Tree and grass pollen are both extremely high throughout the early summer and weed pollen counts are beginning to increase. For some people, allergies can be debilitating and make you feel as though you don’t even want to go outside. You don’t have to live that way though.
There are many household adjustments you can make as well as getting your carpet, rug, and upholstery cleaned. The goal is to remove as much pollen from your home as possible so that after you spend time outside, those allergens aren’t following you. Here are some practical steps you can take to avoid having pollen and other allergens in your home, aggravating your symptoms.
Change your clothes after coming inside
Washing your clothes once you’ve worn them outside will make for mountains of laundry during allergy season. However, it will also prevent you from bringing the allergens indoors after you’ve spent some time outside. Before ever sitting on any furniture or relaxing in your home, be sure to change into fresh clothes.
Allergens move throughout the air outside and then land on your clothes and skin. Ideally, in addition to changing your clothes and putting them in the dirty pile, you would also take a shower. Taking a shower would remove the allergens from your hair and skin to prevent any pollen from entering your home at all.
However, in some contexts, it’s not possible to take a shower after every time outside. Even if you can’t change your clothes or shower, you should thoroughly wash your hands.
As you wash, go as high up your arm as you’re able to remove as many allergens as possible, and splash some water on your face as well to remove allergens there.
Always remove your shoes immediately when you come inside. In fact, if you can, it’s even good to remove your shoes outside and keep them outside. This is especially true if you suffer from grass pollen allergies as your feet will pick these up as you walk through the grass. However, remember that the pollen falls from trees and flowers to the ground and your shoes can pick up other types of pollen that way as well.
Replace your HVAC filter
Your HVAC system moves air throughout your home. As it does that, it takes air from right near your windows and doors and recirculates it throughout the home. The only thing preventing your HVAC system from throwing pollen, dust and allergens all over your home is your filter.
A clean air filter allows your system to clean the air more effectively by trapping these pesky allergens. As the air filter becomes cluttered and dirty, it makes it more difficult for the filter to catch these small particles effectively.
You should change your filter every other month. For the month in between, you can try vacuuming your filter to remove allergens to avoid sending those around your home into carpets, rugs and furniture upholstery.
Avoid opening your windows and doors for long periods
When you open your windows and doors, you welcome allergens into your home. It’s so tempting to do this during the summer months to bring in fresh, clean air after a long winter of a closed-up home. While air from outside can help your home smell and feel fresh, it also brings in all that pollen from outside.
The pollen then attaches to your carpets, rugs and upholstery to aggravate your sinuses in your everyday life.
By keeping your doors and windows closed, you avoid bringing these pesky particles into your home.
If you feel you really need to open your windows or doors, do so for only a short time and avoid cross breezes that push that air forcibly through your home.
Wash your linens often
Even with showering and changing your clothes the moment you come inside, you still might end up with pollen and dust trapped in your sheets and towels throughout your home. To keep these allergens at bay, wash your linens regularly.
Some people choose to wash towels after every use, and while that might seem excessive, it depends on how bad your allergies are. Doing a few more loads of laundry to really enjoy spring, summer and fall might be worth it for you.
At a minimum, you should wash your towels and sheets once a week to avoid serious allergen buildup.
Pet owners should wash animals that have been outside
Just like you can track allergens from outside inside, so can your pets. Pet owners should wash their animals after spending time outside. At a minimum, consider cleaning their paws to remove the allergens from them walking around outside.
Have a damp towel or washcloth ready to wipe off your pet’s paws before welcoming them inside. It’s probably not practical to give your animal a full bath after every outdoor trip but create a regular schedule for washing your pet that works for you. This will still help prevent spreading allergens throughout your home.
Clean dusty indoor surfaces
Dust is a year-round allergen that you can’t escape. While it doesn’t increase during the spring and summer as other allergens do, it can further aggravate your already strained sinuses. Be sure that you clean dusty indoor surfaces regularly.
Also, as you clean, be careful to not just push the dust into the air. Some dusters disperse the dust more than capturing it. Use dusters specifically designed to capture the dust to remove it from your home entirely.
Never allow standing water indoors or on property
Much like dust, mold can be ever-present within your home. Winter months are more known for mold, but it can grow any time of year. Keep mold from aggravating your spring and summer allergies by preventing standing water from happening inside your home and on your property.
Carpet, rug, and upholstery cleaning reduces indoor allergens
Deep cleaning your home can help to prevent pollen and allergen build up. However, vacuuming, dusting and cleaning with regular household techniques can only go so far. For deeper, more rigorous cleaning, turn to professionals.
At A Advanced, we know how to remove allergens buried deep within your carpet, rugs and upholstery that your vacuum can’t reach. Not only will your sinuses feel better after a professional cleaning, but your home will look and smell fresher and cleaner.
Plus, as professional cleaners, we give your home the same respect and care as we do our own homes. We’ll go above and beyond, looking for stains we can remove and advise on best practices for continued upkeep to keep your home beautiful and allergen-free. Contact us for a free quote.
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