As a person who suffers from allergies myself, allergy proofing your home is a subject near and dear to my heart. And with people spending a great deal of time working from home and staying inside more so than usual, it’s even more important to reduce home allergens than ever before.
Reducing home allergens involves considering both allergy-aggravating sources outside the home and ones that make their way inside the home, too. Your flooring and cleaning habits impact the allergens inside your home as does your use of technology to get rid of them.
Reduce home allergens
Wash linens and clothes regularly in hot water to remove allergens. Regularly vacuum carpets and keep other flooring surfaces clean. Change your furnace air filter and keep windows and doors closed during times of high pollen. Also consider how to avoid allergens outside your home that make their way inside to annoy you.
These are simple but important ways you can help yourself to avoid common allergy triggers that you may not even be aware of. What else can you do that might require a bit more work and perhaps a cost to you, but may be more than worth it, if it enables you to be healthier?
Consider your flooring options
Hardwood flooring or carpet? Which is healthier and easy to clean? Flooring inside your home can be a major expense but also a contributing factor to your allergies so it’s worth looking at it first.
Carpeting – particularly shag carpets – can trap allergens, dust, dirt and other contaminants which can exacerbate your allergies. Hardwood, laminates, tiles and ceramics on the other hand are easier to clean and maintain and will cause you less grief with respect to your allergies.
The more carpet you have the more allergens can remain in your home. Hardwood on the other hand makes it easier to clean and remove them. If you have pets like a cat or dog, their fur and dander gets left on the ground, on furniture and clothes and can trigger an allergic reaction.
Understand your allergies
Before you can avoid allergies, you of course must understand what you’re actually allergic to. If you feel you may have allergies, speak with your doctor about your symptoms and if required, get allergy tested. More on that below.
Take note of when you feel allergic symptoms coming on and pay attention to what the triggers might be. They may come from inside or outside your home, or both. They may occur at certain times of the year or year round.
Let’s take a closer look at the symptoms you might experience.
Signs that you have indoor or outdoor allergies
Allergy sufferers tend to experience a wide range of side effects from their allergens:
- Runny and itchy nose, sneezing and itchy eyes tend to be the most common symptoms of allergies.
- A blocked stuffy nose, coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and bloodshot eyes may also occur.
- You may also experience sinus pain and congestion particularly around the eyes and nasal area that just won’t go away.
I personally get a funny feeling in my nose, a tingly sensation that is hard to describe. I often experience it in the summer after mowing the lawn or being outdoors for an extended period.
Indoor allergies
The most common indoor allergens you may react to include dust mites, pet dander, cockroaches, and molds. There are some common symptoms of indoor allergies – allergies that are triggered by your home environment – that you should keep an eye out for. Note that your symptom(s) might be a few of these ones listed above, a combination of them or others that aren’t listed. Indoor allergies tend not to be seasonal and thus can occur year round.
Outdoor allergies
Outdoor allergies tend to be seasonal and occur at different times of the year. Tree, grass and weed pollens are the allergens most likely to affect you ie. ragweed, grass, various pollens from plants. Insect bites and stings can also trigger allergies. If you live in a cold winter environment, you often find that when the first frost hits if not before, your seasonal allergies start to go away if they are from ragweed, grasses, pollen, etc.
Check out this article on outdoor allergens
to learn more about your outdoor environment and what you might have to avoid (as best you can) if you have allergies that are negatively affecting you.
Allergy skin prick test
If you think you have allergies, make an appointment with your doctor and enquire about getting allergy tested. Having done several skin prick allergy tests myself, I can tell you that it can be quite eye opening when you see the results.
In case you are unaware, allergy skin prick tests typically involve a nurse using small plastic lancets (sharpened plastic sticks) that are dipped in various allergen in liquid form (grass, mold, ragweed, pollen, foods, pet dander, bug bites, etc) and pricking the forearms of your skin with each lancet and then waiting 10 minutes or longer to see what happens. If you are allergic to a particular allergen, a small welt or red bump will appear and it will start to itch.
The test can simultaneously check dozens of allergens. I had both forearms done and was tested for probably 50 things. Once the nurse did each allergen one by one, once for each allergen. Another time she had two racks each with 25 allergens dipped in the solution. She took one rack out and scratched it on each forearm to do the test.
The hardest part about these tests is while they don’t hurt, you will start itching from the things you’re allergic to and it’s excruciating as you aren’t allowed to scratch yourself! You need to wait for the reaction so the allergist (allergy doctor) can interpret the results. Again, they are looking for a bump at each skin prick to gauge if you are allergic to something and the degree of your allergy to it.
Depending on the severity and type of allergies you have, you may have to avoid certain foods or exposure to allergens, you might be prescribed antihistamines or like me, you may be recommended for allergy shots.
Allergy proof your home checklist
- Keep humidity in the home between 40% – 60% and a room temperature of 18° C – 22° C (64° F – 72° F). An overly humid environment can contribute to mold, mildew and a musty smell which exacerbates asthma and allergies.
- Use a dehumidifier in summer to keep humidity down within range. Keep windows and doors closed to keep humidity low and allergens out.
- Regularly replace air filters in your furnace or other air filtration device and have them serviced professionally as required.
- Consider use of a quality air purifier in the bedroom or other parts of the house to remove allergens, dust and other contaminants.
- Wash bedding, linens, towels and clothing in 60° C (140° F) hot water to eliminate dust mites. Use the hottest water setting if that level is not available.
- Dry clothing inside the house (not outside) in the dryer to avoid bringing allergens in the house.
- Have a head to toe shower and change your clothes when you come inside especially if you have mowed the lawn, walked in a forest, worked in the garden, etc.
- Wash other things that you come into close contact with regularly that you may not think of ie. blankets, curtains, dusters, slippers. You can wash running shoes, too.
- Steam clean carpets (or have it professionally done) yearly to remove allergens, dust and other hidden contaminants.
- Better yet, consider replacing carpets with hardwood or other flooring that doesn’t store allergens.
- If you dust your home, use a wet option rather than dry which can move dust around rather than eliminating it.
- Eliminate mice, cockroaches and other rodents or varmints around your house with professional help if necessary.
- If you are considering a pet, consider a hypoallergenic, hairless one that won’t add to the allergens inside your home.