Having allergies is not a pleasant experience as you are likely to have symptoms that include itchy eyes and a runny nose, among other problems. While allergies anywhere can be really unpleasant to experience, it is especially a problem when you experience allergies in your own home where you are supposed to be comfortable.
Taking allergy medicine all the time can provide some relief, but many people want to explore other options besides being dependent upon allergy drugs to stay healthy and happy. One possible way to feel better is to take steps to cure allergies in your home. By removing the allergens from your space, you may be able to alleviate the strain on your body that is caused by an allergic reaction.
Methods of Curing Allergies In Your Home
Your ability to remove allergens from your home is going to vary depending upon what you are allergic to. However, some of the different techniques that you can consider include:
- Air purifiers. Air purifiers can remove toxins and impurities from the air, including allergens that make your condition act up. For those allergic to dust, mold, mildew and other items commonly found in the air in people’s homes, an air purifier may be the answer. Consumer Reports provides detailed recommendations on air purifiers that do the job well and that are recommended for homeowners that are serious about keeping the air in their homes clean. These can include room air purifiers and whole-home air purifiers. Be sure to find an air purifier that is highly rated for dust, pollen and smoke removal and, if it is important to you to have a quiet house, also look for a model that doesn’t make a lot of noise.
- Carpet cleaning. Dust mites, animal fur and a whole host of other things that you bring into your home can all settle and become lodged in the fibers of your carpet. While vacuum helps to keep the surface of the carpet clean, an average vacuum cannot always be effective at removing all of the dirt and particles that make their home in your floors. Chem-Dry carpet cleaning provides a deeper, more thorough and better clean for homeowners and can often go a long way towards removing the dirt and dust in your carpet that triggers allergy attacks.
- Crawl space vapor barrier. In the crawl space in your basement area, conditions may be damp and dark and this creates the perfect setting for mold and mildew to grow. While you may think that these unpleasant particles just stay trapped in your basement where they can’t hurt anyone, the reality is that this is not true. Everyone knows that hot air rises and that cold air tends to sink. This phenomenon can create something called the “stack effect,” which can mot tremendous volumes of air throughout your home. Green Building Advisor.com explains the stack effect in detail. Basically, what happens is that heat escapes outside of your roof during winter time. When this heated air goes out, it creates a chimney effect that causes colder air to be sucked up. This colder air comes from the basement, including the crawl space where all of those mold and mildew spores are. The mold and mildew move throughout your whole entire home and end up aggravating your allergies. Solutions like a crawl space vapor barrier can help to stop this troubling effect.
- Duct cleaning. As you heat and air condition your home, the conditioned air travels through the system of ducts and vents that exists throughout your home. As the air travels within these vents, it can pick up dirt, dust, mold and mildew that may be living in your duct work. If you haven’t had your ducts cleaned in a while (or ever), the dirt in your duct work may be causing you problems. The Environmental Protection Agency has more information on the importance of duct cleaning and tips for how to determine if you need to have this done in your own home.
These are just some of the many ways that you can consider fighting allergies in your home. Of course, good old fashioned regular cleaning with green cleaning products can also go a long way towards making your home a more allergy-free place to be. If you want to do everything you can do have a comfortable home, take a careful look around your space and think about where dirt and dust may be hiding in order to ensure that you have the most allergen-free home possible.
Corey Wilson is a lifelong writer. He researches with the tenacity of a doctoral student, but writes with the accessibility of a good friend. He specializes in giving health tips to keep people feeling their best.
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