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Reducing Allergens in the Home and other Sneeze-Free Strategies

If you’re an allergy sufferer, then you may already know that having a HEPA air filter greatly reduces the amount of impurities present inside the home. To minimize allergens, it is also important to keep your indoor environment clean. Continually wipe down hard surfaces and groom your pet often. Vacuuming (especially for homes with carpets) with a HEPA vacuum filter will greatly reduce the presence of pet dander.

If you suffer from mild allergies, you also have the option of taking allergy shots and using antihistamines to reduce the severity of allergy symptoms brought on by the presence of a pet in your home. Also, the level of allergens inside the home is relative to the size of the domicile and how often you let your pet out. If you have a dog, for example, just letting it run outside reduces the amount of dander present inside the home.

The best start to finding your perfect pet is simply to walk through a pet store or animal shelter and just try asking about the animals that you’re most drawn to. Keep petMD’s lists of hypoallergenic cats, birds, and dogs handy to check if any within that category are available for adoption.

Animal shelters usually provide an adjustment time period clause for you to become acclimated with the new addition to your family. If, after you bring your pet home, your allergies become an intolerable issue and nothing works, you always have the option of returning the animal back to the shelter.

Science continues to make advances in treating allergy sufferers who are animal lovers. Soon, a vaccine may become widely available that “cures” people from cat allergies. Antihistamines and air filters can also provide relief from allergy symptoms, just as walking and exercising your dog outside will reduce pet dander in the home. But, if you don’t have a pet yet and want to adopt one, consider adopting a hypoallergenic pet and see if that doesn’t provide it’s own cure!