Do you think about cleaning the air inside your home? If not, you should! Aprilaire wants to help you. The Aprilare Clean Air site is full of information to help us maintain healthy air in our homes. As summer quickly approaches, we open up our windows and doors to let more fresh air into this house. This may make our homes smell incredible by letting in the smell of spring flowers and fresh cut grass. This may make us feel good about the awesome weather outside. However, there may also be a drawback… letting more pollutants into your home that can irritate your spring allergies.
If you or someone in your family suffer with allergies, the awesome spring and summer weather can bring some adverse reactions. My kids have been sneezing off and on a bit since the little bits of green started showing on the trees! Oddly enough, I used to have allergy issues, but seems to have lost them all after I had kids. Weird, but I’ll take it!
In addition to making the air in your home more comfortable for the allergy sufferers, now is a great time to make your home feel more spring like!
Give Your Contact Lenses a Break
This is one that I struggle with sometimes. I have mentioned before that I usually wear my glasses a lot more than my contacts. Why? Sometimes they are just not that comfortable. And, even though I do not deal with allergies, sometimes the dry air, and spring pollen can aggravate my eyes. If you have the same issue, be sure to keep plenty of contact drops on hand. I keep them in my purse and use them often. And, I usually only wear my contacts on special occasions, or on bright sunny days when I am going to be outside and I want to wear my sunglasses.
Bring the Outside In
Spring in Chicago can be blah, or it can be nice. Just in the past 2 weeks we have had up and down temps of 70s and 80s and then 40s! Some call this pneumonia weather. I call it confusing! Just when I get used to the beautiful temps, they plunge and it’s gloomy! On nice days, one of the first things I do is open up the blinds on the windows, and the curtains on the patio door and let in some light. If it’s really nice I will crack the windows a bit to let in some fresh air. I usually sit at the island in the kitchen, facing the patio looking at the trees, and usually catching a rabbit, bird, or even our friendly backyard cat roaming in the yard. I even saw a coyote once, and umm… a snake! But, that’s a different post! Anyway, I LOVE feeling the outdoors and knowing that it’s beautiful out.
However, if I had bad allergies, I would probably shy away from opening the windows and letting in pollen and dust! However, even allergies sufferers can enjoy. Just run your Aprilaire Air Purifier to clean the air and improve your indoor air quality. Don’t have one connected to your system? That’s ok. Look into a Room Air Purifier and put it wherever you need.
Clean the Floors and Carpet
In winter, we may not be as vigilant about cleaning floors and carpet as we are in the summer. At least I’m not! We are usually busy, and it’s cold! And it’s a sometimes hassle to get these things done with everything else going on surrounding the holidays unless we are prepping to entertain. However, with spring comes renewed energy for cleaning! I love to open up the windows and give my home a deep cleaning, this includes the carpet and the hardwood floors. In the winter there is snow, and in the early spring there is rain, rain, and more rain. I swear it feels like it has been raining for 2 weeks straight. Give the floors a good cleaning and polish. Once you open those blinds and let the sunlight in you will appreciate the clean floors. Plus, you will get rid of dust and other pollutants that settle on the floor and in the carpet. Don’t forget the corners!
Change Your Furnace Filter (Yes, again!)
I am going to remind you are of this one all the time! Over winter, you run your furnace probably nonstop. Heck, after we had a few great days last week I had to turn mind back on last night because our house was freezing!! Spring is a great time to change the furnace filter. On our Aprilaire system, we only have to change it every 6 months. However, if you have an older traditional furnace, you will have to change it more often. Check the filter. If you see any dust or lint, it’s time to change it. Be sure to get the right size, and opt for better quality, not the cheap $1 ones. They will last longer!
Add a Coat of Paint
We did a paint project in the middle of winter. I do not recommend it! We had to open up the windows to air the house out. It was probably 20 degrees outside, so it was freezing with the windows open. Spring is much better for this… trust me! LOL! Depending on the age of your home, you it may be well past time for a new coat of paint anyway. Older homes may have paint that contain lead. Some older homes may have endured a few incidents of water damage… who knows! A fresh coat of paint will make your home look better, and can “clean up” old paint imperfections.
Or, maybe you just want to add some interest and a splash of color! We painted several accent walls, and even added some decorative wall panels. Boy was this a project!
The key is to keep the room well ventilated. And, after the project is over, run your air purifier to clean the air.
No matter the state of your home or if your family has spring allergies or not, consider adding a portable air purifier from Aprilaire. Visit the Aprilaire Clean Air Everywhere site for more information about how Healthy air is a key component of long-term wellness.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Aprilaire. All opinions are my own.
I’m in love with that wall! And I have the same socks!!