If you suffer from allergies, or if you share your home with someone who does, you know that they can be absolutely debilitating. Luckily, there are many ways to make your home a more allergy-friendly place. Your windows are a great place to start. Try the tips below to make your windows — and your overall home — a more comfortable place before allergy season hits:
Take a Look at Your Window Treatment
You might have wondered, can plantation shutters help with allergies? It is true that certain window treatments, such as plantation shutters, are better for combating allergies than others. Curtains and other soft treatments, for instance, attract much more dust than wooden plantation shutters. Plus, plantation shutters are easier to clean and longer-lasting than valances and similar materials. If you are an allergy sufferer, or if you have asthma, then you might benefit from a less dust-prone window treatment. Plantation shutters are a perfect choice.
Of course, plantation shutters come with numerous benefits beyond being allergy-friendly. Plantation shutters, particularly all wood plantation shutters, increase the resale value of your home, boost your home’s curb appeal, make your home more energy-efficient, and allow you to create the perfect ambiance in each room of your house. Plantation shutters are also a safer choice for nurseries and kids’ bedrooms than blinds, thanks to the lack of dangling cords that could pose a hazard to a small child.
Clean Often
It won’t be long until spring is here, and with the season change, spring cleaning. Of course, regularly dusting, vacuuming, and mopping can make a huge difference when it comes to reducing your allergy symptoms. When dusting, use a microfiber or other allergy-friendly cloth to help more dust cling to the towel, as opposed to being stirred into the air.
Regularly washing your bedding and linens in water hotter than 130 degrees fahrenheit can also help with allergy symptom control. This is the temperature that is considered hot enough to kill dust mites, a major source of allergic reactions. If your children have allergies, then it’s a good idea to make sure that their favorite stuffed or fabric toys are also washed regularly at the same temperature. If possible, remember to wash the throw rugs in your home, as well.
Avoid Mold
When cleaning your house, another important irritant that you’ll want to keep at bay is mold. Reducing the level of moisture in your home can also help reduce the amount of mold in the house. You can use a thermostat that monitors the humidity level of your home, or you can pick up a hygrometer at the local hardware store. A hygrometer is a tool that measures the humidity level in the house. Ideally, your home’s humidity will be less than 50%. You can buy mold zappers and other dehumidifiers to help keep your home’s humidity levels in the ideal ranges.
Keep Your Windows in Good Repair
Make sure the caulk or seals around your windows and doors are in good repair. If you notice any cracks, gaps, or damages, then repair them as soon as possible. Properly sealed windows and doors help keep out pollen, dust mites, rodent droppings, and other irritants that make allergies worse.
Another window tip: As nice as it is to open the windows from time to time, this can often make allergies worse thanks to the pollen circulating in the outdoor air. Instead, it’s usually recommended that home owners with allergies rely on air conditioning or heating systems to lessen the amount of pollen and other allergens from outdoors that could enter homes.
Consider Other Anti-Allergy Ideas for Your Home
Many people find allergy relief through specialized bedding, including dust-mite resistant pillow and mattress covers. You could also try using an air purifier or HEPA filter to help clear the air in your house, as well as a vent filter.
If you plan on renovating your home, or if you’re looking to buy a new home, make plans to have less carpet in your house. Carpeted areas may be cozy, but they provide more of a spot for dust mites and other allergens to live than hardwood or tile floors. If you do have carpet, there are many vacuums on the market that are specially designed to help reduce allergy symptoms. Some of these vacuums work on hard flooring, too!
Upgrading Your Windows with Plantation Shutters from Shenandoah Shutters
Plantation shutters are a stylish, timeless option for any home. Shenandoah Shutters is located in Richmond, Virginia, and we’ve been providing these gorgeous window treatments to our service area in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C for more than thirty years.
At Shenandoah Shutters, every one of our plantation shutters is custom made using the finest American hardwood. You can choose from vibrant whites, rich stains, and custom colors. You can even request a custom wood to match your moulding or home furnishings.
Plantation shutters give you the unique ability to filter sunlight in and out of your home using the tilt rod of your shutters. At Shenandoah Shutters, since your shutters are custom made, you can even request a certain type of tilt rod, as well as the size and shape of your louvers (the horizontal slats of your shutter that filters the light).
Have an oddly-shaped window? Wondering about putting plantation shutters on a sliding glass door or French door? We can fit plantation shutters to any window design. In fact, we even created an original, patented design that is ideal for casement and tilt-in windows. Our Softedge design is also a popular choice for homeowners seeking a more contemporary, modern window look.
Call Shenandoah Shutters Today!
Shenandoah Shutters continues to safely provide plantation shutter services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Are you ready to upgrade your window treatment? Give Shenandoah Shutters a call today at 1-800-733-1549 or contact us online to schedule an appointment for your plantation shutter installation or consultation.
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