Stop your sneezing
Your home harbors a surprising number of sneaky allergy-causing culprits. Here’s where they’re hiding, and how to send them packing.
Clutter gathers dust
A messy home = nice digs for dust mites, bugs, mold, and mice. Recycle old newspapers, magazines, cans, and grocery bags weekly—and keep the bins outside if you can.
Carpet harbors dust mites
Dust mites and pet dander love carpeting and rugs, so bust out your vac weekly. Make sure it has a high-efficiency particulate air filter to trap tiny particles. To really ditch allergies, leave your floors bare.
Bedding & Bathroom
Banish mites and mold by washing bedding in 130-degree water weekly. Moist bathroom or basement walls love to breed mold. Wipe them down with a chlorine-bleach solution (1 ounce bleach to 1 quart H2O) to keep fungus at bay. In the fall, mold also moves indoors via wet leaves on shoes and damp firewood. Store wood in a separate dry space, like the garage, and keep the yard leaf-free. Also, see: 10 ways to remove mold. (more…)
Nose bleeds often result form dry mucosa followed by the trauma of blowing the nose from allergies and/or colds. Here is some basic information on how to deal with them.
What is allergic rhinitis?