5 Tips for Reducing Allergens Inside the Home

When it comes to allergies, most people think of their home as a haven where they can escape their symptoms. Unfortunately, houses, apartments, and even office buildings harbor indoor allergens of their own. Through normal occupation, dust, air pollutants, and other contaminants collect in a home. Regardless of how often or thoroughly it is cleaned, some dust remains or settles back in the next day.

Many substances found in dust can trigger allergy symptoms. Other common indoor allergens include:

• Dust Mites

• Pet Dander

• Cockroaches

• Molds

Unlike seasonal allergies, indoor allergies may last all year long, and some occupants are more sensitive than others. Allergy and asthma sufferers, as well as young children and the elderly, tend to be more susceptible to poor indoor air quality.

Luckily, you can reduce indoor allergens by taking the following measures:

1. Reduce pet dander

Eliminating pet dander from your home entirely can be an impossible task, but taking steps like cleaning your furniture and carpets can be a quick fix for removing dander from surfaces. Decluttering your space will also give dander fewer places to hide.

2. Prevent mold and mildew

Ensure your home has sufficient ventilation, use mold inhibitors in your paints, and clean your bathroom with mold-killing products.

3. Use humidity controllers and air purifiers

Using an air conditioner or dehumidifier to keep humidity levels in your home lower than 50 percent will help prevent mold. Air purifiers will also help eliminate the number of contaminants that are in the air such as, mold, bacteria, and viruses.

4. Change air filters

Using air filters can trap pollutants such as pet dander, dust mites, and tobacco smoke. Filters work by forcing air through a fine mesh that traps these harmful particles. Cleaning and changing air conditioning filters and duct filters at each change of season will ensure your family is breathing cleaner, fresher, healthier air.

5. Schedule an air duct cleaning

HVAC systems have been shown to collect a variety of contaminants such as mold, fungi, bacteria and very small particles of dust that have the potential to affect overall health. Having your air ducts cleaned can improve your indoor air quality and reduce health problems.