It’s that time of year again! Winter is gone, the flowers are blooming, and dust and pollen are in the air.
Maintaining a clean house can go a long way in keeping your allergies in check, but how you clean can make them worse.
There are a lot of allergy-triggering particles lurking in your home. A vacuum can keep carpets clean of these allergens, but if you don’t use a HEPA filter, you could be doing more harm than good. Regular vacuum filters allow small allergens to pass through and shoot back into the air, where you breathe them in.
Shampooing carpets is also a faux pas. Leftover moisture can cause mold growth or increase dust mites.
Even though air drying your clothes may be environmentally friendly, clothes left outside could pick up pollen and mold that can be carried back inside.
Some other cleaning mistakes to avoid using scented cleaners and detergents, not wearing a mask while cleaning, and not cleaning outside entryways. Clean entryways can limit the amount of dust, dirt and pollen tracked into the home by shoes.
“A recent study by the University of Arizona actually found the average shoes carry nine or 10 different bacterias,” said Thad Tarkington, CEO & Co-Founder of Second Nature.
Another mistake is using cleaning products that contain ammonia, d-limonene, formaldehyde, sodium hypochlorite, and sodium lauryl sulfate. These chemicals can trigger allergies. Instead, use natural products or make your own clean solution.
And make sure to leave your house after a deep clean as allergens that were kicked up after cleaning can linger in the air for a few hours.