Six Things You Can Do In Your Home To Avoid Wintertime Allergies

Some allergy patients experience symptoms more during the winter months than they do at any other time of the year. During the winter, allergens may build up in your home because there is not as much air circulation and the interior air becomes stagnant due to the fact that it's too cold to keep windows open.

In particular, allergic responses from dust mites and mold spores tend to be more severe in the winter months. If you suffer from these types of allergy, you might want to do the following six things in your home to avoid wintertime allergies:

If you're putting a Christmas tree in your home this winter, you might want to consider rinsing it off before you bring it into your home. Trees brought in from outside can be covered in dust or various allergens that will get into your home if you don't clean your tree off before you bring it inside.

It's easy to simply rinse off a tree with a hose and give it some time to dry off before you bring it in to get rid of allergens and to allergy-proof your home.

One of the easiest things that you can do to drastically improve the air quality in your home and minimize the presence of allergens is change air filters.

There are numerous air filters in your home that you need to change to optimize air quality. In particular, focus on HVAC equipment and change the furnace filter in your home. It's also a good idea to change filters in any humidifier you have because these filters can easily be contaminated by mold growth if they're not changed often enough.

While temperatures outside are probably too cold for you to open windows for fresh air, you can enjoy some air circulation in your home with exhaust fans.

You can use your exhaust fan when you're using hot water in your bathroom or when you're cooking in your kitchen. Exhaust fans will bring in air from outside and help to get rid of any unpleasant odors or humidity in your home.

Giving your floors a good vacuuming in the early winter is a good idea if you're hoping to remove allergens from your home. Unfortunately, carpets tend to collect dust, mold spores, and other potential allergens that could drastically detract from the comfort of living in your home and aggravate ENT conditions related to allergic responses.

For the most effective allergen control, you should use HEPA vacuums that achieve a high standard of allergen elimination during normal functioning.

In addition to vacuuming, you might also want to consider placing HEPA air filters inside your home to keep your interior air clean. Like a vacuum cleaner, air filters will suck up the interior air and remove contaminants like dust and other particles that can aggravate allergies.

Carpeted floors are not the only type of floor in a home that could accumulate dust and aggravate allergy issues. Tile and hardwood floors can also allow dust to accumulate and get into the air if you do not regularly clean them.
Regularly mopping floors during the winter is especially important if you suffer from indoor allergies and live in an area where it's too cold outside to keep windows open for air circulation during the winter.

Excessively high humidity levels in a home can facilitate interior air contamination caused by bacteria and mold spores. By keeping humidity levels in a home below 50 percent during the winter, you can prevent bacteria and mold from proliferating while also preventing condensation at your home's windows.