5 Easy Ways To Allergy-Proof Your Home

April showers bring May flowers, and May flowers bring allergies. That may not be part of the original rhyme, but most of us know all too well exactly how true this statement is. So, if you’re wondering how you can keep your allergies from flaring up—it’s going to start with a little bit of cleaning. With a few easy steps, you can efficiently reduce allergens and hopefully feel a whole lot better this season. They don’t call it spring cleaning for nothing!

Most of these tasks can be completed in only about two minutes. Others, removing clutter, for instance, take a little bit of time initially, but are so easy to maintain for the rest of allergy season. So, what do you say to more cleaning and less sneezing? Let’s get started!

1. Remove Clutter

This is probably the most time-consuming step by far, but if you take time to remove clutter around the house, underneath your bed, etc., you’ve limited the places where allergens can hang out.

2. Clean Bedding

Not only should you be washing your sheets weekly, you should also be giving your mattress a good vacuuming once a month to get rid of dust mites and other allergens.

3. Purify The Air

There are several steps you can take to make sure the air you’re breathing isn’t causing your sneezing and runny nose. You can be sure to replace or clean the filters in your home, invest in an air purifier that will help to remove toxins from the air (without much work on your end) and also place plants that purify the air around the home.

GermGuardian AC5350B Elite Air Cleansing System, $158.78, Amazon

4. Don’t Track Inside

You can either enforce a “no shoes” policy inside your home or just make sure to guard doorways with doormats to keep from tracking the pollen and debris from your shoes into your living space.

5. Deep Clean The Bathroom

OK, so this step may take a little bit of time, too, but once you’ve gotten the initial scrub out of the way, it will definitely be easy to maintain for the rest of the year. Make sure you’ve gotten rid of any mold in the bathroom because yes, that can cause allergies, too. You can use 1/2 cup of bleach and a gallon of water to get rid of any pesky growing mold. You should also consider swapping your vinyl shower curtain for nylon, as vinyl can emit potentially lung-irritating compounds, such as phthalates. Nylon, on the other hand, can be thrown in the washing machine every so often.

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll be well on your way to a happier, healthier (and hopefully, sneeze-free) allergy season.