SPRING MEANS "Spring cleaning" and Allergies –ARE YOU PREPARED?
The season for sniffles, watery eyes and sneezing is fast approaching,
and so is the season for spring cleaning!
Is there anything you can do to alleviate the symptoms of seasonal allergies? Absolutely–the answer is to allergy-proof your home. While not always
easy, allergy-proofing your home is well worth your effort and doing it
"green" with natural products is easier than you may think.
Both mold and mildew contribute to seasonal allergies.
Allergens like these can lead to year-round allergy symptoms which can
make you, your family, and your pets, miserable.
Both are living organisms that require:
- moisture
- food source to exist
By cleaning your showers and tubs well, you can impede the growth of mold
and mildew by removing the built-up food sources that they live on.
Over the years, three natural ingredients have been found that significantly
reduce mold and mildew:
- Tea tree oil
- grapefruit seed extract
- vinegar
There are pros and cons of each, but all three work. Tea tree oil is expensive,
but it is a broad spectrum fungicide and seems to kill mold on contact.
Unfortunately, it has a very strong smell that will take a few days to
dissipate. Grapefruit seed extract is also expensive, but has no smell.
Since vinegar is the least expensive method, and works just as well, that's
what most people use.
Mold spores will not grow if there is no moisture present. Even though
"it's a dry heat" in Arizona, we still have moisture in
the air! Keep humidity levels in your home low, clean humidifiers and
change air filters frequently, and ventilate the kitchens and bathrooms
properly. These measures will all help to curtail new growth.
Even if you don't use a professional cleaning company to clean your home, you should use a vacuum with a high-efficiency HEPA filter that will help
remove dirt, dust and allergens rather than spread them around.
Use it to vacuum:
- floors,
- upholstered furniture
- draperies
Another way to reduce allergens is to use anti-allergen encasements:
bedding
- including pillows
- mattresses
- duvet covers
- box springs
Launder your linens weekly in very hot water and dry them on the "high"
setting of your clothes dryer to kill dust mites that linger in bedding.
Many airborne allergens –like pollen and pollution– can have
serious health-related repercussions for allergy sufferers and can be
found within your own home. Installing air purifiers can significantly
relieve some of these problems for allergy sufferers. Allergy-proofing
your home can produce some amazing results, once you understand the basics.
And if you are someone who suffers from seasonal allergies, it is well
worth the time and effort.