Sneeze if you suffer from allergies! (Bless you) I suffer too. And if you are like me, now is the time of the year you suffer the most! Pollen, dust, dander and more. Well, there are plenty of ways to have a less sneezy-season. With the internet today, you can find many tips to help with allergens around the house and tips to keep your house fresher in general.
Here are a few of my favorite tips from the healthy living expert, Lisa Beres:
Source: Kitchen refrigerator
Solution: Forgotten leftovers can cause a foul odor in your fridge. Clean the fridge drawers and shelves by adding a few drops of natural dish soap to a bowl of baking soda and stir until it creates a thick paste. This will remove odors as well as stains left behind from food. Also store an open box of baking soda inside the fridge to help eliminate odors before they start, and replace it with a fresh box at least every three months.Source: Cooking
Solution: Prevent unappealing cooking odors, such as fish, from spreading and lingering throughout the entire home by upgrading to the Filtrete Odor Reduction Filter. It traps odors and gases from the air passing through the filter and helps keep the home fresh for families and houseguests. Synthetic air fresheners, candles and incense only provide temporary relief from odors by masking them in one particular room but will do nothing to remove the odors from the entire home.Source: Damp towels
Solution: Wet towels from a shower, a trip to the gym or a day at the pool can be a breeding ground for mildew to develop if they sit too long without drying. To rid towels of the mildew smell, first wash them once in hot water with a cup or two of white vinegar. Then wash them again with a natural or eco-friendly laundry detergent. Finally, dry the towels in the dryer on high heat. To avoid mildew and associated smells in the future, hang towels up right away to ensure they dry thoroughly.Source: Pet odors
Solution: Furry companions are considered family members to many — 72 percent of American households today own either a dog or a cat. Reduce the unpleasant smell of pet dander by bathing and grooming your pet weekly and establishing pet-free zones in the home, such as the bedroom.Source: Candles and air fresheners
Solution: Instead of trying to mask the odors with store-bought air fresheners, create your own air freshener by combining 10 drops of an essential oil — such as lavender or eucalyptus — with two cups of water. Many air fresheners may sway you with the scents of fresh cut grass, warm vanilla or tropical fruits, but they can contain synthetic chemicals, such as formaldehyde, which can irritate eyes, skin and throats.
These tips are simple ones that are useful around my house. How about yours? One thing I know, is I need to be more diligent about the pet zones – as of right now, our dog is allowed on nearly every surface of our home – except the kitchen table. 🙂
Although I do vacuum once a week to keep the loose hair under control, another easy solution to reducing pet odor is use the Filtrete Odor Reduction Filter in our home heating and cooling system. The Filtrete Odor Reduction Filter helps reduce airborne allergens from the air passing through the filter and improves the air quality.
This filter is the most effective carbon filter at removing odors from the entire home from cooking, cleaning chemicals, tobacco smoke, pets and mildew. It keeps gross things like dust, dust mites and dander out of the air – it stops right in the filter. Since this filter is so effective at stopping the nastiness passing through the air – it will help my allergies immensely!
Get Your Own! Filtrete Odor Reduction Filters are available at select home centers, hardware and grocery stores nationwide. They can also be purchased online. Suggested Retail Price: $15.99
For more information: Visit www.Filtrete.com. You can sign up for the Filtrete eNewsletter to get coupons, tips and filter change reminders. Be social with them on Filtrete Facebook and on Twitter @Filtrete.
Reader Follow Up: Does your family do anything to help make your home a healthier, cleaner environment?
Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Filtrete and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.