Three out of five members of our household display clear symptoms of allergies all year round. Of course, the allergy symptoms (i.e. sinus congestion, headaches, earaches, sneezing, post-nasal drip, soar throats, etc . . . ) are the worst during the warm weather seasons. We do take some steps to reduce the amount of airborne allergens in our home, but I have recently learned that we can do much more.
What we usually do is leave an air purifier on 24/7 in our bedroom where our three cats most often convene. We should really have one or two more throughout the house, but we do not have the extra space in our little shoe box of a townhouse.
We also leave a dehumidifier on in the basement year round. Our basement has flooded more than once and I am always worried about the amount of mold that must be down there. We also no longer use a warm-mist vaporizer for the children at night.
According to Dr. Alanna Levine, maintaining a healthier home is as easy as ABC . . .
Avoid products filled with down, excessive use of perfume, powder, hair spray, air fresheners, scented fabric softeners, or anything else that has a strong odor.
Balance the air quality in your home by closing the windows and using air conditioning to keep the pollen out. Also buy only washable plush toys, so that they can be washed in hot water often.
Change your air filters every 3 months and use high quality allergen-reducing air filters like those from Filtrete.
Another point that Dr. Levine made is that we should fix any leaking faucets or pipes. We actually have a leaky faucet we have been neglecting and it never occurred to me that it could cause the development of mold.
If you have any tips about ways to reduce allergens in the home, please do share them with us. Sometimes I feel like I am fighting a losing battle when it comes to allergies.
To learn more about how to improve the air quality in your home and about the Filtrete Clear Advantages program, visit Filtrete.com.
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Filtrete and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.
