Tips for Allergy & Asthma Sufferers

Tips For Allergy/Asthma Sufferers Allergies and Asthma Are Nothing to Sneeze At!" If you are one of the 17 million people who suffer from asthma, or one of the 42 million people that suffer from allergies, then you need to know the correct way to "clean healthy" in your home. I call it environmental control. Here are some easy things you can do: 1. Keep air ducts and vent work clean. Clean them at least 2x per year for severe sufferers. Replace furnace filters monthly. Purchase allergen filters, such as the brand 3M, that capture all the airborne particles. 2. Keep dust collectors (knick-knacks) off the shelves and out of your home, or buy a "curio cabinet "with glass doors and keep them inside the cabinet. 3. Keep windows and doors closed during high pollen seasons. Take a shower and change clothes if you have been outside on a high pollen day. 4. 85% of household dirt comes from the bottom of shoes. Take your shoes off at the door and keep this dirt out of your home. 5. Wear a face mask when cleaning, especially when stirring up dust. 6. Purchase a vacuum with a hi-filtration, Micro filtration or HEPA filtration filter. 7. Wash all bedding in hot water (130 degrees) weekly. Purchase protective covers for pillows and mattresses. This will help kill the dustmites in the bed. 8. Use HEPA air purifiers that can filter the entire living area of your home. 9. Keep the carpets clean and "carpet protected" by certified carpet cleaners. 10.Periodically treat carpets with Allersearch-xmite or similar dustmite removal chemical, vacuum up the feces and mite bodies with a hi-filtration filter vacuum. 11. Get rid of heavy drapes and curtains. Choose blinds or light weight curtains. There will be less area for dust to accumulate. 12. Keep humidity low by using a dehumidifier or by keeping the air conditioning set at a lower temperature. The humidity level in the home should stay below 50%. You can buy a humidity level reader at most Home Depot or Lowe's stores. 13. Put exhaust fans/vents in the bathrooms and on top of the stove. Vent them to the outside and clean them monthly. 14. Vent clothes dryers and attic vents to the outside. 15. Houseplants are dust collectors. Have as few as possible (if any). 16. Use microfiber cloths which capture dust particles as opposed to old rags and cloths. 17. Shampoo pets weekly with an allergen control shampoo. Do not let pets sleep in your bedroom. 18. Remove carpets and rugs from those bathrooms which tend to capture moisture and don't ventilate properly. 19. Dust weekly to decrease the dust and reduce the allergen level. 20. Use anti-allergen cleaning chemicals to kill dust mites in your bedroom, on carpets and on upholstered furniture. 21. Keep carpet protector on all your carpets as a routine maintenance practice. Look for a brand that is a non-irritant.