Animal allergies are extremely common. Many people have some level of pet allergies that they deal with. The good thing is that these allergies do not necessarily mean that you can’t have pets. As long as they are not too severe, you can still enjoy the companionship of a pet while managing your allergies. There are many ways that you can counteract and control animal allergies. These tips might be able to help you get them under control.

How to Deal with Pet Allergies

Source: National Jewish Health/Youtube

1. Reduce the Allergens

The main thing you should do to control your allergies is to reduce the allergens you are around. This will depend on your situation and the severity of your allergies.

One way to reduce pet allergies before they start is to determine whether you are more allergic to cats or dogs. If you can figure that out and don’t have a pet yet, it is best to adopt an animal that you are less allergic to. You can also reduce allergens by limiting the number of pets you have. 

2. Create Safe Zones

Another very effective way to control your allergies is to create safe zones in your home. These areas would restrict your pet’s access to give yourself an allergy-free zone.

The best place would be your bedroom. If you have animal allergies, it probably isn’t best to sleep in a pile of pet hair, so this is a good place to turn into a safe zone. Restrict your pet’s access to this area and clean it more frequently.

You may not be able to clean your home top to bottom every day, but you can do that to one or two rooms. This will give you a few areas where you can have some peace from all of the allergens in your home.

3. Keep Your Pet Clean

One very effective option is to keep your pet clean to reduce allergens around you. Despite popular belief, most pet allergens do not come from pet hair but rather from dander and saliva.

If you have a dog, you may want to bathe them regularly and brush out their coat daily. If you have a cat, you can start to wipe their coat down weekly with a damp towel to catch any stray flakes of dandruff. Do not bathe your cat unless a vet has recommended that you do so. They clean themselves and do not require a bath usually.

It would be best if you also brushed your cat daily or every other day to help control their shedding and dander flakes. This will help them keep themselves cleaner and reduce their hairballs!

Source: vetstreet.com/Youtube

4. Use a HEPA Air Cleaner

HEPA air cleaners are the only type of air cleaner designed to grab animal hair and dander out of the air. Most purifiers are unable to pull such large objects out of the air, making them much less effective.

This is especially effective for animals with light and fluffy coats since their hair is finer and can float in the air easily. There are very few ways to clean your air of allergens, so a HEPA air cleaner might be worth the investment.

5. Dust Often

Dusting often and generally keeping a clean home is one of the best ways to control pet allergies. Doing this regularly will help clean your environment of common allergens and keep them from building up. Pet hair and dander tend to settle much like dust does, making it easy to clean up by dusting the surfaces of your home often.

This can help you control these allergens and prevent them from escaping back into the air to be breathed in.

Source: Angela Brown Cleaning/Youtube

6. Try Direct Treatments

If you have terrible pet allergies, there are other forms of direct treatment that you can try, such as allergy medications and nasal sprays. There are also natural remedies you can try to help alleviate your allergies during the tougher seasons. You could even try allergy shots, which are a more direct and concentrated option that is more effective than mere allergy pills.

Antihistamine pills can also help in reducing your body’s response to pet allergens. Other methods such as using a neti pot, air purifiers, and sleeping with an essential oil diffuser could also help.

Related Content:

• How to Get Your Dog Used to Bath Time
• The Ultimate Dog Grooming Guide
• 8 Reasons Why Your Cat Has Dandruff
• Tips to Help Your Cat Shed Less
• When You Shouldn’t Give Your Cat a Bath and When You Should
• How to Control Animal Hair in Your Home

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