Improve Indoor Air Quality and Your Allergies WIth This Room by Room Action Plan

Posted on by kerry

Each Room in Your Home Has Its Own IAQ Challenges

If you or someone in your Long Island home suffers from allergies or asthma, there are quite a few things you can do to improve your indoor air quality and reduce flare-ups of symptoms, as well as prevent other respiratory illnesses later on. This room-by-room guide will help you clean up your indoor air and breather easier in your home.indoor air quality

Bedroom

Highly allergenic dust mites love this room, which is a veritable feast of dead skin cells for these microscopic arachnids.

  • Wash your bedding weekly in hot water.
  • Keep your clothes off the floor.
  • Use a portable air cleaner to remove pollutants from your air as you sleep.

Living Room

  • Opt for leather furniture instead of upholstery fabrics when purchasing furniture. This will reduce the amount of dust and number of dust mites inhabiting your couch and chairs.
  • Spread gravel over the dirt in your potted plants to reduce the number of mold spores in your living space.
  • Avoid using your fireplace or wood stove, which can exacerbate allergy and asthma symptoms.

Kitchen

  • Turn on your stove vent while cooking to help remove moisture and chemicals from cooking and cleaning.
  • Keep your dishes and countertops clean to prevent pests, such as cockroaches, whose saliva is a potent allergen to some people.
  • Use an insect- and rodent-proof trash can for your waste.

Bathroom

  • Turn on your exhaust fan while you bathe to remove moisture that can cause mold, as well as chemicals resulting from personal care products.
  • Use washable rugs and launder them weekly to prevent mold and mildew growth.

Whole House

  • Remove carpeting, which harbors dust and dust mites, and vacuum at least once a week with a vacuum cleaner equipped with a HEPA filter.
  • Keep your windows closed during allergy season and rely on your HVAC system for conditioned air.
  • Change your HVAC air filter every month.
  • Reduce clutter that gathers dust, which is composed of a number of allergens.

For more expert advice about ways to improve your indoor air quality, please feel free to contact us at T.F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating.

Photo via Shutterstock.com