Ways to reduce allergens in your home

This post is sponsored by FiltersFast.com, an automated home delivery service for all your filter needs in your home. All opinions in this post are those of Charleston Crafted and we are actual users of the service. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Charleston Crafted possible!

Summer is still in full swing and that means we are running our air conditioners a lot. We’re going in and outdoors enjoying the weather. However, that means we’re bringing a lot of allergens into our homes all the time. That’s making our air systems work hard to keep you cool and keep the allergens out. We’ve got a few ways to reduce allergens in your home that will make you happier and healthier.

Ways to Reduce Allergens in Your Home

Homeowner HVAC Maintenance Checklist

1. Change your air filters every one to three months– changing your air filters is probably one of the easiest ways to reduce allergens in your home. A good air filter will do just that- filter the air in your home, filtering out all the allergens that you would breathe in. For us, we use FiltersFast.com and their Home Filter Club. With FiltersFast.com, we have our air filters delivered to our home on a regular schedule. We used their step-by-step system to answer questions about our home and air usage and they matched us up with exactly what we needed. They paired us with their FiltersFast.com brand MERV-11 filter in our home. These filters remove a wide range of allergens from our home. This can help improve allergies and alleviate sinus irritation that can cause watery eyes, itchy throat, coughing, and sneezing. I have bad allergies, so this is a huge plus for me. These HVAC filters will also extend the life of your heating and cooling system by making it work more efficiently.
   
   
2. Indoor HVAC maintenance- when you’re changing your filter, inspect the metal air vent and be sure to wipe it down of any dust, debris or cobwebs. Check for any unusual odors or sounds coming from your HVAC returns or vents. This could be indicative of a bigger problem. Set your ceiling fans to rotate counter-clockwise in warm weather and clockwise in cool weather to get the best effect. But, if you’re like us, we end up leaving them counter-clockwise for most of the year down here in Charleston.
   
3. Outdoor HVAC maintenance– wipe down your unit and remove any leaves, sticks, or debris. Trim any plants or grass within 2 feet of the unit to help keep it clear of debris and pulling in things you can’t see. Look at the fan blades while in motion and stationary and be sure they don’t look damaged. Check the drain line to be sure nothing looks blocked or clogged.
   

Other Ways to Reduce Allergens in Your Home

1. Dust– dust settles on every. single. surface. in your home. Dusting on a regular basis will keep dust off of surfaces, which will reduce what gets knocked up into the air and into your nose.
   
2. Wash your sheets regularly– dust settles on your bed too. So do skin cells, whatever was on your feet when you came inside and, if you let your dog on the bed, pet fur and everything they have on their bodies. Wash your sheets at least once a week.
3. Vacuum– if you have carpets and rugs, they will trap all these allergens coming off your shoes or floating down from the air. Get a good quality vacuum cleaner and keep a regular schedule of this.
4. Have two doormats, one outside, one inside– using a doormat inside and out will help prevent even more dirt and dust from getting in your home by giving you double security for clean feet.
   

We hope these tips for ways to reduce allergens in your home work for you and keep your family’s air clean for the rest of the summer!

Thanks again to FiltersFast.com for sponsoring this post. Be sure to check out their Home Filter Club and go through their step-by-step system to get matched up with the filters that work best for your home and have them delivered to you on your schedule!

Check out our whole blog series with Filters Fast:

An Easy DIY Way to Change Your Filters

Stay Hydrated with Filters Fast

Ways to reduce allergens in your home

The W3 Project

Sean

Hey there, I’m Sean, the woodworking enthusiast and builder behind CharlestonCrafted.com! Since 2012, I’ve been sharing the magic of turning raw materials into beautiful creations. I love teaching others the art and satisfaction of woodworking and DIY. I try to inspire fellow crafters to make something extraordinary out of nothing at all.