How to get rid of allergens in the home

Did you know that 30% of Quebecers suffer from allergies? This means that around 2.5 million people in our province live with the uncomfortable symptoms they produce. Their main enemy is on the street in the form of pollen, but it's not the only one. Without leaving the house, three allergens can be a real nightmare for many people: dust mites, mold and pet dander.

To avoid coming into contact with them, it's important to follow certain preventive precautions. Here are a few tips to help you keep them at bay:

- Use an air purifier. This element is responsible for capturing, through filters, various airborne particles such as spores, pollen, mold and dust mites. It is therefore very useful for both allergy sufferers and asthmatics.

- Air daily. Do this for at least half an hour a day to renew the air, oxygenate it, let in sunlight and combat humidity. However, if pollen is another of your enemies, remember that the hours of lowest concentration are between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

- Protect yourself during cleaning. If you're allergic and need to clean, don't forget to wear a protective mask (and the same goes for washing or grooming your pet). And don't forget that to avoid spreading dust, it's best to clean surfaces with a damp cloth. This will prevent dust mites from coming into contact with the respiratory tract, so the cure is worse than the disease.

- Opt for a multi-purpose vacuum cleaner. Leave the broom and duster behind and opt for a vacuum cleaner with HEPA filters filters for 360° cleaning. In other words, it can reach all types of surfaces, because allergens can "hide" in any corner and settle on virtually any type of surface, so the most useful thing is to have a single appliance that allows you to combine several accessories to reach them all.

- Reduce allergen sources. Despite frequent cleaning, certain elements of the home are conducive to the accumulation of dust and other allergens. These include carpets, cushions, curtains and lint, all of which should either be kept to a minimum or cleaned very thoroughly. In the latter case, vacuuming every other day is recommended.

- Check door and window insulation. They are the point of entry for many allergens into our home, so it's essential to have models that allow them to be completely insulated, such as PVC ones with an opening that can be opened.

- Protect your bed. We spend many hours a day in this place where we rest, so it's very important to keep allergens as far away from the bedroom as possible. Ideally, you should choose bamboo sheets and wash them once a week in hot water, above 54 degrees, as dust mites cannot survive above this temperature. You can also wash them in cold water with Protech Allergies detergent with DeMite additive in a special program that eliminates 99.99% of bacteria, dust mites and germs.

- Get a dehumidifier. If you maintain the humidity level in your home, you'll get rid of dust mites, which die when there's insufficient humidity in the room, and prevent the appearance of mold and damp. These devices reduce the presence of humidity by drawing in air and extracting water through condensation. We recommend a humidity level of between 30% and 50%.

We wish you good health!

On behalf of the entire Protech Allergies team