Yank the Carpet
Use Organic or All-Natural Cleaners and Personal Care Items Chemicals in cleaners and personal care items can cause a range of symptoms, from rashes to breathing issues. Read labels when purchasing these items. It’s best to go with brands that use only natural ingredients. You may still have a reaction, but it makes it easier to identify what you’re allergic to when you can easily understand what you’ve been exposed to.
If you have any plans to remodel, reconsider replacing the carpet. It’s a magnet for pet dander, pollen, and other allergens in the home. In turn, dust mites feed on the dead skin cells and other food sources that collect there. This is why vacuuming and steam- cleaning with a high-heat cleaner are effective tools in the short term. However, your battle will be much easier if you yank the carpet and replace it with a less allergen-friendly material like laminate or tile.
Shower Before Bed
After going through all the work to keep your bedding clean and allergen-free, keep it that way by jumping in the shower before you crawl between the sheets. This will keep you from transferring irritants from your skin and hair into the sleeping space.
Develop Systems for Clothing and Shoes
Promptly Fix Plumbing Issues
Your clothes can be enemies in your fight against allergens. From pollen to oils on poison oak, the outside world sticks to clothing and shoes. While it’s great to wipe your shoes before entering the home, it’s best to remove them altogether. Create a space where you have a place to sit to put shoes on and take them off when you return. Also, provide storage cubicles or shelving to keep them organized and accessible. As for clothing, you’ll need to evaluate your level of sensitivity. If you’re really cracking down, clothes can be removed at or near the door, laundry room, or as soon as you enter the bedroom, but definitely before you sit on furniture or get into bed. If someone in the home has been working or hiking in areas with poison oak, poison sumac, or poison ivy, put those clothes directly into the wash and shower with a skin cleaner like Tecnu.
While you might be annoyed by having to occasionally dump the bucket beneath the sink that’s catching a slow drip, that little leak could be causing more damage than you think. When it comes to mold and mildew, it’s drawn to damp environments. Fix any plumbing issues before they multiply into moisture- loving mold and humidity-hungry dust mites. Allergies can be annoying, and they can also be life-threatening for some people. When it comes to eliminating them, consider every entry point and surface. With a few new systems in place, you can create new habits that will keep allergens away and promote a healthy environment within the home.
15
May 2025
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