Home cleaning is a must for all of us but if you’re Mum to a bunch of allergy sufferers, it’s always at the top of your mind!

You spend your life worrying how safe your home really is for the allergy sufferers in your family.

Common allergy symptoms such as watering eyes and runny noses are often triggered from things like dust mites, pet dander and mould spores. Luckily there are some simple steps you can add to your home cleaning routine to reduce allergens and keep allergy symptoms at bay FOR GOOD.

1. Use damp cloths and mops

If you or a family member has a dust mite allergy then you need to actively reduce the amount of dust in your home.

Our home cleaning tips:

• Using a damp Oates Microfibre Cloth, collect the dust rather than having it fly into the air and land on other surfaces.
• Damp mop wood or linoleum flooring with an Oates Triple Action Mop (read reviews from MoM Members here). For tiles and bathrooms, use Oates Tiltamatic Squeeze Sponge Mop
• You can also use both mops for hard to reach places like under furniture, walls, window sills and window frames.

2. Vacuum twice a week

When it comes to home cleaning, make your vacuum your friend. If you have carpet then twice weekly vacuuming with a HEPA filter will minimise dust and dander. A HEPA filter traps 99.97% of particles that other vacuum cleaners miss. It can be more expensive but worth it, especially if you have pets. Wash area rugs and floor mats on a regular basis.

In between vacuuming, run around your hard floors with an Oates Triple Action Mop using the Orange Sweeping Refill (read reviews from MoM Members here).

Or the Oates Dusting Mop has a swivel head, which manoeuvres into hard-to-reach places. Its highly resilient and durable modacrylic fibres capture dirt, lint and dust. The adjustable powder coated steel handle make it ideal for compact storage.

3. Use natural alternatives to heavy chemicals 

Effective home cleaning is possible without a bunch of heavy chemical products.

• Lemon, baking soda and vinegar cleaning methods are safe and effective natural alternatives to heavy chemicals.
• Baking soda is non-toxic and a mild abrasive, ideal for absorbing odours and removing tough stains, while lemons and vinegar are natural disinfectants. Find out how to clean your whole house with vinegar, baking soda and lemon.

4. Use low scent or no scent cleaners wherever possible

Allergies can be set off by air fresheners and products with strong scents. Low scent cleaners still may not be safe, always check the label to make sure it’s a green product. Opt for baking soda and vinegar cleaning wherever possible. Baking soda and vinegar are a powerful combination and can tackle most home cleaning jobs with a bit of elbow grease.

5. Reduce clutter

Less clutter means less dust. It also means a lot less to move when it comes to dusting!

Our home cleaning tips:

• Remove knicknacks, ornaments, books, magazines and any items that collect dust. This will make it easier to clean and maintain a low allergen home if you have a dust mite allergy or suffer from asthma.
• If you do love ornaments, consider placing them all on a decorative tray; that way all you need to do to wipe the shelves underneath is lift the tray.  You can then take the tray into the kitchen and give each little ornament a rinse under the tap.
• Fake indoor plants are all the go these days and they are beautiful.  However they collect dust like mad.  Instead of attempting to dust pop them in the shower and simply shower them down.  Allow to dry in the shower and then put back in place. If you have a back garden, you can always take them outside and hose them down and allow to air dry.

6. Keep bathroom and other wet areas free of mould

Don’t let black mould build up in the bathroom as it can trigger a mould allergy.

Always mop up water spills on floors, and towel-dry the tub/shower enclosure after use.

For a natural mould cleaner, spray undiluted vinegar on shower walls and curtains to prevent mildew after each shower. For a black mould remover or if stains are unsightly, apply a paste of lemon juice and a teaspoon of cream of tartar with an Oates Grout Brush. Rinse with water.

7. Install plantation shutters instead of curtains

Plantation shutters attract less dust and are much easier to keep clean than curtains and blinds. Our cleaning tips: we recommend using the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner every once in a while to run over shutters. If you have the time, a damp sock is brilliant!  Simply slip the sock over your hand and then hold the shutter blade between your thumb and your fingers to clean.

8. Vacuum fly screens and outside doorways

Last but not least, reduce the dust that comes inside by vacuuming fly screens and outside doorways where it accumulates. Invest in ‘snakes’ to put behind your door to stop dust blowing in underneath or install Door Seals on the backs of any external doors.

Do you have any home cleaning tips to ease allergies? SHARE with us in the comments below!