I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour conducted by Clever Girls Collective on behalf of Claritin®. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program.
I’ve had allergies forever…..and this Spring has been just miserable (even on days when we stay inside). We’re pretty sure that my 3-year old has allergies too. *Sigh* Of course, one of our major allergies…DUST.
When I moved into my first house, I was excited. I went out and bought bedroom furniture right away, along with the most amazing comforter, sheet, and window drapery set. I never once gave my allergies a thought when making those purchases……..big mistake.
The drapes are dry clean only. The comforter and pillow shams are dry clean only. Everything is dry clean only. AND, the sleigh bed headboard has slats, i.e. is not solid (meaning dust is always by my head – see it?).
WHAT was I thinking?
I learned my lesson….and discovered it’s absolutely possible to have a great looking home and be allergy-friendly at the same time.
Here’s what I did:
- Removed silk plants and trees (major dust collectors)
- Limited long curtains/drapes in rooms – replace with easy to clean thick blinds
- Used leather furniture in living area (not cloth)
- Limited shelving/coffee tables (anything that collects dust)
- Used wall canvas paintings (my sister is an amazing artist) to add color to room (instead of knick-knacks or decorative pillows)
When my daughter was little, I really focused on creating a beautiful nursery that was allergy-friendly too. This is what the nursery looked like originally, and now that she’s 3, we still use the crib, converted as a toddler bed. We use bedding and blankets that are washed every few days. No pillow. All stuffed animals are stored in a white toy box….not out collecting extra dust.
And when it’s in the budget, I’ll be changing out the master bedroom bedding…..all those dry clean only items. I want to be able to wash everything in warm/hot water often to get rid of dust mites.
How about you? What are your allergy-friendly tips?
For more tips on relieving allergies visit www.Facebook.com/Claritin. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.