Last Friday I wrote about five things that are more important to me than money, and one of those things was health. I am allergic to mold, dust, cats, and dogs. I don’t have extreme allergies related to cats and dogs, just have to be careful about washing my hands after touching them and keeping them out of the bedroom. Mold and dust are nearly unavoidable, though exposure can be limited in a number of ways.
What I have listed below are five products that help fight indoor allergies. They can be beneficial for everyone, but I’ve found they quickly become the allergy-sufferers best friend.
1) Air Purifier
My doctor told me for years to purchase an air purifier before I finally did. Once I did I realized why – it picks up a ton of dust! I currently own two of the Honeywell HFD-120-Q Tower Quiet Air Purifier with Permanent IFD Filter, Black
2) Humidifier
Winters in Minnesota can be very, very dry. Humidifiers can help cope with this dry weather. They are relatively affordable, as you can get a high-quality one for $90 or less. I own a different model, but if I was buying one today I would probably go with the Honeywell HCM-6009 QuietCare 9-Gallon Output Console Humidifier with Air Washing Technology
During the winter I run my humidifier most nights. A warning: Make sure you check the filter every now and then, they can easily become moldy after continuous use over the course of a winter.
3) Vacuum
Everyone has a vacuum, but if you have allergies investing in a good one can make a big difference. Especially if you have dogs and cats, vacuuming frequently should have a noticeable difference on your allergies. I’m sometimes shocked at how much cat hair and other crap that our vacuum picks up, because oftentimes the stuff isn’t even visible on the carpet. I currently have a Hoover vacuum, but will most likely buy a Bissell vacuum
4) Steam Cleaner
If you have carpet but don’t have a steam cleaner, you are leaving a ton of junk in your carpets. A vacuum can’t get everything, trust me. When we first moved into our apartment, we bought a steam cleaner because the carpet was a bit older and worn. What followed was a bit shocking: load after load of dirty, disgusting, grayish/black water. I swear by my Bissell Steam Cleaner
5) Pet Grooming Wipes
I discovered these hypo-allergenic pet wipes
Pet allergies come from the protein in pet’s saliva. For example, when a cat grooms, they get protein all over their fur. When they shed, this protein is attached to all that pet dandruff that is being released into the air. Using these organic, hypo-allergenic grooming wipes are much easier than giving baths (ESPECIALLY with cats) and helps remove some of that protein and dandruff that otherwise would end up all over your house.
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There are literally an endless number of products that help fight allergies, but these are five products that every allergy sufferer should have (unless you don’t have pets, then scratch the pet wipes).
Do you suffer from allergies? What other products do you use to help fight them?
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Holly has allergies this time of year and it really helps just to keep ourhouse as clean as possible. We get our carpet cleaned regularly…but most of our lower floor is tile. She got a steam cleaner for Christmas last year nd loves it. It cleans til really well without using any chemicals at all, only stea.
@GregatClubThrifty That’s awesome! My life literally changed when I got a steam cleaner…I was kicking myself for not using it for the years and years before when I suffered.
I have no allergies, thankfully. If you are getting that dog, there are some brushes that will get dog hair off furniture and less accessible places.
Maybe a tub of hand sanitizer at the entrance of the house to kill the bacteria will help too.
@RFIndependence Great idea! I do need to get a brush, and a bath every once in a while should help as well.
We REALLY really need a humidifier. He has horrible allergies because of all the dog hair :(
@SenseofCents I’m allergic to our cat who is ironically sitting on my lap (a no-no if you are allergic to pets…) and air purifiers pick up a TON of hair! Combine that with a good vacuum and frequent steam cleaning and you should see signs of improvement. Haha I sound like a doctor but I just have chronic allergies ;)
Thankfully I do not have any allergies, but my wife is to mold. She’s always looking for things to help her. We’re just hoping our kids don’t get allergies.
@FrugalRules I already know our kids will inherit our allergies, or at least I’m assuming as much. At least you are holding out hope!
I really need to get a humidifier, mainly because LA can get so dry in the winter and my skin just gets so dry!
@Beachbudget My hands are already cracking from being dry! I just ordered a new humidifier filter so that I can start running it at night.
I think I might be suffering from allergies this year but it is the worst year in as long as the locals can remember due to last winer’s extremely warm weather. Hopefully next year I’m less stuffy!
@Money Life and More Hope you start feeling better!
If you use a humidifier, follow instructions. Don’t be stupid like me and use water that isn’t distilled. That was a nightmare…
@Veronica @ Pelican on Money Thanks for the tip!
My husband and I both have a variety of allergies.
He actually went through a series of tests a few years ago because every Spring he would get this annoying dry cough that would last for 2 months. Doctors couldn’t specifically find anything wrong except to say that he was allergic to grass and dog hair and a bit of cat dandruff. He already had the air purifier but it is very dry in the winter in our city and even though we have a small humidifier attached to the furnace we bought 2 small portable ones. Now we run 1 in our bedroom and 1 in our office. His coughs have almost disappeared, and while our cats are allowed everywhere in our home they do not get to sleep in our bedroom, ever.
@TacklingOurDebt We do the same thing with my wife’s cat! Unfortunately for Lena (the cat), she slept on my wife’s bed for the first 18 years of her life so she was NOT amused when we moved her a year ago and she found out the bedroom was off-limits. But she’s dealing with it :)
That’s good to hear about your husband. My wife is very allergic to freshly cut grass (probably because crap is floating in the air for a while afterwards), so I cut it. Humidifiers are big, I just ordered our new filter for our portable one and can’t wait for it to get here.
Mrs.CBB and I both have allergies and Mrs.CBB can get pretty bad at times. We both are allergic to environmental allergens only. I’m in the process of removing all the carpet and putting in hardwood. Right now we vacumme every single day, dust weekly and make sure I check the filters in the house. The allergist told me there is not a whole lot you can really do to be rid of dust but most people try. I am also allergic to mould and cats (bad).
@CanadianBudgetB Dogs, Cats, Mold, Dust are my big allergies. In fact, after reading your comment it reminded me to clean our air purifier filters! I’m about to do that now, then vacuum all this carpet. We really want to put in some dark hardwood but need to save for it.
We are not very allergic, but always run a humidifier because it’s dang dry here. We also hate pet hair, but have two dogs and love our Dyson vacuum. It was bit spendy, but works great after almost 5 years, and we use it heavily.
@Eyesonthedollar Good to hear about the Dyson! I need to vacuum after reading all these posts : )
I noticed a big difference in coughing / allergies after we got a decent vacuum cleaner. Good post!
@SavvyScot1 Good to hear!
Neither my wife or I have allergies but since we will be having a baby come into the house shortly we are looking at what we should be doing to ensure the air is safe enough.
I don’t think a sterile environment is what we are going for but who knows what my wife will come up with. Hospital grade HVAC system?!?
@Jon H Haha oh man. In all seriousness, the first few years of a child’s life are very important for their long-term health. My pulmonologist (asthma doctor) stressed that to me and is very anti-daycare for the first few years.
I’ve got pretty bad allergies, especially when it comes to guinea pigs. But I noticed when we moved from our apartment to the house my allergies were not as bad because the house had hard wood floors. So now all we use is a swiffer to get rid of dust off the floor, and wash the floors 2 times a month and we haven’t had too many problems.
@JustinatTheFrugalPath That’s one reason I really, really, really want hardwood floors. I vacuum and steam on a weekly basis! It helps and I definitely notice the difference, but it’s still a pain.
I love HEPA filters and pseudo hardwood floors :) I have one room of carpet left, and I cannot wait to rip it out!
I’ve given my cat a bath on several occasions — definitely a 2 person job and not the most pleasant experience for my cat. Have you tried the pet grooming wipes? Any comments on their effectiveness or safety for pets?
I had heard that vacuuming is a great way to reduce allergens in your house but if you have allergies then someone else should vacuum. I guess it’s because dust gets thrown into the air when vacuuming. I had heard about humidifiers helping out but I’m not sure if I understand how they work. http://www.comfortsolutionshvac.net/services/indoor-air-quality/humidifiers/