How to beat hay fever – a Spring cleaning checklist
September 10th, 2015
Spring is here! That’s good!
Hay fever is also here! That’s bad.
If soaring pollen counts leave you doubled over in sneezing fits at this time each year, here are a few quick tips on how to minimise the seasonal impact:
DON’T open your doors and windows
This advice may sound like sacrilege, as Spring is the traditional season to let fresh warm air in and sweep out the winter dust.
But because Spring is also the season when pollen counts go through the roof, hayfever sufferers may want to keep the outside and inside completely separated.
Dust!
Even if hayfever sufferers avoid exposure to fresh allergens from outdoors, there’s still the matter of the allergens that currently infest their house.
Go over every surface from top to bottom, removing dust wherever it’s found. Vacuum carpets and rugs, mop hard floors, and go over bookshelves and ornaments until yuor home is dust-free.
Remove mould
Dust isn’t the only potential allergen that can fill the house. Moulds can also be culprits, due to the spores they release.
source: Wikimedia Commons
Scrub away any mould you may find that’s grown through the winter. Warm, moist areas are usually prime breeding grounds – the bathroom, the laundry, even the kitchen.
It’s also worth checking behind curtains and at the back of cupboards to see if an infestation managed to spring up over winter while you weren’t looking.
Water and vinegar are usually all you need, though if the mould persists, you may want to clean with something stronger.
Clear the air
Use an air conditioner and/or air purifier to remove the allergens from your home’s air.
For the best results, make sure your appliance uses a HEPA filter, as these are capable of trapping even the most microscopic allergens.
Completely clean your carpets
Vacuuming a carpet is a good start, but what about the dust and allergens that get trapped in between the fibres, where even the most powerful cacuum cleaner brush head can’t reach?
This is a carpet washer’s moment to shine, as it will not only help bring your carpets to new levels of cleanliness, but neutralise any deep-seated grots amidst the fibres.
If hay fever and/or allergies are a persistant problem for you, condsider getting rid of your carpets and rugs altogether. Hard surfaces make it much more difficult for allergens to accumulate.
Get rid of your clothes
Not altogether, mind. As liberating as the nudist lifestyle may be, it’s not for everyone.
Here’s what we mean:
If your daily routine involves passing through the Outside World, pollen and other hay fever-causing allergens may attach themselves to your clothes.
source: Alastair Vance on Flickr
These allergens can in turn detach from your clothes when you get home and get into your bedding and carpets.
The best way to manage this is to strip off your clothes in the bathroom when you get home, as this room is typically full of hard surfaces, so the dust and pollen can’t hide.
Change into some fresh, clean clothes, and stick your pollinated clothes in the washing machine as soon as possible.
Dry clothes and bedding indoors
Hanging your laundry outside to dry on a sunny day is one of the simplest ways to get perfectly dried clothes.
That said, the outside world is also home to – you guessed it – pollen, which can get all over your clothes while they dry.
If hay fever is a big problem for you, it may be worth drying your clothes indoors where possible, either on an indoor rack on warm days, or using the dryer. It may not be the most efficient solution, but it may be worth it if your life is being ruined by constant sneezing.
Groom your pets
Puss or Fido may be friendly companion, but shedding season can be really bad, even if you’re not specifically allergic to animals.
source: Wikimedia Commons
Remove as much hair as you can from your pets, and be sure to dispose of it before it has the chance to get all over yuor cltohes, furniture and bedding, or to slowly turn into dust.
What are your surefire Spring cleaning tips for beating hay fever?
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