All homes have a wide variety of allergens that send us into tearing, sniffling, and hacking misery. What you may not know is how many of these culprits may be lurking inside your home right now.
Mold: Many people are allergic to mold spores and every house has them. If your house has such a serious problem that you can smell the mold, perhaps in your basement, attic, crawl space, walls, or floors, you will probably need professional help to remove it. The best way to prevent mold and mildew is to deny it damp places to grow.
Cockroaches: These insects are creepy, disgusting, and spread bacteria and disease. They also trigger allergies in lots of people. Even if you don’t see roaches in your house, you are likely to have some. You may bring them in unseen in boxes or bags, or they may sneak in from outside. Once they’re in your home, they breed like crazy, year-round.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): This is a large group of chemicals that are found in many products used to build and maintain homes. Once these chemicals are in a structure, they are released or “off-gassed” into the air we breathe. They may or may not produce a discernable odor; but if they do, it’s a pretty good indicator of a potential health risk. Potential sources of off-gassing range from construction materials to carpeting, cabinetry, furniture, paint, carpeting, and any number of household cleaning products.
The health risks from inhaling VOCs depends on many are in the air and how often a person breathes them. It is important to remember that VOCs refer to a group of chemicals. Each chemical has its own toxicity and potential for causing different health effects. Unfortunately, another common allergen source is usually cute, warm, and cuddly.
Pet Dander: These are small flakes of skin and one of the most common and powerful allergens known to man. People may also be allergic to fur, feathers, and urine. Dogs, cats, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, and birds are common sources of dander. Getting a shorthaired cat or dog doesn’t help, because dander is simply dead skin cells. Sometimes, the pet dander itself isn’t the problem, but the pollen or mold spores your pet brings into the house from outdoors. However, the worst culprit of the lot is living right under your nose — and probably giving it fits.
Dust Mites: We all live with dust mites — and they’re horrible. Just look at a picture of them. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, dust provides a home for mites, a primary cause of allergies. They eat the dead skin you and your pets shed, so one of their favorite places is your bed. You might have millions of the critters in your mattress, pillows, and bedding. They also hang out in dust on books, furniture, carpeting, and knickknacks — anywhere dust collects in your home.
Some of the more common symptoms of a dust mite allergy are: sneezing; runny nose; itchy, red or watery eyes; stuffy nose; itchy mouth or throat; postnasal drip; and a cough. Dust mite allergies may also trigger your asthma causing difficulty breathing, chest tightness or pain, a whistling or wheezing sound when breathing, and shortness of breath.
What Should You Do?
If you believe that your home may have unacceptable or unhealthy levels of one or more of these allergens, you should contact an allergen eradication specialist at your earliest convenience. They can evaluate the number of different allergens that are present, the level of the overall problem, and the best treatment option to solve it. It is important to note that most allergen eradication specialists only treat specific allergen types; very few can treat and eradicate any and all allergens in a single treatment, if at all.
If you’re having problems with multiple allergens in your home and want to get rid of them, without chemicals of any kind, give us a call at Pur360. We’re here to help.
