Allergy Season in Vegas: How Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Can Help

When the spring winds blow through the Las Vegas valley, many residents start sniffling and sneezing. Allergy season here – often around spring (March/April) and again in fall – can be rough, thanks to desert pollens and dust. But did you know a thorough cleaning of your carpets and upholstery can be a secret weapon in alleviating those allergy symptoms at home?

The Allergy Culprits in Your Home:

• Dust Mites: These microscopic critters are one of the most common allergens. They thrive in household dust and particularly in soft furnishings like carpets, sofas, and bedding. They feed on dead skin flakes (ew, but true) and their droppings contain proteins that trigger allergies and asthma. In dry climates like Vegas, dust mites may be fewer than in humid places, but they’re not zero – they can still live in our carpet and upholstery, especially with air conditioning keeping indoor humidity somewhat moderate.

• Pollen: Even though we’re desert, we have plenty of pollen producers – mulberry, olive trees (though planting new ones is banned, old ones still exist), ragweed, and grasses. These pollens come in from outside and settle in carpets and couches. If you have pets, they might even carry pollen on their fur indoors.

• Pet Dander: Not a seasonal allergen per se, but if you have pets, their dander (tiny skin flakes) is an ever-present allergen that also gets embedded in fabrics.

During allergy season, your indoor environment should ideally be a refuge. But if your carpets and upholstery are loaded with allergens, you might be suffering at home too. That’s where cleaning comes in:

How Carpet Cleaning Helps:Professional carpet cleaning (steam cleaning) uses hot water extraction that can remove dust mite allergens, pollen, and dander from deep in the carpet pile. In fact, steam cleaning is known to kill dust mites and remove their residuevegascarpetcare.com. A study by one carpet cleaning company showed steam cleaning killed a majority of dust mites in carpet and removed a significant amount of their allergens. Additionally, the powerful extraction removes the tiny particulates (pollen, etc.) that vacuums might not pick up completely. After a good carpet cleaning, many homeowners report their home feels “lighter” and their allergy flare-ups reduce because the source of triggers in the carpet is minimized.

How Upholstery Cleaning Helps:Same logic – your couch and chairs trap allergens just like carpet. If you plop down on a dusty couch, you might see some dust rise – and that’s going right into your nose. Cleaning upholstery removes those embedded allergens. It’s especially key for fabric chairs or sofas where pets lounge (hello, pet dander central) or near windows where pollen might settle. Don’t forget mattresses too – some carpet cleaners (like us) can also clean mattresses, which is great for dust mite removal.

Timing is Everything:For maximum allergy relief, plan your carpet and furniture cleaning right before peak allergy season. If you know every April you’re miserable, cleaning carpets in March can eliminate the buildup so that when pollen counts soar, your home is relatively clear. Also consider an after-season clean – after the heavy pollen has come through, a clean can get rid of what came in during that time.

Other Tips to Combine with Cleaning:

• Use high-quality HVAC filters and change them regularly during allergy season.

• Vacuum carpets frequently with a HEPA-filter vacuum to maintain low allergen levels after a professional cleaning.

• Keep windows closed on high pollen days (which we often do anyway for heat).

• Wash pet bedding and throw blankets, etc., since a clean carpet next to a pollen-laden dog bed will get dirty again.

• Consider having your air ducts cleaned if they’ve never been, as dust in ducts can distribute allergens too.

A Note on Relief:While no home can be 100% allergen-free, reducing the reservoir of allergens in carpets and furniture can significantly lessen your daily exposure. It’s akin to removing a bunch of dust out of the air – your immune system has less to fight against, so you feel better. We’ve had customers with allergies literally tell us they noticed they could breathe easier in their home after we cleaned their carpets and couches.

So, as allergy season hits Vegas, think of carpet and upholstery cleaning as part of your allergy-fighting arsenal, right up there with antihistamines and nasal sprays. A clean home environment can help you “breathe easy” and find some sanctuary from the sneezes and sniffles.

(Internal link: Sniffles in spring? Let us help. Check out our allergy-relief cleaning – we’ll deep clean your carpets and upholstery so you can enjoy your home with fewer allergy attacks.)