Give your home a spring cleaning with asthma and allergies in mind. Use this checklist to reduce allergens and triggers in each room of your home. CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly® products can help you improve the air quality in your home. Our program tests vacuums, air cleaners, air filters, cleaning products, bedding and other products to prove if they meet our strict standards. Only products that pass all of our tests to reduce exposure to allergens and improve air quality receive our certification. If you have severe allergies and asthma, it is best to have someone else do your spring cleaning for you, if possible.

Bedrooms

• Remove clutter
• Vacuum mattresses and fabric furniture
• Replace pillows if more than two years old
• Wash curtains and throw rugs in water 130°F or hotter
• Vacuum/mop under all furniture
• Remove dust on and behind furniture, like dressers and nightstands, on ceiling fans and light fixtures, and closet shelves (use a microfiber cloth or CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly® dust cloth that traps allergens)
• Check allergen barrier covers on mattresses and pillows for wear – replace, if necessary
• Replace or clean filters in air cleaners
• Clean wall-to-wall carpet weekly with a CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly® vacuum (it is best to remove carpet in bedrooms if possible)

Bathrooms

• Fix leaks
• Dust or rinse clean the exhaust fan covers
• Clean and remove mold (check showers, tubs, sinks, toilets and inside cabinets)
• Check shower curtains for signs of mold and mildew – replace, if necessary
• If your bathroom has a window, remove curtains and replace with frosted glass or blinds (clean weekly)
• Remove throw rugs and use non-skid towels that are washed regularly instead

Living/Family Room

• Remove clutter
• Remove dust from ceiling fans and electronics
• Vacuum/mop under all furniture
• Vacuum furniture
• Wash curtains and rugs in water 130°F or hotter
• Replace filters in air cleaners
• Clean wall-to-wall carpet weekly with a CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly® vacuum (it is best to remove carpet in bedrooms if possible)

Kitchen

• Fix leaks
• Remove mold (check sinks, inside cabinets, produce bins, trash cans and refrigerator seals)
• Remove dust from tops of cabinets and range hoods
• Wash curtains and rugs in water 130°F or hotter
• Clean your garbage disposal with baking soda and white vinegar

The time you spend on spring cleaning is a good investment. It will improve your home’s indoor air quality.

Many products promise to help control allergens. To help you make informed decisions, we have CERTIFIED more than 200 products. When you are shopping for products for your home, look for the CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly® mark. It indicates the product has passed our testing standards.

Visit aafa.org/certified to search for CERTIFIED products. There you can also learn more about the asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program.