome. I like your thought of getting rid of carpets, those building or renovating would be wise to consider the best flooring before buying.
Kathleen
Heidi A.
Brilliant post! I am trying my best to reduce the allergens at home because my smaller child seems to be very sensitive to dust. I have already removed the carpets and I clean regularly all surfaces at home. Your suggestions are really helpful! I didn’t know that there are dust-mite proof covers for pillows, mattresses. I am really curious to know more about them! Thank you!
Emily
Thanks, Heidi! I’m so sorry to hear about your little one’s allergies, but I hope these tips (and the dust-mite proof covers) help! 🙂