Managing asthma and allergies when you share your home with a pet can be a challenge. Reducing allergens, dust mites and other irritants needs an approach of both prevention and treatment. These eight maintenance steps will put you on track for creating a healthier indoor environment to promote the comfort and health of your family and guests.
BATHING
Grooming an animal properly is very tedious work and takes far more experience and skill than the average person can competently accomplish. The length and type of coat adds even more complexity, and requires expensive and difficult grooming equipment to master equipment to successfully do the job.Many believe a loss of business occurs to in-house groomers due to grooming equipment sales to DIYers or self-wash services, but they ignore the explosive growth of “Grooming” as the hottest, most profitable segment in the retail pet industry. Added services such as boarding, veterinary, training and animal rescue have helped promote an upward trajectory in this consistently growing market.
During this time the number of groomers continues to expand, in turn expanding the number of grooming per day being performed by grooming professionals. More people with animals and the number of animals groomed per day are growing, while the number of places providing grooming, or selling grooming equipment continues to grow with each passing year. It appears that retail pet grooming equipment sales is only enhancing the professional grooming market.By providing more avenues to accomplish groomed animals, we are actually seeing new grooming business growth well into the future. Even retail owners who once downplayed the need for grooming and provided a small grooming equipment sales area are reluctantly accepting grooming as a higher priority in their business plan.
Veterinarians and the Association of Asthma & Allergies (AAFA) both recommend bathing of your pet often to reduce allergens and dander. Check out the XPOWER B-2 Pro at Home Pet Dryer for easy bathing of your pet in between grooming appointments.
FRAGRANCE
Be aware of the number of fragranced products that you are using. Scented air fresheners, cleansers, candles, and gels can pollute indoor air and cause irritation. Consider an air purifier with a 1-2 pound carbon filter to neutralize odors instead of masking them. Air conditioners, televisions, clothes dryers, carpet and upholstery are positive-charge producing. In big cities, the concentration of negative ions in the air may only be only one-tenth of that found in the country or in rural settings. XPOWER’s Scented Air Mover / Ionizer serves a dual purpose by neutralizing the air, significantly improving air quality, while scenting the air.
Elevated mental concentration and performance.
Testing has regularly shown that subjects exposed to high levels of negative ions perform better in mentally challenging tasks than those breathing normal positive ion dense air. Pierce J. Howard PhD at the Center for Applied Cognitive Sciences says in the Owners Manual for the Brain – “Negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain; resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy.”
Negative ions are oxygen atoms charged with an extra electron. They can clear the air of pollen, mold and hazardous airborne particles such as bacteria and viruses, while having beneficial effects on your health. When carrying a “negative” charge, ionized particles are in reality a “positive” constituent in the air. They occur naturally in water, air, sunlight and the earth’s inherent radiation. Negative ions are most prevalent in natural places, especially near moving water or after a thunderstorm. The invigorated feeling one gets after a shower, at the beach, near a waterfall or after a storm is in actuality the body being saturated by negative ions. Ionizers clear the air of dust, mold spores, pollen, pet dander, odors, cigarette smoke, bacteria and viruses. When they emit negative ions, through an ionizer switch, the ions attach to positively charged particles in large numbers. This causes the pollen, mold, bacteria, etc to become too heavy to stay airborne. Particles are removed from the air, freshening it while making it safer to breathe. This is how Negative Ion Benefit your Health.
Negative ions increase your sense of well-being and mental clarity
By removing the debilitating effects of excessive positive ions in your environment, they are often described as a natural anti-depressant. by removing the debilitating effects of excessive positive ions in your environment. They are often described as a natural anti-depressant.
Reduces instances of headaches and sickness.
The company Norwich Union found installing negative ion air cleaners in a work area full computers and other electronic equipment reduced instances of reported sickness and headaches by 78%. Negative ion generators are also routinely used in hospitals in Europe for their beneficial impact on patient’s health and healing rates.
DUSTING and VACUUM
Always dust surfaces with a damp cloth or mop. Dry dusting just spreads dirt, dust, and other particles into the air. Try to keep flat surfaces free of knick knacks and decorative items that can collect dust. Glass enclosed cases and shelves are a great way to display favorite items. Frequent vacuuming helps to remove allergens that have settled on floors and upholstered surfaces. Try to find a vacuum that has a dual HEPA filtration system and thick dust collecting bag. Even the best vacuum will inevitably stir up dust and allergens into the air. Make sure to run your air purifier for a few hours during and after a vacuuming session. Air movers have been a mainstay in the carpet cleaning industry for years. Their ability to aim air across a large horizontal surface creates quicker dry times, enabling carpet cleaning professionals to get through scheduled jobs with greater efficiency. Many air movers are daisy chainable, a feature that allows several to be wired together for even a quicker turnaround time. In the janitorial, foodservice and hospitalit industry, nothing gets the job done faster to ensure safer surfaces and maintain lower hotel room downtime.
The compact footprint that characterizes many of XPOWER’s air movers makes them easy to move in your home, shop or office when a fresh burst of air is needed. In a construction atmosphere where dry, well ventilated air is important, put your air mover to work to maintain job site air quality. The new XPOWER Scented Air Mover even adds fragrance, while freshening the air. XPOWER Air Movers are ETL/CETL certified with dual thermal protection, making them safe for home or business. Stackable for transport and available in sizes from 1/8 HP to 1 HP, XPOWER’s air mover line has the power for the work that needs to be done.
HEPA FILTRATION
Frequent surface cleaning just isn’t enough. Dust mites, pet dander, and other allergy inducing contaminants can be up to 20 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair! These tiny particles are so lightweight they can stay airborne for long periods of time. HEPA filters can remove 99.97% of even difficult to capture 0.3 micron sized contaminants. Not all air purifiers are powerful enough to cover a whole room. Make sure the HEPA filtration system you choose has the capacity to cover the square footage of areas you spend the most time in such as the living room and bedroom. Also look for purifiers with a set of pre-filters to prolong the life of the HEPA filter.
HUMIDITY
High humidity levels are a breeding ground for dust mites. Use an air conditioner or dehumidifier to keep humidity between 30 and 50 percent.
PET FREE ZONES
It can be difficult to keep your pet out of the bedroom and off the couch but limiting the areas that your pet can lounge in means less places for you to frequently clean. Set up spaces for your pet that have minimal carpeting and upholstered items. Air movers have been a mainstay in the carpet cleaning industry for years. Their ability to aim air across a large horizontal surface creates quicker dry times, enabling carpet cleaning professionals to get through scheduled jobs with greater efficiency. Many air movers are daisy chainable, a feature that allows several to be wired together for even a quicker turnaround time. In the janitorial, foodservice and hospitality industry, nothing gets the job done faster to ensure safer surfaces and maintain lower hotel room downtime.
