Cleaning Allergens in
The Home

About 33 percent of adults and 25 percent of children in the U.S. experience allergies. A quarter of adults fight seasonal allergies, typically in the spring. When spring unfolds, they’re not thinking of the fragrant blooms. They’re thinking about how miserable they are. The itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, and congestion caused by seasonal allergies can make outdoor adventure challenging. 

However, cleaning allergens in the home can create a safe haven from seasonal allergies, eczema, and many other allergies. Grass, weeds, and pollen are the usual suspects outdoors. While pollen also affects those with indoor allergies, it’s only one of many allergens found in most homes. Mold, pet dander, dust mites, houseplants, and dust produce a wide range of allergens—and symptoms.

Why Cleaning Allergens in The Home is Essential for Health

The majority of people in the U.S. are regularly exposed to dust mites and pet dander in their homes, which contribute to allergies. Add pollen, mold spores, and tobacco smoke to the mix, and reducing indoor allergens can be a formidable battle. Plus, allergens reside on surfaces most of the time but enter the air when you dust, sit, or do anything else that disturbs them. 

Allergens can exist on bedding, furniture, drapes, carpets, rugs, and most other surfaces in your home. If you live in a typical home, escaping those nasty allergens can seem impossible—unless you know how to clean allergens from your house. You can’t eliminate all the allergy symptoms by cleaning allergens in your home. However, you can provide significant relief for those with allergies, asthma, and other respiratory challenges. 

How to Clean Allergens From Your House

Learning how to reduce allergens in your home requires a different approach for specific allergies. While dust and dirt are easy to spot, many contaminants, such as pollen and dust mites, are nearly invisible. Fortunately, you don’t have to see allergens to eliminate them. Here are the most common indoor allergies and how to get them under control. 

Dust Mites

Dust mites thrive in warm, humid conditions and feed on dead skin cells and organic matter in the air. Their waste and carcasses cause respiratory and dermatological allergic reactions, such as asthma and eczema.

How to get rid of dust mites in your house.

• Cover mattresses, box springs, and bed pillows with allergen-resistant covers and wash them every other month.
• Wash sheets and pillowcases in 130-degree or hotter water weekly and dry them on the hottest dryer setting.
• Wash throw pillows, blankets, and stuffed toys in hot water weekly and dry them on the hottest temperature. 
• Vacuum carpets, rugs, upholstery, and curtains weekly.
• Reduce inside humidity and ensure your home is well-ventilated. 

Pollen

Pollen needs no introduction for most people, especially those with outdoor allergies. While using an air purifier during peak pollen season helps, it’s not enough to control indoor pollen. 

Here’s how to get rid of pollen in your house.

• Running your air conditioning in warm weather reduces humidity along with pollen in the air.
• Change the inside HVAC filter frequently.
• Keep windows and doors closed as much as possible.
• Vacuum carpets, ceiling fans, and upholstery weekly with a HEPA-equipped vacuum cleaner.
• Dust and then damp wipe hard surfaces weekly. 

Mold

Mold thrives in moist, warm conditions like those often found in bathrooms and kitchens. When indoor humidity is high, mold can also affect walls, toys, books, and upholstery. As mold grows, spores and other contaminants become airborne and cause allergic reactions like hay fever.

Here are ways you can reduce mold in your home.

• After showering or bathing, leave the bathroom fan running and the door open.
• When cooking, run the exhaust fan and ceiling fan, and open a window when practical. 
• Use dehumidifiers in areas of your home that are subject to moisture.
• Inspect bathroom and kitchen areas for leaks and correct any issues. 
• Remove mold immediately when discovered using a non-toxic mold solution.

Pet Dander

Pets can create a one-two punch that sends allergy symptoms off the charts. Animal dander allergies become much worse when combined with the pollen in our pets’ coats—and vice versa. In addition to keeping a clean home, pet owners can take additional steps to reduce dander and minimize allergens. 

Here’s how to reduce allergens in your home caused by pets. 

• Don’t allow pets in your bedrooms or on upholstered furniture.
• Vacuum carpets and upholstery at least twice per week. 
• Use a lint roller to remove hair and dander from hard surfaces.
• Always brush your pet outdoors before letting them in the house.
• Wash your pet and their beds and toys every two weeks. 

Dust

Most know that dust is unsightly and unhealthy to breathe, but dust is a one-stop allergen resource for those with allergies. Typical house dust contains dirt, pollen, bacteria, viruses, hair, smoke, dead skin cells, and other allergens. 

Here’s how to remove dust from your home. 

• Work from high to low and dust ceiling fans, light fixtures, and window and door frames weekly.
• Always damp wipe after dusting to prevent allergens from entering the air. 
• Clean blinds with soap and water and machine wash curtains at least every other month.
• Vacuum carpets and upholstered furniture weekly. 
• Declutter your home to reduce dirt-collecting surfaces and make cleaning easier. 

Controlling humidity, which entices dust mites, mold, pollen, and many other allergens, is vital. Your air conditioner will reduce humidity in warm weather, and adequate ventilation will reduce it during the colder months. 

The Maids: Your Partner for Cleaning Allergens in The Home

Learning how to clean allergens from your house makes your home a healthier, happier place. Whether you use our handy cleaning guides or invest in healthy cleaning services, The Maids® helps you breathe easier and enjoy a clean home more often with free time for the things you love. Discover what a healthy approach to cleaning can mean for your family’s health with a free cleaning quote today.