According to Allergy UK, 12 million of us Brits suffer with dust mite allergies, and are worryingly becoming allergic to our own homes. So if you have allergies, are shutters better for you than curtains?
Your bedroom is your sanctuary
Those who suffer with hayfever, skin sensitivities, asthma or other respiratory issues, may kit their bedrooms out with hypoallergenic duvets and pillows, have dehumidifiers running all night, or develop complex cleaning routines to try and combat their allergies which seem to come alive at night.
As we spend on average 26 years of our life asleep, it’s a good place to start looking at ways you can reduce the amount of allergens in your home. Sleep.org have a great list of ways you can reduce allergies in your bedroom.
Those with allergies will be keenly aware of the need to keep our beds clean and that our mattress can contain dust mites and allergens. You can combat these critters by changing your mattress regularly (every 8 years), hoovering your mattress regularly, and washing bed linen at least weekly on a hot wash (at least 60c) which kills off the dust mites and eliminates allergens.
But what about curtains?
If we go to such lengths to keep our beds in tip top, clean condition, why not our window dressing?
Unfortunately, curtains, pillows and other soft furnishings are yet another heavenly home for dust mites and other allergens to take up residence. Pillows and throws are easy to wash regularly, but it’s a real pain to take down heavy curtains on a weekly basis to wash or dry clean them? Unless you have light-weight cotton curtains, washing them regularly would certainly be an inconvenience, and they would also quickly lose their appeal.
Join the shutter revolution!
Many people who suffer from allergies are joining the fairly recent decor revolution, opting to replace their curtains with shutters or blinds. Why? The answer is simple – shutters and blinds are easier to keep clean. All you need is a damp cloth. Those of you who hate cleaning may rejoice! This simple change is benefiting those who suffer with allergies. No more dusty curtains!
There are other benefits to installing shutters in your home. Shutters are bang on trend and have grown in popularity in the last 10 years. They are space saving. Without you even realising, curtains take up a large amount of floor and wall space. Your room will suddenly feel a little bit bigger when you replace curtains with shutters or blinds.
They are insulating! Before shutters, heavy curtains were always installed to help keep the cold out. Historic Scotland investigated this and concluded that heavy curtains reduced heat loss by 14%, whereas window shutters helped reduce heat loss by as much as 51%. Shutters are sealed to the window, meaning there are no air gaps, which means they are brilliant at keeping the heat in and keeping the cold out!
Having shutters installed is an easy process. You can read how it is done here. Please feel free to give us a ring and we can discuss any questions you may have.
