If you suffer from allergies and want to avoid irritated eyes and sneezing, one of the most important things on your list should be to keep your house clean. However, sometimes the act of vacuuming or dusting alone, when you haven’t done it in a while, can cause allergic reactions. To help you out, we compiled a list of all the essential cleaning tips for people with allergies. If you follow them, you can minimize the effect allergens have on your health.
Clean Your Home Regularly
The first of our house cleaning suggestions may seem self-evident: clean your home regularly! But how frequently is it frequent enough? Some experts say it’s enough to thoroughly clean your house once a week if you have allergies. By cleaning your home on a regular basis, you will continuously remove many allergy triggers from your house, and thus your symptoms will be relieved. However, you should also do your best to keep your house clean throughout the week. Don’t just start piling dirty dishes and overall filth, or let them accumulate until your next weekly clean-up.
Clean From High to Low
Cleaning, ironically, may distribute dust particles throughout your home. That’s why, whether you’re doing your weekly cleaning or cleaning your home before you move in, you should always start at the top and work your way down.
For example, if you’re cleaning the entire living room, start with the tops of the topmost shelves and work your way down. Because dust and other particles will undoubtedly fall to the ground while you clean, it’s only natural to clean your floors last. That way, you’ll avoid having to redo any areas that become dirty during the process. Relocation experts at britmove.co.uk suggest this technique as it is the best way to make sure your new home is thoroughly cleaned before you start bringing in your stuff.
Dust Thoroughly
If you find yourself sneezing a lot, it might be due to all the dust that’s accumulated in your home. That’s why dusting regularly is one of the most important cleaning tips for people with allergies. Moreover, you shouldn’t just use any dusters. It’s best to use a microfibre cloth that collects and removes dust rather than spreading it around. Other dusters, like brooms, can just disperse allergens around the house. One of the things that will make your dusting easier is decluttering your home before you start cleaning. By keeping your home clutter-free and organised, you won’t have to move around all your things every time it’s time to dust your home.
Vacuum Regularly
You may not know that brooms aren’t the best for getting rid of dust. So, if you’re looking for cleaning tips for people with allergies, you should start vacuuming your home rather than sweeping. Vacuuming is your first line of defence against allergy-inducing particles that accumulate on your floors. Keep in mind that vacuum cleaners aren’t one-size-fits-all items, and if you suffer from allergies, you should get a vacuum with a HEPA filtration system. These filters are capable of removing 99.7% of potentially irritating particles such as pollen, pet dander, and dust mites from your floors and furniture.
Furthermore, when you’re vacuuming, don’t just cover all the visible parts of the floor and think you’re done for the day. Try finding all those hard-to-reach spots where dust and dirt gather. Sometimes, these places can have a much more significant effect on you, and you don’t even know it.
Wash Your Bedding Often
Irritants such as everyday home dust, dead skin, and animal dander may be removed by regularly washing your sheets, pillows, and blankets in hot water. You should take special care to select a detergent that won’t cause any allergic reactions. Moreover, allergy sufferers should avoid drying their sheets or clothes outside. This is because that way, pollen can settle in and attach to your mattress, causing irritation.
One more thing you should consider is vacuuming your bed at least twice a week. This is especially important if you eat in your bed or let your pets sleep with you. Not only will your bed feel more comfortable when you get rid of the crumbs and hair, but you will breathe better at night.
Wear Protective Gear When Cleaning
If your allergies are very sensitive, you may want to use a face mask and protective goggles while cleaning the house to keep dust and other particles out of your eyes and mouth. Choose a mask made of lightweight, breathable fabrics like cotton, cloth, or linen for added comfort. While cleaning, avoid touching your face and plan to wash shortly after to eliminate dust from your skin and hair. After cleaning, it might be best to throw your garments in the washing machine right away.
Limit The Moisture in Your Bathroom
Dusting and vacuuming regularly is not the end of your problems. When cleaning, there’s one more thing you should consider to minimise your allergic reaction: moisture. When there’s too much moisture in your bathroom, it may cause an increase in the number of mould spores present in your home. That’s why, after taking a shower, you should wipe down the walls of your bathroom to avoid condensation. Alternatively, if you don’t have time for this, you should at least leave the door open to allow the area to dry out faster.
When it comes to cleaning your bathroom, one more thing people often forget is the area beneath their toilet. So, you should clean beneath the toilet at least once a week to remove any dust or hair that have collected there.
Final Thoughts
While there are many more cleaning tips for people with allergies, we believe that these are the most essential. By making sure you clean, vacuum and dust your house regularly, you can limit or even reduce your allergic reactions. By keeping your house clean and allergen-free, you can ensure you’ll be able to breathe freely in your home. While it seems like maintaining a cleaning schedule might be tough, it’s worth it in the long run. However, if you ever find this process too demanding or time-consuming, you can always contact professional cleaners to help you.