Animals are a great addition to a home, but many people miss out on the benefits of owning them because of pet allergies. In the United States, one in five people has asthma or allergy symptoms. Chances are, you – or another member of your household – have pet allergies.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t own a pet. As long as your allergies aren’t severe, you can learn to manage them so you can live with one or more dogs and/or cats.
The first step in controlling your pet allergies is understanding what causes the adverse reactions in the first place. Surprisingly, the root of the problem isn’t usually hair or fur. The real culprit is the dead skin shed by animals, otherwise known as dander. It leaves an unpleasant smell, sticks to furniture and triggers allergies.
To manage dander, frequently wash and brush your dog or cat at least once a week, and do it outside or a well-sealed room if at all possible. If someone in your household doesn’t have pet allergies, ask him or her to handle this chore.
During nice weather, let your pets outside, if you feel comfortable doing so. At the very least, don’t let them have the run of the house, and especially don’t allow them access to the bedrooms of allergy sufferers.
Lastly, ensure that the air inside your home is as clean as possible. Vacuuming helps, but since dander particles are so tiny, it’s hard to get rid of them without help from mechanical filtration. Supplement the work of your regular forced-air filtration system with a dedicated air cleaner. This will help improve indoor air quality for pet allergy sufferers and everyone else in the household, eliminating dander and other pollutants such as pollen, dust mites, mold spores, etc.
Contact us today at Ace Hardware Home Services to learn more about our products and services – or if you just need expert advice on indoor air quality. We provide quality HVAC services to Dayton and the surrounding area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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