Top 8 Tips for Living with Pets Indoors
When the weather turns cool, people come indoors and so do pets! People tend to take off their shoes so they don't track things in, but most dogs, cats and birds do not wear shoes. Besides having pets indoors more, windows get closed, heating systems go on, fireplaces start burning, and indoor air quality goes down, down, down.
- Check your filters, particularly pre-filters. They can catch the bigger pieces of dust and dander and prolong the life of your HEPA filter.
- Keep pets out of the bedroom if possible, particularly out of babies and kids rooms! Childhood asthma is sky-rocketing and "pets-in-beds" is not a healthy idea. If the pet absolutely must sleep in the room, try to get it to sleep on the floor near the air purifier, especially cats.
- Keep rugs near where your pet comes in and out so that their feet get wiped, and wash those rugs often.
- Bathe your pets or have them groomed on a regular basis, this removes allergens on fur and skin. When you comb out furry pets, have your air purifier nearby and turned up.
- Hands off is a good policy when it comes to pet allergies. If you need to handle pets, wash hands immediately after. Petting cats and then touching your eyes will cause eye irritation fast.
- Keeps pets off upholstered furniture, or buy synthetic/leather furniture that is easily wiped down. Vacuum upholstered furniture if the pets get on it.
- Invest in a good HEPA vacuum, and use it. When you do vacuum, keep your air purifier close by and on the highest setting. This is especially important if you don't have a quality, tight vacuum.
- Keep your air purifiers running as much as possible to keep the air you are breathing free of allergens.
The Austin Air Pet Machine is a good one for pets of all kinds of beloved pets!
