At our house, three-fifths of the inhabitants have issues with allergies.
Okay, if you count the dog who takes a daily antihistamine to battle excessive butt-licking syndrome due to ragweed and grass irritation, then I guess you’d have to say 2/3.
Dudes #1 & #3 have asthma in addition to the seasonal allergies we battle with over the counter medication.
Some days, oxygen is a hot commodity around these parts so finding easy ways to reduce allergens in the home is a must for us.
We’ve tried so many things to help them with their constricted airways.
We’ve done daily treatments with the nebulizer. We’ve taken every medication for asthma and allergies purchasable with and without a prescription. We’ve even tried some more holistic treatments to help alleviate their symptoms.
The only thing that works consistently is nature deciding to be nice to us.
Even the weather can be a trigger for #3’s asthma. And, sadly, there ain’t nothing we can do about that!
But, there are some things we can do!
5 Easy Ways to Reduce Allergens Inside The Home
1. Keep your pet out of your bed. Dumb Dog is not allowed in our beds. She’s technically not even allowed upstairs (I know the little brat sneaks up sometimes) because we are trying to keep her special dog-butt-funk hair out of the carpet as much as possible. We have hardwood floors downstairs that are easy to sweep and keep clean so it’s less of an issue in that part of the house. We’re also lucky that she sheds very little anyway, total allergy sufferers score!
2. Close your windows. I know, it’s less environmentally friendly. And possibly less frugal. And, I enjoy the fresh scent of, um, fresh air as much as the next chick. But, keeping them shut helps to keep pollen out of your house. So, you have to decide what you enjoy more, the smell of fresh cut grass and sunshine, or two working lungs. Your choice.
3. Change your filters. We have been very bad about doing this. Mostly because we have a weird system that requires these custom-made-from-pig-hair-or-some-nonsense air filters, but we are working on it. Not only does keeping your filters clean help to reduce allergens inside of your home, but it also could prevent some issues with your heating and cooling system. We’ve had our air conditioner go out twice because of issues with a dirty or ill fitting filter. The local AC dudes looooove us.
4. Clean the place up. I am terrible about dusting. Ask my mother, I have been known to have dust sheep bunnies dancing around the corners of my house. This friends? Is bad. Really, really bad when it comes to allergy prevention. Dusting should occur weekly. And, you should try to do it when the allergy sufferers aren’t home. If you happen to be the one who suffers from dust related allergies, tell your spouse they have to do it because you can’t dust for medical reasons. I’ll write you a note.
5. Get an air filter. We recently received a Fellowes Air Purifier to try out. We plopped it down in the most smelly, allergy filled room of our house: the playroom. I know, it doesn’t sound like the perfect place, but the playroom is also Dumb Dog’s bedroom, and the room directly off of the kitchen, and it’s attached to the family room, making these two areas the ones The Dudes spend the most time breathing in. And, since the purifier we received removes airborne pollutants while also neutralizing germs, viruses, and particles in the air, we are hoping that the area our allergy sufferers spend the most time in is the cleanest. Asthma is the most difficult for us winter through spring so we are hoping the purifier will help a great deal with that. I’ll let you know if we get to go to the ER less this year!
Also, of note, when you get nutty, and sidetracked, and sobby because your big kids have gone back to school so that you somehow forget to add water to the microwaveable macaroni & cheese your 4yr old insists on daily, resulting in a small in-microwave fire and a bunch of in-home smoke, your air filter with it’s automatic-attack-bad-air-machinery will kick into high gear!
Sure, you’ll still probably have to crawl from your home onto your porch on all fours, and there’s nothing you’ll be able to do to keep from smelling like you were incinerated all day, but your house will be odor free in no time!
Score one for in home air purifiers!
Now, I can’t get your house cleaned on the cheap for you, but I can offer you an awesome deal on an in-home Fellowes Air Purifier. If you have been thinking about getting one, or are convinced you need one now, this is a total score!
Be sure to check out Fellowes on Facebook for other updates, discounts, and info about their products.
*I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Fellowes and received a product sample to facilitate my review.
I know there are some people whose asthma is greatly relieved when they eliminate the household cleaners with caustic chemicals.
We’ve never had serious allergies, although one of my daughters doesn’t tolerate every laundry detergent.
I’ve always wished for an air purifier.
I’m so glad to know that I’m doing most of this right. We are bad about changing our filters too. Our AC went out this year because of that. Doh.
I was just explaining to people why we don’t open our windows in the summer. Sleeping with an open window is like a torture sentence for Buddy and me. Our allergies are bad enough with the windows closed and the AC on.
My husband is allergic to everything (probably also to me). But, we don’t have central air so we have no option but to have the windows open (yes, we have window units, but even he rathers sneeze to infinity than haul them out every year). I agree with Maggie S. — the chemicals in some cleaners have made a difference for us and we use window fans that exhange air rather than just draw it in.
Also, stop feeding that baby black worms and he’ll be so much better!
I totally thought that was black worms before I read it.
So you are saying this cool air purifier does not have a dust for you app??? oh, darn :-)
My husband and I fight constantly about #2. He always likes to “air things out” but it is torture for me and the kiddos. My littlest and I just started having issues with allergies this past year and it is such a pain. I guess I need to get my Suzy Homemaker butt moving and start cleaning…or just drug my family…with allergy meds.
That is some seriously cajun Mac&Cheeze. What is up with that?
Re: allergies…we had our vents cleaned when we moved into our house, because the allergies were so bad. You wouldn’t believe all the stuff that was in them, including some beer cans that one of the construction workers must have left in there when the built the place in the seventies. Seriously fabulous. But what a difference afterwards if you live in an older home.
I am with you on the dusting. I am waiting for my kids to learn how to do it themselves so I don’t have to do it anymore.
Great tips! My little one suffers from allergies (food and environmental). I held out for as long as possible but he finally had to start on allergy shots last summer. When I bought my house a few years ago, hardwood floors was one of the things I looked for.
I used to use an air purifier…might have to invest in another one.
Sorry for the double reply
Great tips! My little one suffers from allergies (food and environmental). I held out for as long as possible but he finally had to start on allergy shots last summer. When I bought my house a few years ago, hardwood floors was one of the things I looked for.
I used to use an air purifier…might have to invest in another one.
Funny about the dust “sheep”….lol! I just said to my son last night that I don’t have dust bunnies under my bed but “dust dogs!”
So how long does one have to nuke mac and cheese to catch it on fire like that??? (Sorry Amanda.)
My whole fam has allergies. (Not to your extent.) So our windows never open.
Oh no! Burnt mac & cheese!!! That is really sad. :(
We, too suffer from allergies. (As does one of our corgis!) At this point, my son is the only human in the house who doesn’t (yet) suffer.
The air purifier is a great idea! We need to save up to buy one. (The word ‘purifier’ just looks soo incorrectly spelled to me!)
Cady and I both take OTC Zyrtec for our allergies. It seems to help unless they are in particular high gear. I’m the worst about dusting. Or really any kind of housekeeping duties.
My niece did that with mac & cheese at my house once. Holy nasty smell Batman. That was disgusting.
Nice reminder about the filters. Last time I saw ours, it looked like one of those microscope closeups you see in those kids’ science magazines, of a hobo spider’s belly. Just scary, and something human eyes should never see.
Me and my oldest kid are allergy sufferers, of the card-carrying variety, and we’re always in favor of finding ways to our favorite commodity: Oxygen. Your suggestions are duly noted!
Now, if the cats would sit still so i could shave them, we’d be on easy street.