If you have allergies or asthma, you must contend with dust, dust mites, pet dander, mold, and other contaminants every day. Use these tips to reduce your exposure to indoor allergens and improve the air quality in your Southern California home.
Avoid Too Many Knickknacks
Keeping surfaces clean and uncluttered makes it easier to control dust. If you have any collectibles you can’t part with, display them in a glass cabinet with closed doors.
Limit Pet Dander
Your doctor may recommend not getting pets with fur or feathers. After all, even “hypoallergenic” dogs and hairless cats produce dander. If an animal lives in your home that you can’t part with, at least keep them out of your bedroom. Wash pet bedding and toys often, and take your pet to the groomer regularly.
Prevent Outdoor Allergens From Getting Inside
Try to time outdoor activities to coincide with low pollen counts. When you come back inside, leave your shoes at the door to avoid tracking pollen, dirt, and other contaminants into the house. Then, keep the windows closed and rely on air conditioning when pollen counts are high.
Reduce Allergens in Your Bedding
Your comfy pillows, soft sheets, and fluffy blankets are dust magnets. Tossing and turning in bed also leaves dead skin cells behind, attracting dust mites. Keep these allergens at bay by encasing pillows, mattresses, and box springs in zippered, hypoallergenic covers. Then, launder your sheets in hot water once a week, and wash your comforter monthly. Run all bedding through the dryer to kill any remaining dust mites.
Avoid Mold Growth
Mold spores are everywhere, both indoors and outside. The trick is to control moisture levels so mold colonies can’t form. For instance, run the bathroom exhaust fan while showering, wipe up standing water, fix plumbing leaks promptly, and run a dehumidifier if the indoor relative humidity level is routinely above 50%.
Keep the Floors Clean
If you can, replace your wall-to-wall carpeting with hardwood, laminate, or tile. Hard flooring is much better at reducing indoor allergens in your Southern California home. If you must have carpet, choose a low-pile version. Then, vacuum once or twice a week. Choose a vacuum cleaner with strong suction, a powerful agitator, and a HEPA filter to pick up as much dust as possible and prevent spitting it back out through the exhaust.
Remove Airborne Dust While Vacuuming
Even the best vacuums send dust swirling into the air; the agitating action makes it impossible not to. Fortunately, you can counter the dust storm by changing the thermostat fan setting from “auto” to “on” while vacuuming. Leave the setting this way for 15 minutes after you’re done to send airborne dust to the HVAC air filter, which can trap it for good.
Upgrade the Air Filter
If you currently use a basic filter, consider switching to a higher-efficiency version. An upgraded filter promotes better indoor air quality every time the furnace or air conditioner runs.
Use an Air Purifier
Don’t just filter the air — sanitize it with a whole-house air purifier like the Carrier Infinity Air Purifier. This system uses Captures & Kills® technology to inactivate 99% of select airborne pathogens that become trapped in the filter, including bacteria and viruses, leaving cleaner air to circulate back into your home.
Work With Aladdin AC for Improved Air Quality
Do you have questions about the techniques and products available to help reduce indoor allergens in your Southern California home? Aladdin Air Conditioning & Heating would be happy to answer them. We have served Ventura County and West San Fernando Valley for over 30 years, making us highly qualified to help you save on indoor air quality products.
Don’t let allergens make you suffer in your own home! Contact Aladdin AC today for more information about cleaning up the indoor air of your Southern California home.
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