Sneezing, itchy eyes, sniffling, blowing your nose, it’s not fun and can really drag down your day.

This is especially the case when your allergies follow you into your home. But how does that happen, you’re not outside any more, why are they persisting? Well, allergies are caused by a number of different things such as dust, pollen, pet hair, and more.

This issue can be exacerbated when the home isn’t frequently cleaned. Dust, pet hair, outside pollen, and more build up on surfaces, ruining your home’s air quality.

To help prevent this situation in the future, let’s look at five ways you can reduce allergies inside your home.

1) Wipe Down Fans, Vents, and Other Active Air Flow Areas

Probably the most important tip on our list, you need to be consistently wiping down fans, air vents, and other areas where air is being stirred up.

Fans especially get really bad when they haven’t been used in a while. When when you finally use them, that dust which was collecting up there gets thrown around the room. This is the case for air vents as well; dust builds up on the vent, then when the AC kicks on it blows that stuff all around the room.

We highly recommend that you quickly wipe down any of these areas at least once a week. If they aren’t used frequently, maybe even twice a week. This is easily one of the largest causes of allergy flare-ups because that dust (which is made up of pollen, hair, skin cells, and more) is just accumulating every day.

2) Wash Pillow Cases, Sheets, and Covers

When it comes to allergies, one place people don’t think about much is your bed. Dust mites, which are commonly found on covers, pillows, mattresses, carpeting, and furniture are also contributors to your indoor suffering.

But, don’t worry, there’s an easy solution! All you need to do in order to reduce the allergens in your bed is to frequently wash your pillowcases, sheets, and covers.

Regardless of allergies, it’s a good idea to wash these things because you’re sleeping on or in them every night. Our tip is to wash your bedding at least once a week in hot water. This kills any germs or allergies that have been living in your bed.

3) Wash Your Pets Frequently

Pets, in most cases, love being outdoors, but that means they are carriers for allergies that you’d prefer to stay outside. As they’re running through bushes, rolling around, and digging they are picking up all kinds of no good allergies and bringing them inside.

The solution? You should be washing your pets once a week to clean off any allergies that are still stuck to your pet’s fur. While it may be a little more work for you, it will reduce the chances that your allergies flare up one day.

4) Vacuum Regularly

Vacuuming is a great way to control areas that accumulate a large amount of dust. To see the best results, try vacuuming once or twice a week to avoid any meaningful accumulation. We know it’s some more work, but in our opinion, it’s best to put in the extra work rather than suffer from allergies.

Just remember, not all vacuum cleaners are made equal. We highly recommend spending some extra money on a high-quality vacuum that can get the job done properly. Try and find a vacuum that uses a HEPA filter, these will catch more allergens than other types of filters, preventing further allergies.

5) Keep Windows and Doors Closed

Finally, cut off the allergies before they enter your home by keeping your windows and doors closed as much as possible. Even if you have a mesh screen behind your window, those were designed to keep out bugs and not small allergens, so you aren’t totally protected.

If the pollen count is high, keep your windows and doors closed (even if the weather feels great).

As a rule of thumb, it is generally a good idea to keep your windows and doors closed in the morning, more specifically between the hours of 5 am and 10 am – this is generally when plants are letting off the most pollen and other allergens.

For those that have workout equipment at home, how many of you regularly wipe them down? Probably not too many.

But, of all the things in your home, this should be one of the first things you focus on cleaning. As you’re working out, you’re probably getting sweaty, then when you’re finished, that sweat (and other germs) sits there until your next workout. This is prime real estate for germs and bacteria to set up shop, which isn’t the best thing to happen.

Let’s cover a few of the ways you can quickly clean your gym equipment and clothes so they are clean each and every time you workout.

1) Wipe Equipment Down With Disinfectant Wipes

This one is pretty simple. After you finish your workout, quickly do a once over with a disinfectant wipe to kill any existing or new germs that are living on what you use to workout. Though, if you have a number of different pieces of equipment, then we would recommend using a few disinfectant wipes. This way you aren’t wiping things down with a dirty wipe.

When it comes to disinfectant wipes, you won’t need anything special. Almost every common name store should have exactly what you’re looking for.

2) Cleaning Clothes, Mats, Pads, and Gloves

To take care of mats, pads, and gloves it won’t be as simple as just wiping things down. What you’ll need to do in order to kill germs and odors is to soak them in a liquid composed of cold water and one cup of white vinegar. White vinegar is great at disinfecting surfaces, fabrics, and other commonly used items. It also does a really good job of eliminating odors so they don’t stick around.

This can also work for gym clothes as well. Just use the same mix of cold water and white vinegar and let your clothes sit inside out in the liquid for around 15-30 minutes, this should kill any bad odors. Then once they’ve soaked, immediately throw them in the washing machine to do one final rinse.

3) Quick Tip For Gym Bags

Gym bags are a different story. You can’t really throw them in the washing machine or wipe them down with a disinfectant wipe, so we recommend getting a spray that can achieve the same goal. These as well, will likely be found at any common name store, so keep an eye out.

Wrapping Everything Up

At the end of the day, the goal is to keep yourself healthy. Letting sweat, germs, and other types of bacteria grow on your equipment is not the best way to stay healthy. Once you finish working out, all you need to do is wipe down the handles and weights you used to ensure that nothing is left untouched.

If you have any further questions about disinfecting surfaces, please feel free to reach out! Our team is always happy to help someone seeking to improve the health of their home.

No one likes dirty, grimy sinks. But, it can be difficult to clean them when the stains have embedded themselves deep within the surface.

In this quick article, we’ll talk about three ways you can get that dirty sink back to its original condition. 

1) Use White Vinegar Against Limescale

If you’re looking for a good surface cleaner, white vinegar is great! It can help get rid of dingy limescale build-up that is hurting the look of your white sinks. While white vinegar is great at removing limescale, it also works as a disinfectant as well.

If someone in your family was sick or your sinks haven’t been cleaned in years, running by them with a sponge and spray bottle of white vinegar can quickly kill any germs.

How does it work? The acidity of vinegar is what makes this such a good cleaner. It can dissolve soap scum, brines, and glue (from stickers).

Here’s how to use white vinegar against limescale and other grime (It’s Easy):

1. Fill a spray bottle up with pure white vinegar.
2. Spray it on the area in question.
3. Immediately use a non-scratch sponge to begin scrubbing.
4. Once you’re finished, rinse the sink with water to remove any leftover vinegar.

2) Baking Soda and Dish Soap

One simple way to address dirty sinks is to use baking soda and dish soap. These are very common household items, that most people will have lying around somewhere.

Why is this so effective? This is because baking soda causes dirt and grease to dissolve in water, while also becoming a mildly abrasive material that can help break away grime.

Here’s how to use it against stains:

1. Dry up any extra water in your sink before you sprinkle the baking soda.
2. Sprinkle the baking soda throughout your sink, primarily on the spots you want to target.
3. Add a healthy amount of dish soap, both as a lubricant and a cleaning agent, to help in the scrubbing process.
4. Finally, start scrubbing! You should begin to see some of those stains coming up.

3) Hydrogen Peroxide or Lemon Juice

If you’re up against tough stains that have embedded themselves deep within your sink’s surface, then it may be time to pull out the big guns. By “big guns,” I mean hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice.

For most stains, you can put a few drops of either one onto the spot and immediately start scrubbing, but for tougher spots, you’ll need to let it sit for a short period of time. This lets it really do its work in breaking down the stain.

Just be sure that once everything is finished, you rinse your sink with water to avoid letting leftover hydrogen peroxide or lemon juice sit for a long period of time.

Wrapping Things Up

Stains can be tricky, there’s no doubt about it. Please, if you have any further questions, feel free to send us an email (americanmaid@comcast.net). Our trained team would be more than happy to help you!