Do you or someone in your home suffer from allergies? Did you know that your interior design could help reduce the allergens within your home and help create a healthier environment? Allergens are small or microscopic substances that consist of everything from pollen off the trees to pet dander. They become airborne and when someone with allergies breathes in these allergens, it begins affecting them right away.

Many people suffer from allergies that cause stuffy nose, watery eyes and sore throats. Some people also have body aches and rashes. Sinusitis is common problem for allergy suffers that can also cause headaches along with ear and lung infections. For some people, allergies can cause a series of other medical conditions that can become very serious such as asthma and even severe eczema.

While you can never completely get rid of allergens, you can create an interior design that helps to cut down on the amount of them found within your home.

Avoid the Carpet to Help Reduce Allergens with Your Interior Design

Carpet can add warmth to a room and make it seem more inviting, unless you have allergies. In this case, you may begin to cringe a little when you see it. Carpets tend to collect all types of allergens such as dust mites and even pollen when you carry it in on your shoes and clothing. Just walking across your floor will disturb these allergens and send them floating through the air creating a variety of problems that range from sneezing to serious upper respiratory conditions.

To create an interior design that helps to reduce allergies, you need to avoid the carpet and use hard wood flooring, tile or linoleum instead. These are easy to clean and they don’t collect the dust and other allergens the way that carpet does. If you want to soften the look of the room a little, you can use rugs because these can be removed and cleaned or replaced easily when needed.

Avoid Products Containing VOC

Another way to reduce allergens with your interior design is by avoiding products that contain VOC (volatile organic compounds). VOC is found in everything from the paint used on your walls to the materials used to build your home such as plywood, sheetrock and drywall.

Using products containing VOC has even been linked to causing asthma in children, so it’s best to avoid these products when possible. There are “green” products available that you can substitute for the ones containing VOC and your residential interior designer can help you determine what would be best to use in your home.

Have Proper Ventilation

Proper ventilation within the home is more important than you may realize especially for someone who suffers from allergies. Talk to your Miami interior designer about helping you choose an efficient air and heating unit with a good ventilation system.

A HVAC unit with a built-in air filtration system is ideal but you can also install a separate filtration system within your home to help clean the air. Whichever method you choose, make sure you keep your filters clean for the best results. A dirty filter will not clean the air and it can even make allergies worse, so keep up with how often you change them.

Taking steps to reduce the amount of allergens in your home through your interior design can make a big difference in your health. It’s well worth the extra time and expense when you consider the benefits, especially if you or a loved one suffers from serious allergies.