If you’re all too familiar with the woes of seasonal allergies, you’re likely looking for ways to help ease your suffering. In this blog, we will share nine top cleaning tips to reduce allergy-inducing dust and pollen allergies in your home.
What are seasonal allergies?
Seasonal allergies only occur at certain times of the year, triggered by the presence of specific allergens such as pollen. In the spring, allergens are produced by trees, while grasses and weeds are the culprits in the summer. Rounding up the trouble-makers are weeds in fall, especially ragweed.
Allergy sufferers tend to see relief in the winter. However, because you’re indoors more often, you can experience winter allergy symptoms triggered by pet dander or dust mites.
How does removing dust help control seasonal allergies?
Dust contains outdoor pollens carried into the home from open windows, on pets, or even your shoes and clothing. It also contains other allergens such as pet dander, toxins from household cleaners, dust mites, and more.
By controlling dust in your home, you help remove allergens and improve air quality for easier breathing and reduced allergy symptoms.
1. Adopt a weekly cleaning routine to reduce seasonal allergies
A weekly cleaning routine efficiently eliminates dust using these dust removal cleaning tips:
- Use an extendable duster to remove dust from the ceiling, fans, and light fixtures.
- Wipe down walls to remove dust and cobwebs.
- Wipe down window sills, frames, and the tops of door frames.
- Dust hard surfaces using a damp rag or microfiber cloth to contain the dust as you work.
- Using a damp mop, clean all hard-surface flooring.
- Vacuum curtains, floors, and soft furniture, preferably with a HEPA filter vacuum.
- Thoroughly clean the bathroom to remove mould.
You can also schedule weekly recurring professional cleaning to effectively remove household allergens.
2. Wash bedding weekly to help control seasonal allergies
Wash your sheets, pillowcases, blankets, and duvet cover weekly in hot water at a temperature of at least 54 degrees Celsius. The heat will kill the dust mites, while frequent washing helps remove them from your bedding. This will reduce dust mite allergies. Synthetic bedding materials are best because they’re machine-washable.
3. Vacuum carpets at least once a week to improve allergy relief
Carpeting is not a good choice for allergy sufferers as it holds onto dust and allergens and releases them into the air as you walk. If you can’t afford to replace carpeting with hard flooring such as laminate or luxury vinyl, invest in a good-quality HEPA filter vacuum.
Although regular vacuums can help reduce allergens, they tend to release dust as you work. HEPA filters are designed to collect and hold onto small particulates to clean more efficiently.
4. Shampoo the carpet each season to improve indoor air quality
Schedule professional carpet deep cleanings with the change of the seasons. Shampooing the carpet can help, as long as the water is super hot. However, steam cleaning can be more effective as it both kills dust mites and removes allergens such as pollen.
5. Clean window treatments to reduce seasonal allergies
Window treatments, including blinds and curtains, collect dust that is then released into the air every time they are opened and closed. This can bring on your seasonal allergies. We always recommend choosing washable curtains/drapes that you can easily toss in with your laundry once a month or so.
If your drapes aren’t machine-washable, vacuum them often to keep the dust at bay. A good tip for cleaning blinds is to place a damp sock on your hand and wipe down the individual slats. It’s a laborious process, but does a world of good.
Along with these window treatment cleaning tips, avoid opening the windows in peak allergy season to reduce the amount of pollen in the home.
6. Vacuum upholstered furniture regularly to reduce seasonal allergies
Soft furniture is another dust magnet that requires regular vacuuming as part of your dust removal regime. Remove all the cushions from couches and chairs so you can get into the crevices. Vacuum each cushion front and back.
For pet owners, one of our favourite allergy relief cleaning tips is to use a rubber glove to wipe down your upholstered furniture in order to quickly remove pet hair and dander.
7. Keep clutter to a minimum to make dust removal easier
The more items and collectibles you have in your home, the more dust you collect. This increases the risk of triggering seasonal allergies, and makes it harder to remove dust.
A thorough decluttering of knick-knacks, books, tabletop ornaments, magazines, newspapers, etc. will make life easier while helping control dust. Things you need and use often, such as toys, can be kept in a container with a lid to protect them from dust and make cleaning surfaces easier.
8. Reduce the risk of mould to avoid making seasonal allergies worse
Although mould isn’t a seasonal allergy trigger per se, it does reduce indoor air quality. Mould releases spores into the air, which causes irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat.
Toxic mould can also cause respiratory issues. Thoroughly cleaning your shower and tub, replacing old shower curtains that smell musty, and washing your bath mat weekly can help reduce mould growth.
Also, be sure to keep the exhaust fan running when showering or bathing to reduce mould-friendly humidity.
9. Enhance your bedding to reduce seasonal allergies
As mentioned, dust mites contribute to winter allergies. You can reduce the impact of dust mites by creating a less hospitable environment. Enhancing your bedding using pillows, duvet/comforter, mattress, and box spring covers helps reduce dust mite allergies.
Look for dust mite-proof covers to see the best results. This is also a good way to keep your mattress and box spring cleaner and fresher as you can toss the covers in the laundry.
Contact Maid4Condos for Professional Cleaning Services
By implementing these cleaning tips, you can significantly reduce common seasonal allergy triggers and improve the air quality in your home. However, maintaining a truly allergen-free environment requires ongoing effort and consistency.
That’s where Maid4Condos can help. Our Basic Clean service is designed to keep your home fresh and free from allergens. This service includes thorough dusting and wiping of surfaces, vacuuming and mopping floors, and deep cleaning of bathrooms and kitchens. With regular professional cleaning, you can effectively minimize dust, control allergens, and maintain a healthier, more comfortable living space.
If you’re interested in Maid4Condos’ residential cleaning services, click here, or click here for a free online quote. You can also call us at 647-822-0601 or contact us online.
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