What Triggers Your Allergies? The Big 3 Indoor Allergens To Avoid

If you have airborne allergies, chances are something in the indoor air is causing you to sneeze, cough, become congested, and generally feel poorly. And if you're like most people it's probably a combination of triggers that send your body into overdrive. Here are 5 potent allergens to avoid.

Pet Dander---I've got this under control you might think particularly if you don't have pets. Over 60 million homes have warm-blooded pets that shed dander. And just because you don't happen to be one of them, doesn't mean you don't have dander.

Dander is sticky stuff so if you work with someone or your children go to school with others who have pets; you've got some of it in your home. It sticks to clothes, book bags, and hair and is easily transferred on contact.

Once they are in your home, shaking out clothes or putting them on the bed or with other clothes simply spreads the allergen. If your daily routine brings you in constant contact, its easy to understand how the amounts in your home will increase even though you don't have a pet.

If you do have a pet such as a cat, dog, bird, ferret, bunny or other warm fuzzy friend the production of these dead skin flakes will continue all through your pet's life. So being able to effectively keep the levels low can help lessen the frequency and intensity of allergy and asthma flare-ups.

Dust Mites---Dust mites feed on dead skin cells. They don't really care about the source. Human or pet dander is acceptable.. Their favorite room in the house is the bedroom, and more specifically your bed. They thrive in moist, warm, and dark places which make your bed or your pet's bedding a haven for increasing their population.

It is the protein in their feces (that they drop everywhere) that is such a potent trigger. Being able to minimize their numbers can prevent them from causing respiratory issues and from exacerbating existing ones.

Dust---This is an accumulation of fine particles from many sources. What it contains is slightly different in each home. Taking a piece of it and putting it under a microscopic can tell you volumes about what's in it.

Generally it has fine pieces of textiles from clothing, upholstery, rugs and other fabrics. It also usually contains tiny pieces of paper from magazines, mail, and paper products. Body parts from insects, pet and human hair, small pieces of feces from mites and other insects as well as bug body parts can add to this collection.

Unfortunately these allergens are a permanent fact of indoor living. Making sure that the levels remain consistently low can stabilize your health and provide relief from symptoms that can range from annoying to debilitating. The best way to manage allergies is to avoid the trigger. And the best pro-active yet non-invasive way to do that is to filter the continually. This will decrease the allergens and can increase quality of life for good.

Let the Allergy Machine Air Purifier from PurerAir.com remove airbone allergens continually from your air 24 hours every day.  See it now at http://purerair.com/allergy_machine.html

Original article

Indoor Air Quality and Seasonal Allergens

Seasonal allergens cause misery for millions of allergy sufferers each year in the form of sneezing, itchy eyes, runny noses, and scratchy throats. The quality of the air indoors can have a considerable effect on the seasonal allergy symptoms that appear in those that are susceptible and reducing the amount of seasonal allergens in the indoor air is the most effective way to obtain seasonal allergy relief.

Important Indoor Allergen Reduction Tips

While it is impossible to change the amounts of pollen and allergens outdoors, following a few simple tips can improve the indoor air quality of your home and bring relief to the seasonal allergy sufferer.

Keep Pollen Outdoors

During the times of year when seasonal allergens are high, try to keep the pollen outdoors as much as possible. Here are some suggestions:
Keep doors and windows closed to prevent the wind from blowing the pollen indoors.Use the heating and cooling system to regulate the temperature and control the humidity indoors.Use air filters that are capable of removing allergens from the air flowing through the system.If possible, remove exterior clothing near the door when returning to the home from a long period outdoors to prevent the spread of pollen throughout the home.

Vacuum Frequently

Your vacuum cleaner can be your best friend during seasonal allergy season as you use it to remove allergens from your home.
Carpets and rugs should be vacuumed at least once per week.Small rugs and blankets that can be washed should be washed weekly in hot water.Upholstered furniture and large pillows should be vacuumed to remove allergens that could be released back into the air as you and your familyuse your furniture.

Use a Dust-Trapping Duster

When removing dust from hard surfaces, use a duster that traps the dust in the duster instead of brushing it off of the surface and back into the air.

A few things to keep in mind:
Feather dusters and foam dusters merely push the dust around instead of removing it, but many damp cloths and wipes actually trap the dust particles so that they can be thrown away.Sweeping with a broom can also return dust and dirt to the air, so you may want to try using the vacuum for cleaning your hardwood, tile, or laminate floors.

Fewer Indoor Allergens is Good for Your Health

Having good air quality in the home is important for anyone that suffers from seasonal allergies or asthma and ensuring that the indoor air is free of allergy triggers like dust and pollen is one of the best things you can do to reduce allergy symptoms and improve overall health.

Jim Gates, CAFS, is the brand manager for Quality Filters, Inc. ( http://qualityfilters.com/ ), a leading manufacturer and distributor of high quality home and commercial air filters. The company's products are available online at BuyFilters.com ( http://buyfilters.com/ ).

Original article