8 Tips For Allergy-Proofing Your Home For Guests

Are you discouraged by friends and family who won’t go anywhere near your home due to your fuzzy friends? It’s understandable - for those who have bad allergies, dust and pet dander can absolutely drive them up the bend.

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), 3 out of 10 people in the US have an allergy to cats or dogs. In terms of dust, 20 million Americans have a dust allergy. Allergies cause runny noses, itchy eyes, and even breathing problems in very sensitive people - sometimes even an antihistamine doesn’t fully help.

The good news is that, with some deep cleaning, you can remove allergens from your home and make your home a safe space for all. Get ready to do some wall to wall cleaning!

Our 8 Tips to Allergy-Proof Your Home

1. Clean Your Floor and Carpets, Remove Rugs

Floors and carpets accumulate allergens from your pet’s paws and dust getting trapped deep in the folds and grooves. Forget a broom - you’ll need to go a little deeper than that.

For both your carpets and hardwood floors it will help to use a vacuum cleaner with a true HEPA filter to make sure the air in your home is clear of dust mites and cat allergens. Many vacuum models also have an activated charcoal filter that is even better at capturing allergens and getting pet hair smells out of your home. 

As for your hardwood, once you finish vacuuming you will want to give your floor a good mop and scrub. Be sure to read our guide on how to clean your hardwood floors without damaging them.

As for rugs, it may be easier to simply roll them up and store them until your guests leave.

2. Dust Furniture and Remove Allergens From Your Couch

Dust and allergens get stuck to every surface of your home, so it’s important to explore every nook and cranny, including small crevices and the underside of furniture.

Use your vacuum’s dusting brush to clean your furniture, and make sure you turn all the cushions and get the inside of your furniture as well. A proper vacuum dusting tool is key so you’re trapping the dirt and not just pushing it around. Be sure to also dust all the surfaces and electronics in your home with a proper microfiber cloth or wand.

3. Scrub All Surfaces

Once all the dust is removed from your countertops and other surfaces, you’ll want to disinfect them to eliminate allergens. Heavy detergents and household cleaning sprays can also agitate your allergic guests, so consider using a light scent and eco-friendly option instead.

4. Clean Curtains and Blinds

When was the last time you took a close look at your blinds and curtains? Dust and pet hair loves to accumulate in these places, so it’s important to give them all a good clean.

Remove and wash your curtains if possible, and if not, lightly use a vacuum dusting brush to remove all the visible dust. A microfiber wand is a great tool to rub down your blinds and get in between the blades without damaging them.

5. Use Fresh Bedding

Do your pets love to sleep on the beds in your home? Even if not, you should swap out the bedding on any bed your guests will be using with a clean set, even if no one has slept there since you last replaced the bedding. 

Want to take it even a step further? Old mattresses and pillows can accumulate allergens over time, so if your mattress is due for an upgrade you may want to swap them out for a new set.

6. Groom and Wash Your Pet

Unfortunately for your fuzzy friends, you can’t truly allergy-proof your home with cats or dogs without giving them a good clean. Start by giving them a good brush to get out as much excess hair as you can (you should probably do this before any of the other steps if you’re doing it indoors!). As for washing your pet, dogs aren’t an issue, but some people recommend you don’t wash a cat unless absolutely necessary - use your own discretion here!

7. Designate Pet-Free Zones

Since your pets are the main vector for allergens, you’ll want to keep them in designated areas that are far removed from where your guests are staying. Make sure you spend lots of time with them so they don’t feel too put out, and try to minimize the amount of time they need to move through common areas to go out for walkies.

8. Remove Allergens From The Air

Despite all your best efforts to clean the surfaces in your home, you also need to have a solution to trap all the floating dust that flakes off of your and your pets’ bodies. Many homes with allergy-sensitive people have houseplants like a snake plant that is great at cleaning the air of your home.

To really get at the heart of your home’s air quality, though, you ended to filter the air with a HEPA air purifier that effectively removes floating allergens and dust. These air cleaners can effectively reduce allergens by trapping particles up to 0.3 microns in size inside their filter. 

Get Ready to Allergy-Proof Your Home

Here at Vacuum Cleaner Market, we carry all the top pet-hair vacuum cleaner brands and air purifier devices. We also ship all across the United States!

We’re a big fan of canister vacuums and stick vacuums when it comes to cleaning pet hair and dander. They are extremely versatile, allowing you to use the various attachments to easily get at pet hair in hard to reach places (not to mention cobwebs on your ceiling) and tackle all sorts of different surfaces. 

To ensure you’re able to really dig the pet hair out of your carpets and rugs, we recommend you look for units with a motorized brush roll attachment - but make sure you don’t use it on your hardwood flooring!

Allergy sufferers are also going to want to make sure their vacuum for pet hair has either micro-allergen or HEPA grade filtration to trap the dander. These filters can trap over 99% of the particles in your home, including all those nasty allergens.

Read Our Guide to The Best Vacuums For Pet-Owners.

And if you’re looking for quality air-purifiers, be sure to also shop our lines of air purifying devices from Boneco, Austin Air, and Dyson.

Let Vacuum Cleaner Market be your one-stop shop for kicking allergens to the curb so you can host guests without worry.