Allergies can take even the best of us down. And many times we forget to examine our surroundings when we are having an attack.
Can You Have Allergy to Oxygen?
No you can not be allergic to oxygen.
Oxygen is vital for living and is only one of the ingredients of air itself.
But your air can be full of contaminants that trigger allergies and make your oxygen seem like an allergen.
Pollutants like pollen, mold spores, dust mites, dander, and all types of household chemicals may be present in your air, These are the real culprits and the source of airborne allergies.
Air pollution is a huge problem across the world
and Contrary to what you might believe,
the quality of the air inside your home might actually be worse than the air outside.
There are several factors that affect indoor air quality including:
-
- pets,
- carpets,
- appliances,
- insects,
- smoke,
- moisture,
- and other pollutants.
Some of these can lead to serious health problems,
while others are mere annoyances that make you uncomfortable.
If you want to improve the air quality inside your home, then read through our 8 easy tips to improve indoor air quality.
1.Ventilation
Airflow is the key to good air quality.
Getting air flowing through your home gets rid of stagnant air and allows fresh air to flow in from outside.
Improving ventilation can be as simple as just opening some windows and doors to breathe new life into your home.
Of course, the air outside your house may be potentially toxic all on its own, especially if you live in a big city.
If that’s the case, then be careful about when you let the air in.
It’s better to choose a time when traffic flow is low, such as early in the morning or late at night.
Outside of opening a window, a trickle ventilator is a great way to get air from outside inside your home.
Trickle ventilators allow air from outside to flow into your home by passing through a filter that removes any impurities.
It’s an air filter and ventilator in one.
The kitchen and bedroom are ideal locations for these ventilators.
Cooking methods and appliances are one of the main ways that air pollutants get into your home.
These vents can be added to an existing widow or door frame, or they can be added with a standalone frame that fits just about any building.
2. Keep the AC Clean
Air conditioners are great for improving indoor air quality. They dry out the air in your home and refresh stale air.
Just about every air conditioner has some kind of filter used to clean air to remove allergens and pollutants.
Like any kind of filter in the home, you should regularly clean and replace the filters in your air conditioner.
Check the manufacturer’s instructions to see what to do and when to do it.
3. Keep Sheets and Clothes Clean
Dust mites are another major cause of poor quality air.
They irritate your throat and nose to leave you feeling tired.
Dust mites can be found in fabric in your home, including bedding, curtains, and cushions.
You should clean these items low-allergenic washing soap on a regular basis.
If you’ve got pets you should aim to keep them away from your bed and sofa to reduce the buildup of hair as much as possible
4. Beeswax Candles Make Great Air Purifiers
Beeswax candles are great for keeping the air clean and fresh.
As a beeswax candle burns, it releases negative ions.
Dust, dirt, pollen, pollutants, and other kinds of aerial junk have a positive charge.
When the negative ions from beeswax touch those positively-charged particles, it causes the particles to disperse or be sucked into the candle.
This is basically how air purifiers work.
Beeswax candles are completely 100% natural and, as well as eliminating contaminants and bad smells from your home, they have their own great smell and add a real ambiance to the home.
5. Salt Lamps Help with Asthma
If you don’t like the sound of burning candles, then consider picking up a salt lamp. Salt lamps are created by taking Himalayan salt and adding a light source.
Like beeswax candles, they release negative ions when they are lit.
The negative ions from salt lamps fight against the positively charged particles that make up the contaminants causing allergies.
Asthma sufferers have also reported that they got relief from their symptoms when using salt lamps.
6. Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal has been used to purify air safely and effectively for decades. Activated charcoal was used with gas masks in World War 1. It is still used to filter and recycle air in submarines as well as reduce car emissions.
When it comes to your home, activated charcoal is a fast and effective method for eliminating contaminants.
Activated charcoal can be found in most HEPA filters too. There’s no reason to not cut out the middle man and just get the charcoal itself, which is more than capable of getting the job done on its own.
7. Houseplants
Plants and trees do wonders for outdoor air quality, and many indoor plants can have the same effect for your home.
They help to get rid of toxins from the air, increase oxygen levels, and they also look and smell great.
Not any old houseplant will do though. Try to get your green thumbs on some ivy, bamboo, and dracaenas.
FRESH AIR FOR A FRESH HOME
There are an endless array of benefits to keeping the air in your home clean. Alleviate allergy and asthma symptoms, breathe easier, and just improve your overall quality of life with these tips on improving indoor air quality.
8. Air purifiers
An air purifying machine can do wonders to reduce the contaminants that are causing the oxygen to seem allergic.
Most air purifiers these days are capable of reducing indoor air pollution up to the 90%.
The most popular air purifiers on the market use HEPA and carbon filters to filter out everything
from dust mites and dander to construction adhesive fumes and cooking odors.
Smart air purifiers.
Smart air purifiers have taking over the market these days, giving the consumer a full range of capabilities to monitor and control their air quality with their phone.
What a great way to know that when you get home, your air is going to be the quality you need to get a good night’s rest or be able to breathe when you are suffering from sinus issues.
These air cleaning machines use sensors to measure the pollution in the air then activate the air purifier to clean the air and bring it back to a safe level.
Once they have done their job they shut off to keep the air cleaner from running all the time and save on the life of the filters and the machine itself.
Summary
Can you be allergic to oxygen? No, Oxygen is vital for our health but sometimes our air supply can be so full of contaminants the breathing itself becomes a problem. There are many ways that you can keep airborne allergens at bay including houseplants, beeswax candles, home maintenance, and air purifiers to name a few.Here’s to your health.
