Allergies can make your life a misery, but you don't need to suffer in your own home! The good news is that there are lots of ways to reduce allergens in your house.
Whether you have dust allergies, food allergies or seasonal hayfever, we've gathered up expert advice to help you live more comfortably.
Read on to discover how to reduce pollen in your home, how to choose the best bedding to protect yourself from dust mites and clever ways to get through hayfever season.
What kind of vacuum cleaner is best for a family with lots of allergies?
Colin Swift, head of product line at AEG, says…
The act of vacuuming stirs up dust, pollen and particles which can impact people with allergies. Choosing the right vacuum cleaner is essential for maintaining a healthy living space, especially if you have a busy family life. Keep an eye out for the following features:
- HEPA filtration: When buying new filters or looking at new vacuum cleaners, ensure you opt for a high efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA). These filters capture very fine particles like dust and pollen in your home and prevent them from being released back into the room when vacuuming.
- Focus on the filter: Ensure that you stay on top of your maintenance! Cleaning or replacing your filters will allow your appliance to work at its best, ensuring an allergen-free home.
- Bagged versus bagless: Many people believe using a bagged vacuum cleaner with a synthetic non-woven dust bag will make you more protected against allergens, compared to a paper dust bag or a bagless vacuum. The synthetic non-woven dust bag compared to paper means more particles are trapped, won’t leak out into the environment, emptying and disposal of dust is easier and also helps protect the life of the appliance.
- Sealed system: To prevent allergens from escaping back into your living space, corded vacuums offer an efficient sealed system, ensuring allergens stay in the airtight vacuum.
How can I reduce the pollen in my home now that it’s hay fever season?
Lars Dunberger, technology development manager at Blueair, says…
As plants, trees, grasses and weeds release pollen, millions of people with hay fever start to sniffle and sneeze. Most people try to stay indoors as much as possible when the pollen count is high but these particles easily find their way into our homes, meaning pollen levels can actually be higher indoors than outside.
While ventilating by opening a window is a great way to improve air quality, this will only result in bringing more pollen into the home which will become trapped in the enclosed space.
Pollen clings to your clothing, shoes, hair and even your pet so it’s important to remove these pollen particles from the air as quickly as possible.
Fortunately, there are quite a few ways to minimise your allergy symptoms caused by pollen. As well as the tips from Allergy UK (below) an air purifier can also help. Choose one that’s been tested to quickly remove pollen from the air to help provide relief from pollen allergies and prevent exposure to allergens.
Blueair’s range of Blue air purifiers have been proven to remove 99.99% of pollen from the air and can even remove other allergy triggers such as dust and pet dander.
What’s the best bedding for people with a dust-mite allergy?
Karen Innes, new product innovation manager for Slumberdown, says…
Choosing bedding can be an overwhelming experience, but when you have a dust mite allergy there is even more pressure to find the right match.
Many bedding products with synthetic fibres will be labelled as anti-allergy, so they should be easy to spot. Try and opt for bedding that has accreditation from initiatives like Allergy UK, so you can be confident in the quality of the bedding.
If you’d prefer to sleep in naturally-filled bedding, I’d really recommend that you consider wool products. Many people think of wool as being heavy and warm, but wool is actually incredible at natural temperature regulation, keeping you cool in summer and warm in winter. Wool is also moisture-wicking, which is good news for you and bad news for dust mites, who love damp bedding.
Wool bedding also doesn’t need to be washed very often, as a shake out and airing will give it a nice refresh. However, if you do feel like your duvet needs some extra love, you can pop it on a gentle cycle in your washing machine and leave it to hang dry.
My son has developed a severe egg allergy – how can I organise and clean my kitchen to protect him?
Kate Lancaster, The Dairy Free Mum (@thedairyfreemum), says…
When your child has a severe allergy it’s not only important to avoid giving them that allergen, but also to limit the risk of cross-contamination in food preparation and storage areas.
Firstly, agree as a household whether you will allow eggs, products containing egg, and products that ‘may contain’ egg (noted on the back of food packets) in your kitchen. If you will, designate a separate shelf in the fridge, and a separate cupboard or shelf for these items.
Invest in separate chopping boards, utensils, trays, crockery, and cutlery (different colours can help here) which you use to prepare and serve your child’s meals.
Before preparing food, make sure you sanitise your worktops fully with an antibacterial cleaning spray, and clean the cookware and crockery you’re using, always using a clean cloth and tea towel to dry.
Wash your hands thoroughly, and make this part of your child’s routine also, both before and after they eat. I find having these ‘rules’ drawn up in a fun, colourful way and stuck to the fridge can be a helpful reminder, and makes sure anyone involved in food prep can see them at a glance.
Hayfever season survival guide
Follow these top tips from Allergy UK for a sneeze-free summer…
Hay fever symptoms usually appear when the pollen count exceeds 50. Rain washes pollen from the air so pollen counts should be lower on wet days. If it is not possible to remain indoors during high pollen days, then the following will help to reduce your exposure:
- Wear a mask, wraparound sunglasses and a hat with a peak or large brim to keep allergens out of your eyes and face.
- Shower or bath, wash your hair and change your clothes when you arrive home. This will help to prevent continued exposure to the pollens indoors.
- Keep windows closed. This is most important in the early mornings when pollen is being released and in the evening, when the air cools.
- Avoid mowing lawns or raking leaves yourself.
- Avoid drying clothes outside when pollen counts are high.
- Wipe pets down with a damp cloth to remove pollen.
The weather plays a significant role in the production distribution and dispersion of pollen. The amount of daylight or photoperiod is crucial to pollen production. If the weather is warm, gentle to moderate breeze and plenty of daylight then the pollen count will be higher. If there is a cold or cloudy spell then the plants and trees will produce less pollen.
The pollen season starts with tree pollen in the early spring, followed by grass pollen in early May and throughout the summer and weed pollen seasons throughout spring to summer peaking in June/July. Visit the Allergy UK website to see the full pollen calendar.
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