Breathe Naturally - October 17, 2023

How to Quickly Remove Allergens from your Home

Tackle it in Stages

No one should feel miserable in their own home. However, for those of us with allergies, increased pollen levels and other dreadful allergens floating about can leave even the healthiest person, stuffy and miserable. Whether its pet dander or the pollen-apocalypse in the spring, detoxifying your home from allergens can go a long way in keeping your allergies at bay, and keep you feeling your best year round.

The key to keeping your home fresh and allergen free is to tackle it in stages, be thorough and don’t rush. Eliminate water wherever you spot it, keep your pets well groomed and close your windows, among other things. To help you on your quest to a healthier, fresher living environment, the team here at Breathe Naturally has put together a list of things you can do in each area of your home to reduce and eliminate airborne particles, foul odors, pet dander and bugs.

Start in Your Most Used Room

Start in the rooms you spend the most time in. Additionally, smaller areas require less work to detoxify, so starting in the bedroom is often the first place we recommend. Every day you spend 30-40% of your day breathing in airborne particles as you sleep. Eliminating allergens in the bedroom will put you on the fast track to a healthier, less stuffy, more productive you.

The first step you should take is to limit the amount of air your room is receiving from outside, so no more sleeping with the window open. It’s time to invest in a fan. Better yet, invest in an air purifier. If there is one thing you take from this article let it be that a proper air purifier will change your life.

Not only does it remove allergens and pet dander from the air, but it also freshens it by removing cooking and other pet/human related odors. Every deep breath will feel better and better until you’re no longer congested, and you can get back to enjoying the good things in life.

We recommend washing your sheets at least once a week and replacing wool and feather bedding with synthetic materials that aren’t breeding grounds for dust and dander. If you have pets, controlling where they sleep and keeping them well-groomed will also limit the number of allergens they release into the air.

If you spend a lot of time outside during the day, keeping your dirty clothes in another room, such as the bathroom, a closet or even the laundry room, will also go a long way to improving air quality.

Lastly, don’t forget to shower before bed. Not only will it flush out your sinuses for a more restful night sleep but also, you won’t track unwanted nasty particles and dirt with you into bed with you. Showers are a seasonal allergy suffers best friend and the quickest way to return your body back to center.

Now that we have developed a small allergen free safe space to go to in times of need, we can move on through to the rest of the house.

Clean Kitchen = Healthy House

Moving on to the living spaces in your house, such as the kitchen and living rooms, you want to keep a good sweeping/vacuuming schedule. This will keep crumbs, pet hair and other dusty particles from being spun up into the air every time you walk by. Not to mention preventing all the little bugs and mold that feed off an un-kept floor.

You should also do your best to dust at least once a month to keep it from accumulating. This includes entertainment centers, high shelves, picture frames, and cabinets to name a few. If you’re not huge into dusting, you may want to consider a pair of washable blinds, that are as easy as un-clamping them from the wall, hanging them up outside and blasting them with water and then leaving them to dry.

Potted plants are another item you may want to reconsider having inside, even if you’re not sensitive to allergies. Indoor plants bring bugs with them and no matter how careful you may be, they always find a way in.

If you’re still using a wood-burning wood fireplace or stove, it’s time to upgrade to gas. All of the particles associated with burning wood in your home, are eliminated when you switch to a gas burning fireplace and/or stove. This will make for much purer air quality in your home.

Continuing with the kitchen, make sure your garbage cans have a lid to keep cooking and other foul odors in, while keeping bugs and pets out. We also recommend washing your sink daily, which should also help with that pile of dishes overflowing from it right now.

Make it a habit to finish your day with a clean sink and not only will your house smell better as a result, but you’ll feel better knowing you’re not putting off those dishes anymore.

Finish with the Basement & Bathrooms

Rounding off our household allergen elimination tour, we have to tackle the basement and bathrooms. These are the areas of the home most likely to receive excess water that can cause mold and other gross bacteria if left unchecked. The best way to combat this is to towel dry your shower or tub after each use or every other at the very least. Also, you should be checking around toilets and under sinks occasionally to inspect for leaks and/or mold spores.

If you do happen to find mold, eliminate it by scrubbing it with bleach. If you have carpet in your basement, make sure to check in the corners for water and/or mold. Water is the main ingredient for breeding harmful bacteria, so taking care to eliminate it, wherever you see it, is crucial to maintain a healthy home.

Basements often times can get very humid compared to the rest of the house, so you may want to install a dehumidifier to keep it from getting too muggy down there. In an article written by staff at The Mayo Clinic, they recommend keeping the humidity levels in your home below 50% and suggest keeping a home room temperature of between 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit for the most comfortable and healthy environment.

Why you absolutely need an air purifier today!

Earlier I mentioned if you were to take one thing away from this article, let it be that a good purifier will change your life. You never realize just how bad the quality of the air was in your home until you get back after a long day of work and are hit with waves of fresh air. Put simply, an air purifier works by drawing in air from the surrounding area, passing it through a 2-3-part filtration system and then releasing it back into the air.

Most air purifiers consist of a two-part filtration system comprised of an electrostatic hepa filter(s) and a carbon prefilter(s). The carbon prefilter is the meat shield of the operation, catching big particles and pet hair that would normally gum up your hepa filter, thus improving the lifespan of your hepa. Any smaller particles that make it past the carbon filter are now perfect size for your electrostatic hepa filter to eat them up and blast fresh air all day long.

We recommend changing your hepa filters every 3-6 Months, and the carbon prefilters every 2-4 weeks, especially if you have pets. Make sure to buy the right purifier for the size room you have. A bigger room, such as a living room, takes a larger purifier to maintain the same level of air quality than a small desktop purifier in an office, bedroom or bathroom. If you would like to know more about what size purifier you need, check out our post on finding the right size air purifier for your needs.

Join Our Fresh Air on Demand Club!

If you already have an air purifier, head on over to our shop, where you’ll find the lowest prices on the same great filters you’re already buying, just paying way too much for. Not convinced yet?

Save an additional 10% off your filters when you join our Automatic Reorder Service, which automatically delivers filters to your door, as often as you’d like. Set it, forget it, and have fresh air for the rest of your days. Our hepa filters are rated MERV 17, meaning they are comparable to the once’s used in clean rooms at hospitals, and high-end commercial facilities.

Combined with our premium carbon prefilters, Breathe Naturally’s Hepa Bundles will keep your home smelling fresh all year round and will save you a pretty penny too. Did we mention free shipping on orders above $39? Lastly, join our email list if you want more articles like this one, special deals and products only available for our subscribers! Join today, ITS FREE!

Summary

Detoxifying your house from allergens is a simple step by step process that includes, eliminating sources of standing water and/or leaks in the home, installing an air purifier(s), and regularly vacuuming and sweeping. Also, make sure your washing your sheets and clothes frequently, and pay close attention to the amount of time your windows are open. Lastly don’t forget to clean up after your pets and control where they sleep to reduce the pet dander in the air.

Follow the steps above and your home will not only become a safe space from allergies but also, the improved air quality will leave you feeling refreshed all day long. Don’t forget your hepa and carbon filter refills from Breathe Naturally. Signup for our Automatic Reorder Program that not only saves you 10% off our regular prices, but you’ll never have to remember to buy refills for your purifier ever again.

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