07-08-2011, 10:40 AM
You spend a lot of time inside, so it's important to make your home a comfortable haven. To help you keep allergens manageable:
* Choose hardwood floors or ceramic tile instead of carpeting. Really love carpeting? Choose low-pile or unpadded material to help manage allergies and asthma symptoms, and to make housecleaning easier.
* Don't give dust a place to land. Use window shades or smooth vertical blinds instead of heavy drapes, horizontal blinds, or material covered verticals.
* Make the bedrooms off-limits to pets. Animal dander is a well-known allergy trigger for many people and is difficult -- almost impossible -- to completely clean away.
* Look for special bedding that's designed to be less permeable to allergens. Hypoallergenic bedding is easy to locate online.
* Avoid a tropical jungle indoors. Overwatered indoor plants can lead to mold growth -- and allergy symptoms.
* Keep bedroom area rugs to a minimum, and choose washable, low pile types to reduce dust and mold.
* Don't be a fan of fans. Fans help circulate dust and allergens. Use air-conditioning instead and change air filters regularly.
* To tackle mold-producing moisture in your bathroom, use a fan and/or window to exhaust warm, humid air after taking baths and showers.
* Wash shower curtains and bathroom tiles regularly, or use mold-killing solutions on both.
* Keep the bathroom in good repair, repairing leaks and drips. Wet surfaces are breeding grounds for mold.
* Wash sheets, blankets, and pillows in hot water of at least 130 degrees, then dry bedding on high. This helps kill dust mites -- a common allergy trigger.
* Remove laundry from the washing machine promptly to discourage mold and mildew growth.
* Make your vacuum your friend. A strong vacuum with a well-filtered containment system, used often, removes particles of every kind before they become airborne. Use extra care on heavily trafficked areas.
* Keep your house below 50% humidity to prevent mold growth. Install dehumidifiers in basements and other areas of the house where moisture tends to collect.
* Even the cleanest homes can have roaches. Pests like these can enter your home in all sorts of sneaky ways -- like the box your new flat-screened TV was shipped in. Because roaches can irritate allergy symptoms, control them with traps, bait, and pesticide sprays. If you use a pesticide, spray when no one is home, and air your house out well afterward.
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