Taking Care of Your Home

Our homes are our sanctuaries, our safe havens away from the harsh elements outside come wintertime. We keep safe from germs and people carrying the cold and flu viruses that make their rounds each season. As the temperatures drop, we tend to hibernate indoors, sealing up windows, cranking the heat, and doing anything we can to keep the cold air out. What many might not realize is that by doing this, we're actually trapping all sorts of nasty things inside with us. Things like dust mites, pet dander, and mold can flare up indoors during winter months, putting you and your family at an increased risk for allergies and illness.

The winter months are already tough on our immune systems thanks to our confined surroundings and various illnesses going around. Although it may seem like a good idea to hunker down inside till spring comes around, it can actually be worse for our homes and our health. According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), pollution indoors year-round during normal conditions is already up to 5 times higher than outdoors, and when winter rolls around, this number increases. With windows closed for months at a time, and the heat recirculating the same stagnant air over and over, allergens and other potentially harmful particles never get a chance to leave the home.

As a result, these indoor contaminants are able to thrive and affect our health in various negative ways. In fact, colder weather can dry out moisture membranes inside your nose and mouth, which help to ward off bacteria and viruses, making you more susceptible to illness and allergies during the dry winter months. Thankfully, here at National Allergy, we've gathered our top tips you can do to keep your home a healthy haven all winter long:

1.) Periodically Open Windows: Try to open windows a few times a week for at least 10-15 minutes at a time. This will help introduce fresh, clean air into your home without lower the temperature much. In addition, if you're planning on cleaning, opening the windows while you do can help circulate air and filter stirred-up particles like dust and other allergens out. Try our Safeguard Window Filters to help keep allergens outside during fall and spring!

2.) Improve Air Circulation: Leaving interior doors open and utilizing kitchen and bathroom fans will go a long way to help circulate stagnant indoor air. Additionally, you can also improve heat circulation by keeping baseboards and heating vents clear of dust, debris, and furniture. Replacing your Furnace Filter will also help improve air circulation as well.

3.) Implement An Air Purifier: The use of a HEPA Air Purifier can seriously help improve your indoor air quality during the winter months. Many people don't enjoy opening windows. If this is you, then an air purifier might be your best bet. Many provide freshly cleaned and circulated air multiple times per hour, depending on the size of the room the purifier is in.

4.) Consider Using Humidification: Although dust mites and mold tend to thrive in humid environments, the winter months are so dry that even with a humidifier, you won't need to worry. As long as your monitoring humidity levels with a Humidity Gauge and keeping them at or below 50%, then a Humidifier could be just the thing to help you ward off illness by keeping skin and mucus membranes hydrated all winter long.

5.) Vacuum As Often as Possible: Using a HEPA Vacuum Cleaner each week will help significantly reduce dust, dander, and dust mites, helping to keep your home clean and healthier. Remember to vacuum all upholstered surfaces where dust and dust mites love to hide.

6.) Clean Hard Surfaces: Wiping down surfaces with a Microfiber Cloth and Anti-Allergen Surface Spray will help keep them clean and free of illness-causing allergens and germs. In addition, Mopping hard floors repeatedly will also help prevent feet from tracking the same germs and allergens throughout your home.

7.) Do Laundry Often: Washing your clothes and you're bedding in hot water with an Anti-Allergen Laundry Detergent and or De-Mite Laundry Additivewill help eliminate allergens, germs, and dust mites lurking in bedding and clothing.

8.) Wash Pets Frequently: Washing your furry friends more often with an Anti-Allergen Pet Shampoo will help decrease the amount of dander they spread, helping relieve allergic reactions and reduce allergens present in the home.

9.) Check For Leaks: Mold loves to thrive in the dark and damp spaces of our homes. Keep mold at bay with No More Mildew Coating, and remember to fix any leaks right away to help prevent growth in the first place!

10.) Save Renovations for Spring: It's tempting to work on the inside spaces of our homes during the downtime of winter after the holidays are through. But introducing new paint, new furniture, and other home improvement chemicals into poorly circulated or unventilated air can make indoor air quality much worse. Save it for spring when you can keep windows open.

11.) Purchase Air Cleaning House Plants: Many people like plants for décor purposes but did you know they can have a strong benefit to our health, especially during the winter months? Many house plants help improve indoor air quality during winter, keeping you and your home healthier.

Taking Care of Your

Dry skin and hair, chapped lips, and sore, scratchy throats are just a few of the things we've come to expect of winter months. But have you ever heard of SBS? SBS (Sick Building Syndrome) is a term for those who spend a lot of time indoors and feel the harmful effects of this. What does SBS mean for your health? Well, for starters breathing in mold spores, dust, smoke, bacteria, viruses, and VOCs for extended periods of time can make you feel sick and lethargic, causing headaches, dizziness, and even nausea. These harmful pollutants can also irritate your eyes, nose, and throat and cause coughing, muscle aches, and tightness in your chest. So, when it comes to protecting yourself from the rigors of the winter season, we recommend these helpful reminders to keep you feeling your best no matter what comes around!

1.) Wash Hands Frequently: Never forget to wash and Sanitize your hand each time you come into contact with something or someone that could have germs. Remembering to do this as soon as you get home from an outing is a good habit to get into as well.

2.) Cover Yourself: Whether you're the one coughing or sneezing, it's always a good idea to cover yourself with a Face Mask and remember to sneeze and cough into your elbow. Even if you're not the sick one, keep your distance and mask up to help prevent the spread of germs.

3.) Vitamin D & C: Make sure you're getting plenty of natural vitamin D from the sun to help boost your immune system and ward off any illnesses. In addition, many swear by taking a vitamin D or C supplement to prevent colds & flu during the winter season.

4.) Stay Hydrated: It's easy to forget about drinking enough water, especially if you're not a fan of how plain water can taste. But it might be the most important thing you can do to protect yourself from getting sick this season. If water doesn't taste good, there are many different things you can add to improve the flavor, like fresh citrus and fruit, flavor drops, and powdered mix.

Staying a step ahead of old man winter may feel impossible, but with these adjustments to your routine, you can ensure you and your home are healthy all season long!