Allergies Getting Annoying? Try these 5 Fixes

Photo Credit: Lain Farrell on Flickr.com

Spring has brought in a lot of good; beautiful temperatures and opportunities to exercise outdoors galore! It’s also dragged in a bunch of unpleasantries: sneezing, coughing, watery eyes and worse. I know this because I live in a place nicknamed “Tree City USA”. It’s also called “Title Town” (Go GATORS!), but when we’re not focused on ESPN … Gainesvillians are wheezing and sneezing up a storm. Most of the country is. A lot of it is uncontrollable. We can’t remove all the pollen from the trees or stop the wildfires from breaking out. We can, however, control much of what happens inside our homes. If allergies are driving you nuts, ensure your home is a safe place in which you actually can get some relief from those annoying seasonal irritants.

1. Close your windows! I know the temps are amazing and turning off the air saves money, but leaving them open is equal to planting an oak tree in your living room.
2. Wash away any mold that might have grown inside from condensation or outside on window trim. A bleach or ammonia based  cleanser is ideal for killing mold completely.
3. Add or adjust your weatherstripping around doors. Pollen is hell-bent on getting in, so you need to be serious about keeping it out. That fancy alarm of yours won’t help at all!
4. Keep your walls, shelves, floors and windows dust-free. Vacuum your floors and use tools to remove pet hair such as Scotch’s Fur Fighter. Pet hair is particular difficult to remove, so these specific tools are really helpful. Wearing a mask while cleaning is a great idea if kicking dust up is going to agitate you. Getting someone without allergies to do the dusting is an even better idea!
5. Studies show allergens in the bedroom are some of the worst symptom causing offenders. Wash your bedding in temperatures of at least 130° and choose some of the newer synthetic materials for your bedding which are less susceptible to allergens.