With the beauty of spring comes the inconvenience of allergies. Luckily there are some steps you can take to get the upper hand against springtime allergens in your home. We’re going to share 5 of the best housekeeping tips we know with you here so that you can get back to enjoying some welcome relief from the winter blues!
Tip #1 - Clear out dust-collecting clutter.
This is the perfect time to try out that KonMari Method you’ve been hearing all about. If you have items around your home that just sit around, collecting dust, pollen, and spores and not adding any joy or usefulness to your life, consider donating or discarding them. Once you clear out the clutter, it’ll be easier to clean those spaces, and you’ll have fewer items that collect allergens.
If you have a stack of old magazines that you thought you’d flip back through some day or a collection of dusty baskets that get zero use and bring you zero joy, it’s time to toss them or take them to your local donation center.
Tip #2 - Clean your curtains and blinds.
Window treatments are some of the most forgotten areas people forget to clean. Over time, blinds, shades, and curtains can accumulate quite of bit of dust, dander, pollen, and mold spores, not only from what circulates through the air inside your home but from what comes through the windows when you open them.
Blinds: Wipe blinds down with microfiber cloths to pick up any clinging particles, or if you don’t have a microfiber cloth handy, use a damp rag.
Curtains: Check the tags--some curtains are machine washable! If your curtains are not machine washable, thoroughly vacuum them (front and back) with your vacuum cleaner’s upholstery brush attachment.
Fabric Blinds: Vacuum with the upholstery brush attachment, making sure to vacuum all the way into the folds/pleats.
Tip #3 - Launder your bed linens weekly.
Did you know that you can actually bring pollen into your bedroom and onto your bed from the clothes you wear outside? For this reason, it’s a good idea to wash your sheets once a week at the very least.
When laundering machine-washable bed linens, be sure to use a fragrance-free detergent if you are especially allergy prone. Fragrances that manufacturers add to cleaning products can trigger symptoms identical to allergic reactions (ex. sneezing, runny nose, etc.) and can cause you to wake up feeling unwell.
Tip #4 - Remove your shoes at the door.
This one might have you scratching your head at first until you consider just how much pollen your shoes can track in from outside. Not only will taking your shoes off at the door reduce how much pollen and dust you bring into different areas of your home--it will also improve your home’s overall hygiene. A number of studies and tests have revealed that the bottoms of our shoes carry numerous unsanitary particles and bacteria, sometimes more than a toilet seat.
Tip #5 - Change your HVAC system’s air filter.
If you haven’t changed your disposable air filter all winter, then it’s definitely time to do it now, right away, as soon as you are done reading this blog post. Not only will a clean, new air filter do a better job at filtering dust, spores, and other allergens out of your indoor air, but it will also prevent your HVAC system from malfunctioning or breaking down due to inhibited air flow.
Is your air conditioner ready for its spring tune-up? Contact Carter Comfort Systems today to get your AC serviced before temperatures start rising.