If you or someone in your Lakewood home suffers from allergies, you can help control symptoms and reduce flare-ups by allergy-proofing your home to improve IAQ, or indoor air quality. The typical home contains a large number of pollutants in the air, including mold, pollen, dust mite debris and other highly allergenic particles. Use this room-by-room guide to help eliminate the source of these contaminants and reduce the number of allergens in your home.
Bedroom
- Wash your bedding weekly in hot water to kill dust mites.
- Vacuum your mattress thoroughly with a vacuum cleaner equipped with a HEPA filter while your bedding washes.
- Put allergy-proof covers on your box springs, mattresses and pillows.
- Keep clothing off of the floor.
- Install a portable air cleaner near the head of your bed.
Living Room
- Opt for leather furniture. Fabric upholstery holds on to allergens.
- Spread gravel over the soil in your potted plants to prevent mold spores from becoming airborne.
- Don’t use your fireplace or wood burning stove, both of which can aggravate respiratory conditions.
Kitchen
- Keep your counters clean and free of food to help prevent pests like cockroaches, whose saliva is a potent allergen.
- Wash your dishes daily to keep your sinks free of food for pests.
- Use your stove vent while cooking to remove moisture and gaseous pollutants from the air.
- Clean out your refrigerator weekly to prevent mold growth.
- Sweep or vacuum your kitchen daily to remove traces of food.
Bathroom
- Keep your fixtures clean and dry to prevent mold and pests.
- Wash your bath mats weekly in hot water.
- Turn on your bathroom exhaust vent while bathing to remove moisture.
Whole House
- Remove carpeting, which traps dust and allergens.
- Keep your home’s humidity level in the optimum 30 to 50 percent range to prevent mold and mildew and curb the dust mite population.
- Keep your windows closed during allergy season.
- Remove your shoes at the door to prevent tracking allergens throughout the house.
For more information about how to improve IAQ in your Lakewood home, please feel free to contact us at Climatic Conditioning Co., Inc.
