How hardwood floors can help your winter allergy symptoms
Congratulations to those of your with pollen allergies, fall has arrived and you get a break from sniffling and sneezing for the next few months. Of course, if you’re one of the millions of people who is also allergic to dust, mites, mold and pet dander, you have another season of stuffy noses ahead of you. With the cooler months we start to close our windows and spend a whole lot more time indoors. This can increase indoor allergies for thousands of people. Luckily, with a little thoughtful decorating your hardwood floors can do more than just add value to your home, you can help alleviate – or lessen – your winter allergy symptoms.
First you need to determine if all that sniffling is really due to allergies, or if you just caught that cold that everyone seems to get as soon as the season changes. If your “cold” symptoms persist, and persist and persist. It’s time to put down the NyQuil and pick up the Benadryl. But before you go pharmaceutical crazy, take a look around your home to see if you’re not exacerbating the problem.
Eliminating dust mites and dander in your home is key to a comfortable, allergy free home. Get rid of materials in your home that could be triggering your allergies. For many homeowners, that means getting rid of that wall to wall shag carpeting and putting in some new hardwood floors.
Besides the VOCs and pollutants that most carpeting contains it is also the perfect hiding place for dust mites. And these little suckers are most likely what’s causing your symptoms. Dust mites are living breathing insects, too small for you to detect, and they thrive in your carpets. Not to mention your bedding and your upholstered furniture. Eliminating carpet is the first step to alleviating your allergy symptoms.
Photo: Walnut handscraped floors by T&G Flooring in Colorado
Making long term decor decisions to create an allergy free home can be a little more extensive, but it will be worth it when you’re able to breathe easy while sitting in your own home.
Hardwood flooring is beautiful, charming, warm and unique to every home. They are easy to clean, and advances in installation techniques and water based floor finishes can make the process of getting hardwood floors in your home an allergy free experience. Your contractor should be able to guide you towards the most allergy friendly – and environmentally friendly – way to get hardwood floors in your home.
Next you want to consider the furniture you buy. Avoiding too much upholstery will help keep dust mites at bay. If you make your home unlivable for these little insects, they’ll head over to your neighbor’s house instead. Think wooden furniture, leather or any smooth material that is easy to clean.
Millions of people are affected by allergies, both in the winter and in the summer. Hardwood floors are not inexpensive, but having your home be a sanctuary from sneezing all year round is priceless.
