Asthma-Friendly Home Decor

After doing a deep clean on our house and specifically our bedroom, I realized the space I share with my partner was not decorated in an asthma-friendly way. As I moved items, replaced some, and got rid of some, I noticed how much dust was swirling about in the air. Later that day and the following days after, my partner experienced a flare-up in asthma symptoms. The decorations we had up in our home had collected dust and were therefore harmful to my partner.

Asthma-triggering decorations

Dead plants and dried flowers

I love flowers, and always end up collecting some on hikes and walks I go on. Seeing fresh and colorful flowers always brightens up my mood. However, I don't like to throw flowers out. Sometimes the flowers will just dry out, and I'll just leave them where they are. After a few weeks, the dried flowers will gather dust, which I don't notice right away. If the flowers are in the water, then they can start to mold. This is also bad because mold can definitely be an asthma trigger.

House plants that are alive can be lovely decorations, but dead ones are not a great aesthetic. I mostly do a good job with remembering to water the plants, but sometimes I will forget for too many days in a row, and a house plant dies. A dried and brown house plant not getting any water can become dusty, and it is not a pretty sight to behold. I found one hanging in our bedroom, and couldn't remember the last time I had watered it. On the other hand, when some plants are overwatered, this can actually cause them to mold.

Knick-knacks collecting dust

Putting out decorations with valuable memories always feels like a nice choice to decorate the home. We have little figurines, ceramic pieces, shells, and other random things that we’ve gathered and that have been gifted to us. I appreciate seeing these decorations and then having positive memories arise. The problem with these little knick-knacks is that they are not really used for anything except decorations and because they are rarely moved, they gather dust quickly.

Tapestries and cloth decorations

Tapestries or small decorative rugs look lovely up on the wall or draped over furniture, but it would be best to wash these items often. I, of course, completely forget to do this. I cannot remember the last time all the cloth decorations were washed in the house, and when I took them down to rearrange in a new spot, a small cloud of dust and particles floated up in the air.

Asthma-friendly home decor:

Overall, it seems that having more of a minimal decoration scheme works best for my partner and I. In reality, we are both very busy and cannot dust, wipe down, or wash our decor on a weekly basis. A few decorations that work for us:

• Framed photos up on the walls
• Paintings
• Choosing to put out just a few memorable items
• Plants that don’t need to be watered often, like succulents

Takeaway

Dust and mold can be asthma triggers, and these things can, unfortunately, be lurking in the home. Some decorations like dried flowers, dead plants, knick-knacks, and cloth decorations can quickly gather dust. Other decorations like flowers sitting in water for too long and plants that become overwatered can cause mold to form. You might find that having a minimalist approach to decor can help reduce dust and mold in the home and be easier to keep up with cleaning.