Are These 5 Allergens Hiding in Your Home in Calhoun, GA?

Residents of Calhoun, GA, should be on guard against household allergens this year. Before you can take proactive measures, however, you must know which things pose the greatest threats. Here are five especially common and potent household allergens:

Dust

The omnipresence of dust in virtually every building shouldn’t discourage you from working to minimize its quantity and improve your indoor air quality (IAQ). Since inhaling large quantities of dust can cause many allergic symptoms, like coughing and sinus irritation, your respiratory health demands that you try your best.

Dust often floats through the air, but it can also settle on tables, windowsills, floors, shelves and other flat surfaces anywhere in your home. It’s also prone to gathering on your furniture upholstery and carpets, in your mattress and in various other places.

Ultimately, to decrease the allergenic threat from dust, you need to regularly vacuum your carpets and upholstery, wipe every hard surface and do everything you can to keep your home clean. Installing an air purifier can also help. Since your HVAC system filters lots of dust, remember to change its filter regularly and schedule preventive maintenance for it.

Pet Dander

As much as we love our pets, there’s no denying that their fur and dander can seriously inflame allergies. To keep such unpleasantness to a minimum, remember to brush your pets regularly and scrub away all loose skin cells when bathing them.

This becomes even more important if your furry friends like to play outside on a regular basis. The more time that your pets spend outside, the more likely they will be to bring dirt and pollen into your home along with their dander.

Pollen

In spring and summer, pollen is practically everywhere. Pollen is tiny and can float through the air without making itself noticeable, which makes its allergy-causing abilities all the more insidious.

The best ways to minimize the inflow of pollen into your home are to keep your doors and windows closed and to wash your clothes after you’ve been outside for any appreciable length of time. Your HVAC system, especially its filters and ventilation capabilities, can also play a fairly significant role in keeping your home pollen-free.

Insects

Insects of all kinds can strew various kinds of debris throughout your home, which you may end up inhaling without realizing it. The most common allergy-causing insects are dust mites, which latch themselves onto dust particles, and cockroaches. Depending on the nature of your allergies, flies, mosquitoes and many other kinds of bugs may be just as annoying.

Insects like these typically crawl into your home through holes in your walls, floors and plumbing. They also thrive in moist or humid areas.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Unlike every other allergen that we’ve discussed here, which is either a living thing or bears some close tie to nature, VOCs are the artificial results of human industry. “VOC” refers to chemicals with a high vapor pressure and a low boiling point. VOCs are highly toxic and tend to vaporize in the air, which only increases the danger that goes with inhaling them.

You may find VOCs in paints, glues, pharmaceutical drugs, cleaners, aerosol sprays, automotive products like motor oil or gasoline and many other places. Since these are all items commonly present in households, they can pose grave risks to those who aren’t careful with them.

VOCs can trigger standard allergy-like symptoms, including sneezing, coughing, shortness of breath and congestion. They also have the power to cause things like nausea, vomiting, nosebleeds, headaches, dizziness and fainting, particularly upon long-term exposure.

We advise exercising caution whenever handling anything that contains VOCs. If you must come into physical contact with such items, wear gloves when doing so and be sure to dispose of such chemicals properly. In the case of supplies within your house, it always helps to ventilate your home well if weather allows.

Despite the dangers and inconveniences these allergens all pose, it’s certainly possible to minimize their presence. For help doing this, call the professionals at Dalton Heating & Air and get the best IAQ services in Calhoun, GA.

Image provided by iStock