Warm weather means there is a lot more pollen in the air than we were exposed to a few months ago. If your child has severe environmental allergies, then you probably have noticed that he or she is suffering from symptoms right now. Unfortunately, there isn’t a cure for allergies, but there are some devices that you can use to help make your allergic child a bit more comfortable this allergy season.
One of the most useful things I have found that really helps my allergies is an air cleaner, or air purifier. These devices clean the air in your home, and collect up all the little particles of dust, pollen, and whatever else is floating through the air, into a filter. For best results, you definitely want one that includes a HEPA filter, and you want to clean out or replace that filter promptly, as soon as it needs it.
Each air cleaner, or air purifier, will clean the air in a radius that is a certain distance from where the device sits. This means you may need more than one to properly clean the air in your home, and make it safer for your allergic child to breathe. I would advise placing an air cleaner in your child’s room because it will help him or her to get a better nights sleep, and it can help to prevent your child from waking up sick from allergies. I also have an air cleaner next to the bird cage where the family pets live, which helps cut down on the amount of dust and feathers that can get into the air.
Another device that can help is a dehumidifier. These are inexpensive, and can be easily found in many stores that sell small appliances. If your home has too much humidity, then it becomes a place where mold, mildew, and even dust mites are going to grow, thrive, and spread. All of those nasty little things can make life miserable for a child who is allergic to dust or mold. A simple device like a dehumidifier can easily be used to improve the quality of the air that your child is breathing.
If your home has central air conditioning, then you can close the windows and run the AC. Some AC units will allow you to put HEPA filters into them, which will help to cut down on the amount of allergens in the air. Just be sure to replace the filter on your AC often, or else you end up doing the opposite, and spreading trapped allergens back into the air you are trying to clean. Running your AC is also a good way to drop the humidity level in your home.
Image by savara_gallery on Flickr