Vacuuming and dusting can help to eliminate many home allergens, but this doesn’t fully prevent them from entering your home. Allergens can cause many serious issues, including hay fever.[1] Because of this, it’s important to keep them out of your living space. Below are five of the most common home allergens and some ways you can keep them away.
5 Common Home Allergens
- Dust: Dust quickly collects on furniture, clothing, and flooring. While it might seem harmless, it often contains dander, pollen, mold, and even dust mites. If inhaled, these particles can irritate your respiratory system causing you to cough or sneeze.
- Mold: Mold is a common home allergen that comes in many forms and will grow almost anywhere. While most home molds aren’t toxic, a handful are, including black mold.
- Pollen: This allergen isn’t just found outdoors. Pollen can sneak into your home through windows and by attaching to your clothing. It usually causes minor problems for most people if breathed in, but for some, can lead to asthma and pneumonitis.
- Dander: If you have a pet, you more than likely have issues with dander. These microscopic skin flakes are sticky and will cling to clothing, floors, and even your hair. This makes it easy for it to be transported to most areas in your home.
- Smoke: Many don’t realize that smoke is a common home allergen. Whether from cigarettes or a fireplace, smoke can irritate the lungs causing difficulty breathing. Its soot will also coat surrounding walls leaving behind a black film that’s hard to get rid of.
How to Prevent Them
- Regularly Clean Your Home: One way to keep these allergens away is to clean your home. This includes regularly dusting, vacuuming, and mopping. By doing so, your home won’t only look spotless, but it will prevent these allergens from lingering around.
- Remove Clutter: If you have piles of clutter in your home this can be a haven for allergens. This is because of its dark and secluded areas that hide spores. By removing clutter, it will keep allergens from collecting in the area.
- Check Your Home’s Ventilation: Another important way to help keep allergens away is to check your home’s HVAC ventilation system. This is designed to filter through particles in the air and prevent harmful ones from entering your living space. However, if its filters are clogged, it will be unable to do this. If you find that the ventilation system isn’t working or needs new filters, it’s a good idea to quickly fix or replace them.
Allergens can enter your home at any point during the year and cause severe medical issues. If you’re concerned that your home isn’t protecting you from them, give Dale HSC a call in Santa Rosa. We’ll inspect your home to ensure its HVAC ventilation is working correctly and give you tips as to how to keep future allergens from entering it.