How to clean your house to reduce allergy symptoms

Key overview: How to clean your home to reduce allergy symptoms

• On floors: Suck up dust mites and other allergy-aggravating particles with a vacuum with a HEPA filter.
• On surfaces: Wipe away dust properly using a damp microfibre cloth instead of a feather duster.
• On bed linen: Use mite-resistant encasings and hot-wash linen weekly at 60°C or wash in cold water using eucalyptus and detergent mix laundry liquid. Replace your pillows at least every two years.
• Protect against mould: Keep your home dry and well ventilated. Wipe condensation from windows and consider using a dehumidifier.
• Keep pollen out: Close windows and avoid drying clothes outdoors on high pollen count days.
• Avoid harsh cleaning chemicals: Switch to natural cleaners and try a steam cleaner. 

For asthma and allergy sufferers, spring is less about prancing lambs and beautiful blooms, and more about sneezing, itchy eyes and aggravated sinuses. From stray pollen to dust mites, our homes are full of potential allergens but, if you’re sensitive, here’s a guide to cleaning your house to reduce allergy symptoms and keep that stuffy nose at bay.

Tip: Always wear the appropriate safety equipment (safety glasses, gloves, ear muffs and a mask, for example) and always follow the instructions for the product or equipment.

What causes an increase in dust mite allergy symptoms?

What’s going on in our homes to make us so sneezy? In addition to allergens from outside, such as pollen, our homes are hosts to allergy-aggravating critters like cockroaches and, most of all, dust mites. Clinical Professor Sheryl van Nunen OAM of National Asthma Council Australia says house dust mite allergy is the most common allergy around the world, triggering hay fever and asthma and aggravating eczema in lots of Australians. “House dust mites live where they have ready access to human or pet skin scales as their food source,” she says. “They politely wait for the skin scales to drop off the human or pet, and do not chew us overnight.” The numbers of these creatures increase at the change of seasons, resulting in a double whammy of pollen and dust mite allergens in spring and autumn.

The good news? A clean home discourages vermin and reduces the irritant load, so snap on your rubber gloves.

How a HEPA filter helps reduce allergy symptoms

Suck up those mites (and other particles) by vacuuming weekly, using a vacuum with a HEPA filter, says Janette Vu of Kärcher. “Think of a HEPA filter as a really fine sieve fitted to the exhaust of your vacuum,” she says. “Standard vacuums tend to suck up the big stuff – crumbs, hair, dust bunnies – but blow out a lot of the microscopic dust straight back into the room. A Kärcher HEPA filter catches 99.9% of particles down to 0.3 microns, including dust mite residue, pollen, mould spores and pet dander, so the air coming back out is genuinely cleaner.”

For maximum effectiveness, swap out the filter every six to 12 months at least. “But don’t just go by the calendar, if suction starts dropping off, you notice a musty smell on start-up or the filter looks visibly grey, that’s your cue,” says Janette. If you’re particularly sensitive, delegate the vacuuming to someone else and stay out of the space for 20 minutes.

Why dusting with a microfibre cloth is better than a feather duster

Dust surfaces before vacuuming but instead of a feather duster – which pushes particles around – capture the dust with a damp microfibre cloth, which attracts and traps dirt and dust. Work from top to bottom, so you’re not dropping dust on bits you’ve just cleaned, vacuum afterwards then finish by using a damp microfibre mop on hard floors.

How to clean bedding to protect against dust mites

If you need motivation to change the sheets, think of those mites. “Imprison them inside house dust mite-resistant encasings for mattresses, pillows and doonas, and hot wash linen weekly at 60°C or wash in cold water using eucalyptus and detergent mix laundry liquid,” says Professor van Nunen. Take care with pillows and wash pillowcases weekly in water hotter than 60°C. “Replace pillows as indicated: polyester every one to two years or when they become lumpy, and latex every three years,” she adds.

How to protect against mould at home

A humid home is an ideal environment for dust mites, but also for mould – another asthma and allergy trigger. Watch for mould in obvious places (like bathrooms), but also sneaky spaces, like behind furniture or under pot plants. Clean mouldy surfaces with a white vinegar solution, making sure it’s dry afterwards. To prevent mould, keep your home dry and well ventilated. Check extractor fans are working well, wipe down crying windows and consider using a dehumidifier.

How to stop pollen getting into your home

You can’t do much about the pollen count, but reduce your exposure by keeping it outside, not in. Avoid drying clothes outside on high pollen count days and keep windows closed, especially after dark. “Close your windows at night, as pollen sinks down and can enter via windows as the temperature inverts overnight,” Professor van Nunen explains. To capture pollen particles that have floated inside, she says the best tool is an air purifier. Additionally, or where an air purifier is not possible, she suggests wiping surfaces with a damp cloth and damp-mopping floors after windows have been open.

Why natural cleaners can help reduce allergy symptoms

Allergy experts tend to recommend natural cleaners, such as white vinegar, bicarb and dish soap, over chemical cleaners. “Cleaning chemicals are usually perfumed and the fragrances can irritate those with hay fever and asthma,” Professor van Nunen says.

Alternatively, turn to steam power. Janette explains that steam cleaners can help create the clean space allergy sufferers crave. “Kärcher steam cleaners heat water to around 100°C and that high-velocity steam gets into the tiny pores and crevices of surfaces, killing 99.99% of common household bacteria and lifting dust straight onto the cloth,” she says. “But the bigger win for allergy sufferers is what you’re not using – no detergents, no fragrances, nothing that can set off a reaction. Just water, heat and pressure doing the work.”

Keep in mind…

Wear a mask and gloves for serious cleaning tasks and store all cleaning products out of reach of children and pets.

Need more spring cleaning motivation?

Check out our article on how to deep clean your kitchen, bathroom and garage.

 

Photo credit: Adobe Stock, Louise Roche, Karcher.