How to Reduce Allergens in Home

Though we’ve only gotten a couple of little peeps of it in the past few weeks, spring is most certainly on its way. Soon we’ll have plenty of warm air, sunny days, and excuses to get out into the world for some fun! But we’ll also, unfortunately for us all, have to start fighting against allergies. Looking for some ways to mitigate home allergens and keep your symptoms to a minimum as we transition into the warmer months? The indoor air quality specialists at ABC Plumbing, Sewer, Heating, Cooling and Electric have some easy pointers to follow!

Easy Ways to Combat Home Allergies

• Stop sweeping. Start mopping instead. Sweeping is handy for grabbing up some spilled grains or clods of dust, but for most settled particles, all it does is push them back into the air where they’ll come to rest on your floors and in your face moments later.
• Dust effectively. Dry dusting presents the same problems as sweeping, so we recommend switching to moist dusting instead. If you aren’t fond of chemical compounds, you can make your own DIY dusting solution with equal parts water and cider vinegar—which is wood-safe!
• Consider duct cleaning. How long has it been since your ducts have been cleaned? If you said years, or you don’t remember, then it’s probably time. Ducts should be professionally cleaned every 2-4 years to remove all of the mountains of accumulated mold and pollen that gets stuck up in there.
• Keep cloth surfaces clean. Nothing holds onto dust and pollen more readily than porous cloth. Bedclothes, curtains, and clothes (yes, even if they haven’t been worn!) need to be washed on a weekly basis, or every other week at the least.
• Change your HVAC filter. The air filter in your cooling system is responsible for keeping air flow healthy in your duct system, and it tends to get grimy rather fast here in Chicago. We recommend replacing it monthly to improve the overall air quality in your home.
• Shoes off at the door. Part of keeping your home allergy-free is policing how it gets in. One of the biggest offenders is our shoes, which can track tons of mess in and all over the home. A shoes off at the door policy is a very easy and hands-free solution.
• Schedule AC maintenance. We know it’s still pretty chilly. In fact up until next month you might still be running your furnace! But fairly soon it will be time to kick on the cooling system, and you want it to not blow all of that dust it has been accumulating over the winter months all over your home.

For Superior Solutions, Look to IAQ Products

Looking for something a little more heavy-duty, or is traditional cleaning just not cutting it? You’ll find all you need to arm your home with in modern air quality products. There is a wide range of products available, each particularly adept at handling particular air quality threats:

• UV Purifiers. UV germicidal lamps target and eradicate organic compounds, making them very effective against the high pollen counts and considerable mold floating around the Windy City.
• Air filtration systems. Filtration systems trap and remove dust, dander, odors, mold, pollen, and more. For an all-around allergy-busting solution, this is what we typically recommend for our clients.
• Humidifiers. Dry air is very common in homes that run an air conditioner, and dry air carries and creates dust like nothing else. If you’re dealing with dust allergies, or just hate having dry, scratchy skin all the time, humidifiers are ideal.

Need help finding the indoor air quality product that suits your needs best? Contact the indoor air quality specialists at ABC! Call ABC today at 888-868-6667 for Chicago, 813 452-5952 for Florida, or reach out online to schedule service!

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