Three Methods To Reduce The Dust In Your Home
Most people think of allergies as being an affliction which only affects people when they are outdoors during the early summer months. While pollen can make people cough and sneeze when they are outdoors, many unseen allergens can actually be found in the furniture and carpeting inside our homes every day. It seems that each allergy season is worst than the previous one and whether you are allergic to dust or pollen, it is not fun being miserable all the time. Here are a few things you can do around your house to help reduce the dust and pollen around you:
Replace air filters in your home: Your home probably has many air filters that you don’t always remember to change. Most homes with forced air heat will have a whole house or furnace filter that should be changed every three to five months. You can easily learn how to replace a furnace filter in just a few minutes. A dirty air filter can block air flow and actually begin to blow out dust and other allergens if it is not changed regularly. Most air filters are inexpensive and easy to replace regularly. Using a room air purifier is a good idea only if you change the filter on a regular basis. A simple filter change can actually pay for itself by lowering your electric bill.
Install hardwood floors: If you suffer with allergies, then you might want to remove your rugs. Most allergy doctors recommend flooring that is easy to vacuum and does not trap pollen, animal hair and other allergens. Smooth flooring like wood, laminate, tile or even vinyl are all better options for people with allergies. Wall-to-wall carpeting is the worst kind of flooring you can have in a home you have allergies because it attracts so many pollen particles. If you currently have good hardwood floors under your rugs you can probably rip them up yourself, though you will need to learn how to pull up carpet staples.
Vacuum regularly: The simplest way to keep your home dust-free is to vacuum the floors on a regular schedule. A good home cleaning once every other month can make a big difference in the air quality in your home. If you have a vacuum you’ll also want to change the filters in it regularly as well. Some people with bad allergies actually use a home cleaning service in conjunction with their own cleaning.
You don’t have to be miserable in your own house throughout the long allergy season. With a little effort your home can be a refuge from the yellow pollen of the outdoors and the sneeze-inducing dust of indoors. Dedicating just fifteen minutes a day to vacuuming your house could make such a difference that you may even be able to throw away those allergy medications you have come to rely on!
Need to read even more about keeping your home allergen free? You can read a first-person account of a duct cleaning scam and decide if it is actually worth it for your house.
