Help for Allergy and Asthma Sufferers

There are many asthma and allergy triggers that can accumulate in your home. Dust mites, mould and pollen particles impact greatly on those who battle with allergies and asthma. To make life a little easier we’ve put together some handy hints that will help give you and your family relief from itching eyes, runny noses and asthma attacks.

 

Prevent dust mites. House dust mites are tiny little creatures that live off human skin scales, pollen and fungal spores. Their bodies, secretions and faeces contain particular proteins that can trigger asthma, eczema and allergic rhinitis. Mites prefer warm, humid, dark environments and are often found in bedding, carpets and soft furnishings. Regular washing, vacuuming and professional carpet cleaning your upholstered furniture, carpets and rugs will reduce help reduce dust mites within the home.

Wash your bed linen weekly. Pollen, dust and other allergens like to collect on your bed linen. Get rid of those nasties by washing your bedding and stuffed toys weekly in water hotter than 55°C. Tumble try according to manufacturer’s instructions. Freshly cleaned linens not only feel fantastic but also help you to sleep well through the night.

Vacuum once or twice weekly. To help keep allergens to a minimum, vacuum your carpets and upholstered furniture regularly using a motorised or rotating brush. Consider using an asthma and allergy sensitive vacuum cleaner with a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter which traps a large amount of very small particles that other vacuum cleaners recirculate back into the air of your home.

Spring clean regularly. As mentioned in our previous article “Top 10 Spring Cleaning Tips”, dusting and cleaning will help to remove allergens from your home. Use a damp cloth on all surfaces as it dramatically reduces the dust in the air while cleaning. Improve your indoor air quality by de-cluttering and removing excess knickknacks.

Use indoor and outdoor clothing. Whilst outside, your clothing is exposed to allergens that return with you into your home environment. It’s a good practice especially throughout spring, to have separate clothes for indoors and outdoors. Changing your clothes when you return home will help to reduce the amount of exposure.

Wash your hair before bedtime. As with clothing, pollens and other particles within the air can also lodge in your hair during the day and get into your pillow and bedding as you sleep at night. Limit your exposure to these triggers by washing your hair before going to bed.

Control pet dander and saliva. Pet hair and fur can trigger allergies, but it’s not the main source of pet allergies problems. Dog and cat dander (shed skin) and saliva are the most common causes of allergies within the household. Other pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs, birds and mice can also trigger asthma or allergies. If you have indoor pets, professional steam cleaning will help to remove pet dander and saliva from your carpets, rugs and upholstered furnishings. It’s best to keep pets out of the bedroom and give them a weekly bath.

Remove and control mould.  Mould and mildew grows best in damp and poorly ventilated areas. It triggers nasal congestion, respiratory infections and exacerbates asthma and allergic conditions. You can clean mouldy surfaces and also prevent its return by keeping your home dry and well-ventilated. Reduce moisture in bathrooms, laundries and roofs by sealing leaks and fixing plumbing. Try to limit indoor pot plants which have a water source as these also promote mould growth.

Eliminate cockroaches. Cockroaches carry a range of bacteria and disease-producing organisms that can trigger allergy and asthma symptoms. They prefer warm, humid conditions with a ready food source. You can treat minor infestations yourself by sealing all areas where the roaches can enter, emptying rubbish bins regularly and using baits and traps as these are less likely to irritate rhinitis and asthma.

Give your home an Allergy Treatment. Anti-Allergen Relief Treatment is a solution containing a powerful active natural plant based ingredient. It is a very safe, simple and highly effective way of changing the shape of allergen proteins such as dust mite droppings and pet dander. As a result, the allergens are no longer “recognised” by the body's immune system, alleviating the body's allergic response. Apex Carpet Cleaning uses Anti-Allergen Relief Treatment together with steam cleaning to freshen and invigorate your carpet and upholstery furniture. Individuals that suffer from allergies and asthma will be greatly relieved by our natural way of carpet cleaning. For more detailed information please see Allergy Treatment.


About Apex Carpet Cleaning:

Apex Carpet Cleaning is a local professional carpet cleaning company in Northern NSW. We offer a range of carpet cleaning services including; carpet steam cleaning, upholstery steam cleaning, residential carpet and rug cleaning, end of lease bond carpet cleaning, commercial and office carpet and upholstery cleaning, pet stain and odour removal, and allergy treatment green carpet cleaning.

In Byron Bay, our coverage extends from Suffolk Park to Pottsville, including Ocean Shores and Mullumbimby. Apex Carpet Cleaning Tweed Heads area encompasses, Coolangatta to Cabarita Beach as well as Kingscliff and Murwillumbah.

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Top 10 Spring Cleaning Tips

Spring cleaning time is here! But before you get started, Apex Carpet Cleaning has 10 great tips to help you de-clutter, freshen up and revitalise your home.



 1. De-clutter and donate to charity

Sort, organise and re-evaluate any clothes, books or furniture that you no longer need. Spring is a great time to start fresh with a more streamlined lifestyle. Donate your unwanted clothes and small items to charity shops, where they’ll get a second chance at life. Some local charities will also collect larger items like furniture.  Once all the clutter is gone, it will be much easier to start your spring cleaning.

 2. Pack away your winter wardrobe

Always wash your winter clothing and store in breathable cotton bags. Avoid placing in plastic bags, as it attracts condensation and dust particles. Place bags into a box and store on a high shelf in your wardrobe or on top of a cupboard. A great spring cleaning tip that will freshen things up is to fill an odd sock or unpaired pantyhose with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and bay leaves, a much better alternative to those awful moth balls.

 3. Clean your oven

We all hate doing it but it has to be done. Let's face it, your oven is in desperate need of a decent clean after all those winter roasts. For a greener alternative to the old oven cleaner, here’s a spring cleaning tip that will make life much easier. Mix some bicarb soda with water into a thick paste, spread it inside your entire oven and leave overnight. The next morning you simply wipe it out with a damp cloth. Magic!

 4. Clean out the fridge

Organise and thoroughly clean out the fridge, discarding any items that are past their expiry date. Clean the entire fridge with bicarb and vinegar, using a toothbrush to get into all the nooks and crannies. A tip to remove unpleasant odours, fill a small divided dish with bicarb in one part and vanilla essence in the other. Place the dish in the fridge to absorb nasty smells and deodorise the fridge. Use a vacuum cleaner with an attachment hose to remove dust and lint from the condenser coils of your fridge to keep the system from overheating.

5. Prepare your air conditioning unit
While you have the vacuum cleaner out, carefully go over the unit with the brush attachment of your vacuum. Remove and wash the filter out, allow it to dry completely before you reinstall it.

6. Freshen up your curtains and pillows

Like carpets and rugs, curtains and pillows need to be cleaned throughout the year to help reduce allergens and dust mites and keep them looking as good as new. Release the pleats or gathered tops, when spring cleaning your curtains as these areas are real dust traps. Clean them according to the instructions, hang coloured curtains upside down to avoid the colour running and iron them top to bottom, while they're still slightly damp. Spring clean your pillows using woolwash or Eucofresh, place them on top of the clothesline to drip dry. Turn the pillows regularly to ensure the centre is completely dry.

7. Clean your blinds

Wipe wooden blinds with a few drops of gentle wood cleaner on a nearly dry sponge. Aluminium blinds can be washed outdoors. Place them on an old sheet on a slanted surface, and scrub with water and a noncorrosive cleaner. Using a hose, rinse well and then dry the blinds thoroughly with an old towel to prevent rust.

 8. Get rid of dust

Work with gravity! Spring clean each room from top to bottom. Start at the ceiling by dusting fans and light fixtures with a damp cloth and a vacuum with a soft nozzle attachment. Unscrew light bulbs and polish with a microfiber cloth. Work your way down the walls, over the furniture, all the way to the skirting boards and flooring. Whilst you’ve got the step ladder out for spring cleaning, it’s a great opportunity to check your smoke alarms.

 9. Wash your windows

Now that spring has arrived, it's time to get that natural light flooding through your windows. Clean your windows late in the day when direct sunlight no longer strikes the glass. Bright sunlight causes glass to dry quickly, which promotes streaking. Use squeegees, they are faster and more effective than cloth or paper towel. Dip into a bucket of warm water mixed together with 1tsp washing-up liquid and half a cup of vinegar. Use vertical strokes (with rainfall direction) on the outside of the glass and horizontal strokes on the inside. That way if you see any streaks after cleaning, you'll know which side they're on by the direction of the streak.

10. Steam clean your carpets, lounges
and rugs
Over the winter months your carpets, rugs and upholstery may accumulate a lot of dirt, dust and bacteria, all of which are unsightly, unhygienic and can cause health problems. You deserve a break after all that spring cleaning, so call in a professional carpet cleaner to give your home a thorough, deep steam cleaning.  Take the morning off and enjoy all that spring has to offer! Contact Apex Carpet Cleaning today or use our online booking service to schedule your spring carpet cleaning.       

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