4 Household Allergens to Watch Out for in Santa Clara, TX
Allergies can be a terrible burden to anyone unlucky enough to have to deal with them. To keep themselves and their families allergy-free, homeowners in Santa Clara, TX, fight a constant battle against allergens in their homes. If you are striving to keep your home allergy-free, look out for and eliminate these four common household allergens.
1. Dust
Dust mites exist in at least some quantity in every house and are virtually impossible to completely remove. Since they’re such a common allergen, this fact can be especially troublesome if you contend with severe allergies.
To minimize the number of dust mites in your home, the most important thing to do is to clean everything regularly and thoroughly. Take special care to dust and vacuum hard-to-reach places like the tops of bookcases and the area underneath couches. You should also wash all your bedding in hot water, and you may want to consider buying mattress encasements or special allergen-proof fabric.
To keep dust levels as low as realistically possible, remember to change the air filters on your HVAC system at least once every 90 days. Buying a humidifier is also a good idea as lower humidity levels will leave dust mites fewer places to stick to and accumulate.
2. Shedding Pets
Though shedding pet hair may cause problems for other reasons, it does not trigger many allergy symptoms. Rather, dander — dead skin cells along with the bacteria in your pets’ saliva — are the real sources of pet-related allergy symptoms. These symptoms include watery eyes and congestion.
Fortunately, it is possible to minimize or even eliminate such unpleasant effects without entirely removing your pets from your presence. To accomplish this, the key is to wash your pets assiduously and comprehensively. This is particularly important if they’ve recently been outdoors, and to always clean up after them as soon as possible. You should also brush your pets and vacuum up after them as dander frequently clings to pet hair and uses it as a vehicle to get into the air.
3. Pollen
Pollen is especially abundant outside during the spring and summer but can even proliferate extensively during autumn mornings. Of course, it can also find its way into your home in liberal quantities. This can happen because people and pets inadvertently bring some of it in from the outdoors, or it can happen because it floats into your ventilation system.
However it gets indoors, pollen is a common and powerful allergen. To prevent its entry to the greatest extent possible, you should not only, as already mentioned, clean your pets, but you should also strive to keep your windows closed on windy days and leave your shoes outside.
4. Biological Growth
Biological growth can form in any area where moisture exists for a prolonged period. Most commonly, these spores appear in homes wherever there is some sort of unaddressed or unplugged leak. Thus, biological growth can materialize on your plumbing and even around your AC unit.
Biological contaminants can be hazardous to inhale. Thus, breathing in such pollutants might not only cause you to suffer allergy symptoms like coughing and sneezing, but you’ll also be at a higher risk of infection.
Biological growth presents these dangers no matter where it manifests in your home, but if it’s anywhere near your AC or ventilation system, there is a high probability that the system will absorb those spores and distribute them by air across your house. Therefore, if you notice biological growth on or around any part of your HVAC system, you should call for AC repair services as soon as possible and ask for a skilled technician to take care of the problem.
Allergens pose a ubiquitous threat to your comfort and health indoors. Fortunately, it is a threat that homeowners around Santa Clara, TX can take effective steps to resist. Call Legacy Home Services and request our indoor air quality and HVAC services today, and we’ll help you in your fight against allergies.
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