According to a study at the University of Arizona, a majority of the dust and allergens in your home are brought in by the soles of your feet. This means that allergies are hitching a ride on our shoes and attacking our safe and protected home. To avoid this, you will want to avoid wearing shoes indoors. Have your family and visitors remove their shoes when they enter your home and put down two doormats – one outside and one inside your doorway – to keep allergens from entering.

Dust mites are the most common trigger of year-round allergies. These microscopic bugs feed off your skin cells and are found in just about every home on the plant. However, studies found that dust mites live in your bedroom more than any home in your house so it’s the best place to start to get rid of them.   You should cover your mattresses and pillows in dust-proof covers. This material has pores too small to let dust mites in and can make it undesirable for them to live around. You should also wash all your sheets and blankets in hot water once a week and pick up special HEPA filter vacuum cleaners to get rid of the bugs and their waste.

A study at the University of Minnesota found that many household chemicals are linked to allergies. Formaldehyde infects your respiratory tracts, ammonia damages the cells around your eyes, nose, and throat, and sodium lauryl sulfate can irritate the eyes. These elements are found in many common cleaning products and can linger around areas after use. Therefore, you will want to avoid products that contain any of these elements. Instead, use cleaning agents with natural ingredients or create your own by using vinegar or lemon juice.

Allergens are hoarders and like to live around clutter. Therefore, you should void your house of anything that may seem comfortable to them. Remove items in your home that collect dust such as books, magazines, and table ornaments. Allergens and dust mites also love living on children’s stuffed animals, so you should be sure to keep these items in plastic storage containers when your child isn’t playing with them. Conduct a weekly home cleaning so that you’re always on top of the clutter.

Household molds trigger many allergy symptoms. These disgusting germs like moist environments and feed off of water. So, to avoid their growth, keep your house dry. Never leave wet clothes in the washing machine and fix leaks in your home as soon as possible. You should use dehumidifiers in areas where mold tends to grow such as in basements or hot, humid areas, and clean these machines every week. Don’t have too many indoor plants in your home as well since mold can grow in plant soil.

Allergens are constantly invading your home, so you need to put up defenses to fight back. Take some time every week to clean and make sure your home is completely allergy-proof.