Your home harbors a surprising number of sneaky allergy-causing culprits. Home allergy-fighting tips include: wash bedding in hot water, keep windows closed, keep room temperatures low.
Here's where allergens could be hiding in your home and how you can send them packing.
1. Clutter
A messy home means nice digs for dust mites, bugs, mold, and mice.
So, recycle old newspapers, magazines, cans, and grocery bags weekly, and keep the bins outside if you can.
2. Carpeting
Dust mites and pet dander love carpeting and rugs, so bust out your vacuum at least weekly.
Make sure it has a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to trap tiny particles. (Non-HEPA vacuums just re-circulate them inside your house.)
Our pick: The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser ($170; Bissell.com), which alerts you when its time to replace the filter.
To really ditch allergies, get rid of your carpeting, and leave your floors bare (hardwood, tile, etc.).
3. Bedding
Banish mites and mold by washing your sheets and pillow cases in 130-degree water weekly.
Ready for an appliance upgrade? The Ultra-Capacity SteamWasher from LG ($1,799; LGE.com) has a special cycle that removes more than 95 percent of allergens.
4. Bathroom
Moist bathroom or basement walls love to breed mold. So, wipe them down with a chlorine-bleach solution (1 ounce bleach to 1 quart H2O) to keep fungus at bay.
In the fall, mold also moves indoors via wet leaves on shoes and damp firewood. Store wood in a separate dry space, like the garage, and keep your yard leaf-free.
5. Crumbs
Crumbs and overflowing garbage lure mice and roaches -- and their droppings can really aggravate allergies. So, keep your space clean to avoid pests.
One nontoxic surface-spiffer we like: EcoDiscoveries Kitchen cleaner ($7; EcoDiscoveries.com).
Also, try boric acid -- toxic to roaches -- and traps for the pests.
6. Open windows
Refreshing fall breezes are great -- unless they usher ragweed or other allergy-causing pollens indoors.
Keep windows shut between the high-pollen-count hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. (If it's warm, keep the air conditioner running; it filters out pollen inside your home.) Change the AC (or heater) filter monthly.
And remove shoes outside to avoid tracking in pollen particles.
7. Basement
Fight mold with a dehumidifier set between 35 and 45 percent humidity. Dehumidifiers come in several sizes, starting at just $25. Before you buy one, however, get a humidity gauge ($9 at most home-improvement stores) to assess how much de-moisturizing muscle you'll need.
8. Houseplants
Your potted plants can harbor sneeze-producing mold on their leaves. Remove any moldy leaves immediately, and don't let water pool in the pot's tray.
Check with a plant-care specialist if the problem persists.
9. Pets
Pet dander and saliva spell trouble for a whopping 30 percent of allergy sufferers. Washing or brushing your pet weekly (do it outside) can lower your home's dander level significantly.
Keep dogs and cats out of the bedroom, and cover air vents with cheesecloth to keep dander from spreading from room to room.
10. Fabric furnishings
Dust couches, stuffed chairs and drapery weekly.
Wash blankets and throw rugs in hot water (or have them dry-cleaned).
Pick up pet fur with your vacuum's upholstery attachment, and try to keep your pets off the furniture.
Make sure the air temp is below 70 degrees, too; mites, as well as fungus and roaches, dislike cool temps.
By: Jacquelyne Froeber, www.health.com
877-WE BUY 10
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