Five Tips For Living With A Pet Allergy

Pet allergies are one of those things that are definitely life changing if you already have a pet. Fortunately, many times it can be controlled so that you are able to keep your pet. Here are five tips to help you live with a pet allergy:

1. Clean the Furniture: Be sure that you set up appointments for regular furniture cleaning. Many homeowners don't do this as regularly as they should, which is dangerous for someone with a pet allergy. Having the couch cleaned, as well as your mattress and any other large pieces of furniture that harbors pet hair, you need to have cleaned. This is going to remove what you're actually allergic to, which is pet dander. While you're at it, don't forget to hire professionals for carpet cleaning, as well. 
2. Own Less Furniture: You should also own less furniture, since all furniture harbors a great deal of dust, which is also the pet dander that floats around the house. While you could regularly dust, it's actually going to end up being something you need to do everyday. To make it easier on yourself, just own less furniture. This way, the most you have to do is some light dusting, vacuuming, and sweeping to keep pet dander at bay. 
3. Get a New Mattress Every Year: Every year, you should get a new mattress. This is going to keep pet dander significantly at bay since it collects in the mattress heavily overtime. If you want to avoid having to get a new mattress every year, it's better to ban your pet from your room, but you must admit that is probably going to be an impossible task. 
4. Avoid Stuffed Animals: Stuffed animals contain a great deal of pet dander, as well. Owning a whole lot of stuffed animals can be a huge problem and you will have to wash them too regularly for your own health that they just become so over washed that they no longer look like they did when you bought them.
5. Change the Air Filter More Often: It's suggested that homeowners change the air filter in their HVAC system at least every 6 months. However, when you suffer from pet allergies with a pet in the house, you should do it every 3 months instead. This is going to eliminate the amount of pet dander circulating through the air in your home. 

Not many people realize that although you have a pet allergy, this doesn't mean that you can never again live with a pet in the home. With these tips, it can definitely be manageable. If you aren't sure if it's your pet you are allergic to, consider getting allergy testing done so that you can exactly narrow down what it might be.