While it’s true that pet dander is the trigger that causes pet allergies, dander is most definitely present on pet hair, meaning that controlling pet hair is an important step in controlling allergies.  Pet hair can be tough to remove from carpet because it can get tangled up in the carpet fibers.  The best vacuum cleaners for cleaning carpet will have a roller brush head with shorter stiff bristles.  Bristles that are too long or too soft can become so full of tangled pet hair that they lose effectiveness.  The roller brush head is designed to stir up hair, dirt, and dander below the surface, allowing it to be sucked up into your machine.  Using a vacuum designed for hard floors on your carpet will result in at least as much hair and dirt being left behind as picked up.

If you only have bare floors to worry about, make sure you look for a vacuum cleaner designed or approved for use on your specific floors.  The roller brushes on machines designed for carpet can be less effective on hard floors and, worse yet, can be damaging to some types of flooring.

If you have both carpet and bare floors, look for models that have settings for both.

In addition to effectively removing pet hair and dander from open floors, make sure that your vacuum is equipped to deal with furniture and vertical surfaces.  It also needs to be able to get under raised furniture.  Look for a unit with a low enough profile to go under furniture or attachments that will allow you reach all areas.  Since dander is disbursed in the same manner as other household dust, controlling your allergies depends on removing as much of it as possible.  Pet dander retains its allergy-inducing power for quite some time, so the more you leave behind, the more likely you are to be affected.

The next thing to look for in a new vacuum is its ability to contain everything it suctions.  A multi-level filtration system combined with an efficient method of containment helps to ensure that what you pick up doesn’t end up being released back into the air, free to settle right back down on your clean surfaces.  An excellent containment system can actually reduce the frequency with which you need to vacuum and dust or make your current frequency that much more effective.

The last consideration can be confusing for some.  Many assume that the best vacuum cleaner is the one with the most powerful motor because the most powerful motor produces the strongest suction.  Since suction is a vacuum cleaner’s primary function, this theory seems sound enough.  The problem, though, is that there is another element that contributes greatly to a machine’s suction power.  That element is airflow.  The quality of a unit’s airflow determines at least as much about suction power as the motor does.  Be sure to look for a model that offers a well-sealed and otherwise efficient airflow.  Spending more for a model with a more powerful motor but a leaky airflow system is sure to be a waste of your hard-earned money.

Once you determine your needs and know what to look for in terms of technical specs, you’ll have a much easier time finding the right vacuum cleaner to help keep your pet allergies under control. Visit petallergyvacuum.guide to find the best cheap vacuum for pet hair.

The post The Complete Pet Allergy Vacuum Guide appeared first on Midwestern Housewife.

• Put away your clothes every night                                                                                                                 

Whenever you’re about to toss all your clothes over the sofa, a chair, and on the ground, resist this temptation and fold your clothes. Take dirty clothes and immediately put them into a designated basket. Also, fold clean clothes and put them away into your wardrobe. This includes the outfits you are trying out and preparing for the next day, towels you use after bathing, as well as folding laundry as soon as it is dried. Do this constantly and make a habit out of it and you’ll be amazed how everything looks cleaner when there is no mess all around your house.

• You don’t need extras

If you own too much stuff, it will take you too much space unnecessarily. Open your wardrobe and see what items you haven’t been using for a long time. The chances are you don’t actually need them at all. The less stuff you have, the less messy your house will be. Consider donating some of those or throwing away damaged and very old clothes.

• Keep a paper trail to a minimum                                                                                                                  

Of all the documents, receipts, newspapers and mail — keep only those that are really important and toss the rest out.

• Wipe down every surface after use

Each time you use the sink, rinse it with water and a paper towel or a designated cloth. The same goes for your dining table, your shower, and even the tiles in your bathroom. Cleaning immediately after use will prevent bacteria, mold, stains and grease from building up around your home.

• Don’t have your beds piled up with too much stuff

This is for practical reasons. A bunch of pillows, unneeded decorative sheets and blankets will take you too much time to make the bed when you get up.

• Put your shoes and coats away

Avoid piling up our jackets and coats as well as your shoes, near the exit. Instead, put those in designated placed. You will need a closet for your shoes and hangers for your coats.

• Never let dishes pile up                                                                                                                                 

If your dishes sit in the sink, not only will they quickly pile up but will also become infested with bacteria. To avoid this, keep your sink empty and clean.

• Put things back where they came from

If you are preparing a meal in your kitchen, after you’ve done put everything where it was. This also refers to trying out clothes, using make-up items, studying and anything else. This will only take a few minutes and it will save you so much time if you don’t let things pile up.

• Dust and vacuum on the regular

Instead of postponing everyday five-minute vacuuming for the all-day weekend house cleaning, try making a habit of dusting and vacuuming each day for several minutes. It’s much better.

The post How to Never Clean Your House Again! appeared first on Midwestern Housewife.

Many women actually have careers in addition to keeping everything functioning properly in a household. It takes so much effort to juggle all these tasks each day. Whether or not you are a career woman or not, homemaking is a full-time job by itself and you’ll need as much help as possible to become great at it, especially if you are a newbie.

Carve Out Time

If you are not very good at being a homemaker, you’ll need to dedicate time to becoming a great one. If you don’t have kids and you are single, dedicate as much time as possible. Whereas, if you have small kids, dedicate some time to working on developing homemaker’s skills. Start by preparing meals every week, one or several, and think about what you would like to improve. It’s good to read some books about skills and knowledge you need to enhance.

Make a List

If you got married, and discovered you don’t know much of anything, then start making lists. This will help you keep plans, achieve certain aims, and remain motivated. So, you might start with a list of things you don’t know how to do that are your priority to learn. You can make lists about things to improve. It might look something like this:

• Learn how to sew pillow cases
• Find a recipe for brownies and make them
• Make DIY decorations for the house
• Make a dinner for the weekend and call friends

Do the Things from your List

After you’ve made lists, it’s time to start working on developing and improving those skills. Starting anything is the hardest part but afterwards it gradually becomes easier. So, it’s crucial that you motivate yourself to start. Begin by choosing one smaller task for a week. Find time and commit to working on that task.

Study

If you want to become a great homemaker, you will have to spend some time studying. You should choose a particular skill you would like to master and study how to do it. If you are interested in decorating cupcakes, you should maybe join a class.

The key is to have initial interest and motivation for learning a new skill. This can become your hobby in addition to being a much needed skill of a great homemaker. If you love clothes and designing, you might consider taking sewing lessons.

Use the Internet to develop new skills. You can visit different websites, watch YouTube videos and tutorials. You might try creating a variety of do-it-yourself products and learning tips and tricks.

Give Yourself Grace

While learning anything, it’s important to stay motivated. If you start beating yourself down and comparing yourself to others, you might become overwhelmed and annoyed. You don’t need that and it would surely prevent you from succeeding at anything. So, pace yourself and take one step at a time. If you have no skills and everything is new to you, it’s not the end of the world. Just make a plan and strategy how you can accomplish them.

Don’t despair if you fail occasionally, but keep working and you’ll be great at it soon.

The post Tips for Being a Great Homemaker appeared first on Midwestern Housewife.