How to Reduce Pet Allergens in Your Home
Are you a pet owner?
Are you or a loved one allergic to (or bothered by) the pets that live in your home?
If you answered yes to both of these, don’t start panicking — you don’t have to get rid of your furry best friends! You just need to restrict where they go and clean a little more often.
At Lancaster PHCE, we love our pets. So we’ll teach you how to keep pet dander levels to a minimum.
Restrict Where They Can Go
The best way to keep pet dander from being literally everywhere is to restrict where your pets can go. (We know you want them to follow you everywhere because you are each other’s worlds, but for the sake of your health — you have to!)
Bedrooms
If your or a family member has had trouble breathing at night, keep them out of the bedrooms. Doing this will leave beds free of dander, allowing everyone to breathe easy and get a good night’s sleep (also make sure you’re washing your bedding more frequently).
Remind everyone in the house to close doors behind them if they don’t want the dog or cat to wander in.
Furniture
Similar to the beds in the house, keep pets off of furniture if you’re trying to limit pet dander from being everywhere. While it is great to relax and watch some TV with your pet snuggled up next to you, it’s best to train them to not jump up here.
You should also vacuum your furniture on a weekly basis — because pets will do as they please when you’re not watching them…
Clean the House Often
You will never be able to remove all of the pet dander from your home, but you can keep levels low if you clean the house on a weekly basis.
Use Microfiber
A large portion of dust in your home (when you have pets) is actually their dander. To ensure you remove most of the dust from your home, use a microfiber cloth when dusting. This will pick up the most dust because it will actually be drawn to the material.
Upgrade Your Vacuum
When trying to remove allergens from your home, you want to make sure your vacuum is equipped with a HEPA filter. This filter will be able to remove (and safely store) the highest percentage of allergens and dust.
Remember to dust before you vacuum so you can suck up dust that’s rustled into the air and then settles on the floor.
Focus on Your Air Filters
All homeowners should be replacing (or cleaning) their HVAC system’s air filters at least once every other month. For those who own pets (and are bothered by their dander), you might want to think about replacing these filters more often.
You should also consider upgrading your air filters to higher-grade HEPA filters. These bad boys will be able to filter out more dust, dander, and debris, thus improving indoor air quality. A higher quality filter means you won’t have to replace (or clean) your filters as often.
