Is Your Home the Culprit for Your Allergies?

If you suffer from allergies, you probably expect to sniffle, sneeze and cough outdoors during pollen season. But if you find the wretched respiratory issues to be ongoing while you’re relaxing in your airtight home, the problem could be right under your nose. It bears taking a look around and identifying possible allergens in your own home.

Allergens in the Home

Living creatures such as ourselves can develop allergies to many substances. In addition to pollen, some of the most common allergens (particles we develop allergies to) found in the home are these:

• pet dander
• dust
• dust mites and mite feces
• cockroaches
• mold and mildew
• fungus
• cigarette smoke
• volatile organic compounds (insecticides, perfume, adhesives, oil-based paint, household chemicals, pressed wood products)

It’s hard to avoid allowing many of these allergens into our homes. For instance, most of us bring dust in on our shoes, just as we bring pollen in on our clothes. Dust mites are found everywhere — in carpets, mattresses and linens. VOCs are present in common household products that we don’t think twice about leaving in our homes while they’re giving off gases that may make us sick

Over time, continuous exposure to these substances can cause us to develop allergic reactions to them, even if we were allergy-free prior. What’s more, our modern, airtight homes often allow little to no ventilation so that the allergens build up in large quantities.

Remedies

It’s always best to control allergens at the source by not bringing them in the home. Follow these tips:

• Remove shoes at the door.
• Brush pollen off clothing before entering the home.
• Brush pets outdoors; bathe them weekly.
• Wash linens weekly in hot water.
• Beat rugs outdoors to get rid of dust.
• Vacuum frequently with a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter.
• Fix plumbing leaks as soon as you discover them.
• Leave windows open and run fans occasionally for ventilation.
• Install a good quality air filter in your HVAC system.
• Store tightly capped chemicals in the garage.

For more on allergies in your home, contact Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions. We serve Orlando and the surrounding area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).