Fred Harteis News Articles - Allergy-proof your home

Fred Harteis News Articles - Spring is in the air...and so are millions of pollen spores and other allergens. And you don't have to be outdoors to aggravate your allergies. Dust mites, dander and mold inside your home can trigger a reaction.

These Five Tips will help you cut these household allergens down to size.

1. Focus on the bedroom - If you're trying to eliminate indoor allergies, the best place to start is the bedroom. There can be up to two million dust mites that live in your bed. The bedroom is the perfect haven for dust mites. They live in pillows, mattresses, bed springs, blankets, and comforters. Dust mites are invisible and they feast on dead skin. These mites are the number one indoor allergen and their population peaks in July and August.

What can you do to control these little pests? Wash your linens once a week in the hot cycle, which should be about 130 degrees. You should also invest in an allergen-proof pillow case and bed cover. The pillow cases may cost you about $10 and the mattress cover may cost between $50 to $100 at your local home improvement store.

2. Freeze your teddy bears - It's not just the bedroom that's a breeding ground for mites, it's the zoo of stuffed animals your child may have laying around. Waldron says she was shocked when she saw the billions of mites a teddy bear could have.

3. Control the pet dander - Our pets may be our best friend, but they are certainly not a buddy to our allergies. Approximately 10 million people are allergic to cat dander, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation. The type of pet you choose makes a big difference. Cats have the most allergens, according to Waldron, followed by dogs and rodents. Light haired female cats generally cause fewer allergy symptoms than dark-haired male cats according to studies. Washing your pet at least once a week has also been shown to make a large difference in cutting down on allergens.

4. Snuff out mold - Indoor mold can cause allergies year-round. Mold spores are airborne, so they create new mold colonies wherever they land. Some of your home's biggest mold hotspots: the basement, the bathroom and your closet...even houseplants can be a hideout for mold. To keep mold from coming back, make sure you cut the humidity in your home to 40 percent or below using a dehumidifier. You may also want to use your air conditioner to get rid of the humidity. Cooling the air decreases its ability to hold water. You should also get rid of firewood and piles of leaves and weeds in your backyard.

5. Keep pollen out - Runny nose? Watery eyes? You may have pollen to blame. And this allergen can get you in almost all the seasons...from tree pollen in the Spring to ragweed in the Fall. If you are especially sensitive, when the pollen count is high either don't leave the house or keep the windows closed. That's between 5 am to 10 am. Pollen is also a very sticky traveler. You'll want to remove your shoes when you come inside the house. Washing your hair before you go to sleep is also a good way to cut down on wayward pollen spores that have collected there.

Source: Cnn.com

About Fred Harteis: Fred Harteis leads Harteis International. Fred Harteis has a background in agriculture and has created many successful business ventures.