The sure way to avoid an allergic reaction is to avoid the allergen. However when an allergen trigger is part of your environment, this is easier said than done. You find yourself staying indoors when you would prefer to be outside, or feeling miserable in your own home surrounded by your indoor allergens. While avoiding an allergen is a goal to strive for, there are other means, tips and tricks for handling those evil environmental allergies!
Hypo-allergenic bedding
Never underestimate a wonderful night of sleep. Many allergy sufferers achieve this with the help of hypoallergenic bedding, which is inhospitable to dust mites, and will not trigger feather-related allergies. Many hypoallergenic bedding collections are free of chemicals that can trigger asthma and allergies.
Hypoallergenic beauty and cleaning products
But just as important as the bedding, are the cleaning agents you use to wash those sheets every week. If you are having problems with allergies these may be triggered by the very products you are wearing on your skin or washing your clothes and sheets in. From your face wash and shampoo to your laundry detergent, you may just notice a difference when you switch to hypoallergenic options.
Keep a clean home
And while we are are on the topic of cleaning products, one of the surest ways to cut down on the indoor allergens in your home is to keep it clean. Use mold-killing cleaning supplies especially in your bathroom. And not to insult anyone’s house-keeping skills, but even the most frequently cleaned home needs a deeper dive into its cleaning routing periodically. When is the last time you washed off that layer of dust on the baseboards, or got the duster between every blind, for example. If you are looking into a home remodel, hardwood floors are much easier to clean than the carpet counterpart that can be vacuumed and still manage to trap unwanted dust.
Symptom remedies
You probably already thought to purchase some eye drops, but a cold compress can be soothing on itchy, watery eyes, too. And while you were picking up eye drops perhaps you located the nasal spray, too. Antihistamines are available over the counter as well, and some people may need to carry an EpiPen with them as a further precaution.
Breath clean
Help keep the air you breath clean and at a comfortable level of humidity (below 50% to prevent mold growth) with air purifiers/ filters, dehumidifiers, humidifiers and vaporizers. These tools will help you breathe easier by breathing cleaner air. Be sure to clean these devices and change filters as directed. You should also be cleaning filters and air ducts in your home at least once a year. Running the air conditioning – instead of the fan (which can stir up dust) and instead of opening the windows (which can invite pollen into your home) – will help keep you cool while minimizing allergens.
Enjoy the outdoors, and then wash them off
Avoid being outside on high pollen days; but a mask and quickly showering upon your return home can help fight many outdoor allergens. Wearing a mask while mowing the lawn will help prevent you from breathing in very freshly cut grass, and if you jump straight into the shower afterwards then you help remove the outdoor allergens that collected in your hair and on your clothes. Finally, don’t hang your clothes to dry outside; you may just be re-collecting all those allergens.
