Summer is here, and pollen is back with a vengeance as temperatures rise into the nineties. Hayfever sufferers are only too aware of this time of year’s discomfort, so what can you do?
Find out how to make your bedroom a pollen-free sanctuary by:
- Preventing pollen in your bedroom
- Fixing your bedroom for sleep in hay fever season
- How to deep clean your bedroom (properly)
- Take a long-term view of what you can do to prevent pollen in your bedroom.
Let’s get into it.
Why is my hay fever worse in my bedroom?
The day’s heat makes pollen particles rise, and as the temperature drops, so does the pollen.
So many of you wish you could enjoy the summer to its full, but then the pollen will ruin everything and your plans.
As the air cools through the day, the air falls to the ground. You may notice a change in the breeze direction, but with the falling air comes pollen. That will settle anywhere, and this microscopic particle can be the bain of your life through the hay fever season—the pollen increases in your bedroom for many reasons.
Pollen can be on your hair, your clothes, and your skin. The pollen will find its way into your bedroom if you have a window open. It’s an impossible situation.
If you use antihistamine during the day, its effects will wear off at night.
How can you prevent pollen in your bedroom?
It’s a lot of work but worth it. You will need to try and close the windows, which is counterintuitive as the temperature sores, but it’s important.
Strip your bedding in the morning, fold and place it in a cabinet where the dreaded pollen particles can not penetrate.
Vacuum your curtains thoroughly and also your carpet. You are attempting to sanitise your bedroom as best as humanly possible.
When done, close the door isolating your bedroom, almost like a crime scene with no one else but you to enter.
Cats and dogs are banned from your bedroom for the next few months or until the pollen has dissipated. Your cats and dogs will be covered in pollen, and it’s not practical to wash them off daily.
Fixing your bedroom for sleep at the height of pollen season.
Make your bed, so it is pollen-free. If you suffer from hay fever, this is all worth it. Before entering your bedroom, you need to shower, washing your hair thoroughly to remove any pollen that has become attached.
Place your clothes in a wash basket, so you have everything clean for entering the crime scene. Oops, sorry, bedroom.
Do not open the windows despite being dark and cooler. Trees give off more pollen at night than during the day!
Keep your curtains closed throughout the day and the night. This will help with any stray pollen particles entering your bedroom and will help to keep your bedroom cooler.
Make your bed with clean sheets, a duvet if needed, and pillow cases. Use a fan for air circulation.
If you have a humidifier that will also help to pull any pollen particles out of the air.
How do you thoroughly clean my room for hay fever?
If you follow the above steps, you should be good for a day. Hay fever is debilitating, so doing everything within your power to ease the suffering is unquestionable worth doing.
So here are more tips to help you through the pollen season:
- Before vacuuming to prepare your bedroom for hay fever season, don’t assume your HEPA filter is working efficiently. Change the HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Arrestor) filter as a priority
- Wear wraparound sunglasses or safety glasses to prevent pollen from entering your eyes
- Declutter your bedroom. So many people have a lot of clutter in the bedroom, perfume bottles, magazines, and electronics. These are all potential places pollen can land, so de-clutter
- Everyone is used to wearing a mask, so wear a mask when cleaning. The higher the rating, the less chance of pollen will get through
- Wear an N95 mask from 3M. They are proven to stop pollen, as indicated by a study in Japan
- Wash your bedding weekly in hot water, pillowcases, sheets, and duvet cover
- Don’t air-dry clothes or bedding after washing. Tumble dry and store preferably
- Use a damp cloth and mop for cleaning to trap any pollen particles
Consider using anti-allergy bedding.
This type of bedding can help. Anti-allergy bedding is a useful tool in your fight against hay fever. You are susceptible to dust mite allergies if you have hay fever.
Anti-allergy bedding is made from an excellent and tight weave material that does not allow for dust mites to breed and for dust particles to enter the bedding.
Although a useful tool for combating allergies that may exacerbate your pollen allergy, if the bedding becomes covered in pollen, you will be back to square one.
Dealing with pets during hay fever season
As a nation of animal lovers, we will do almost anything for our pets. But, you need to draw a firm line during hay fever season.
Your pet’s coat is like a magnet for dust and pollen during the hayfever season, which drops off with every step they take.
Once your cat or dog enters your home, it will be like exploding a pollen bomb in a place where you are most affected by pollen.
It would be a good idea to confine your pets to a specific part of your home, say the utility room is big enough and let them sleep in the garage or a garden shed if your garden is secure.
If your hay fever is severe, you may need to find a home for your pets for a few weeks with family or friends.
Take a long-term view
If you get hay fever every year, do something about it. It’s easy to sit back and accept hay fever for a month, but you could take a long-term view and make your bedroom easier to clean.
Remove the carpets and install a wood laminate floor. It’s cheap and easy to mop. For warmth during the cooler months, you can use rugs as an alternative to carpets.