How to Decorate for An Allergy-Free Holiday Season

Most recently updated January 3rd, 2024

It’s that time!  Time to get ready for your Fall & Winter holiday gatherings.

Yay!!! And also:  Oh, no!!

Everyone loves to decorate and make their home feel festive for the winter holidays, but before you can decorate, you also need to clean.   (This is the worst part, honestly.)

And not only do you have to clean your house, but you might also need to freshen up your stored holiday decorations!

Unfortunately, some of our traditional decorations can harbor allergens that may irritate allergy-and-asthma-prone family or guests.

Some people are even allergic to Christmas trees – which is a point in favor of having an artificial tree.

And just think about all of the other decorations you put up, where you put them, and how long they stay there.

The key to avoiding hosting allergens (along with your guests) is to prep your home well in advance of your first holiday event, and choose your decorations carefully.   

Read on to learn how!

The fact that most standard holiday decorations are major dust-catchers only adds to the usual allergen buildup – and it’s almost impossible to clean under or around those decorations until you take them down after New Year’s Eve!

The Holidays can create a giant allergen snowball inside your home, unless you take steps to prevent it. 

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 Early Summer into Fall is a flurry of activity for me, and when the dust (literally) settles, it can leave my home looking a bit neglected.

If I use the relative calm between Halloween and the Winter holidays to give my home a thorough Fall cleaning,  I find I’m much happier later during the busy time from late November through the end of December.

Maybe this strategy will work for you, too.

To get started, we want to be sure that surfaces that will be covered or masked by decorations are clean before putting decorations up.

So clean first, then decorate!

Cleaning Strategy

There’s nothing like a clean, decorated home as the backdrop for all the holiday pictures and family fun.

That said, not all cleaning is created equal: you can clean strategically to get an especially  “clean home” feel without a huge time investment.

For this post, I’m talking about a quick (but thorough) cleaning to create a fresh base for decorations and spruce up for guests. 

It shouldn’t replace the deeper cleaning that happens maybe once or twice  a year, or your weekly cleaning tasks – which will continue through the holidays as you can with decorations up.

(Read more about ongoing weekly anti-allergen cleaning strategies here.)

Soooo…. let’s get to it!

The Top-Down Wipe-Down

I recommend working top-down, to take advantage of gravity so you’re not dropping dust and dirt on surfaces  you just finished and cleaning the same surfaces twice.

(Any fall-out from cleaning crown molding or ceiling fans will be taken care of when you vacuum, and so on.)

Clean in this order:

1. 1. 1. Start with the tops of door and window sills, ceiling fans and light fixtures, the fireplace and mantel.
      2. And then, of course, dust the furniture, all flat surfaces  and clean the window glass.
      3. Clean the baseboards, carpets and floors at the end, when the rest of the surfaces have been cleaned.

Once you’ve wiped down all of the surfaces, and done the general cleaning (as above), there are some specific cleaning tasks that will provide extra freshness in areas most visible to guests.

7 Easy Holiday Spruce-Up Tasks

1) Erase Your Carpet Stains

If you have carpet, you most likely have carpet stains.

This is even more likely if you have kids and/or pets.

I find the best thing to do for carpet stains is to use spray carpet spot cleaner,  then use a sponge to work it in.  

Use your steam cleaner or vacuum to pull residue out of the carpet.

2) Clean Under the Furniture

Cleaning underneath your furniture means there won’t be any awkward moments  – like finding old cheesy poofs or that Hamster you thought ran away last year – if your guests re-arrange the seating 🙂

Work with someone on this if you can. That way, one person can move the furniture and one person can run the vacuum.

3) Freshen the Upholstery

Furniture takes a beating year round – and even if it doesn’t look dirty, trust me, it really is.

The easiest way to clean upholstered furniture is with a vacuum and crevice tool attachment to get in all the cracks for the crumbs and dirt.

If you have stains, you can use a steam cleaner to tackle them.  If not, use spot cleaner for fabric.  (Be sure to spot test in an inconspicuous place first.)

4) Wipe Down Your Refrigerator

The holiday celebrations usually come with food  – and sometimes guests doing food prep in your kitchen.

It’s important to give your refrigerator a good cleaning before guests start poking around in there. 

First, get rid of any old food, and clean out and wipe all of the shelves and drawers.

Then, clean up any spills or dried on foods or gunk.   

Finish by using glass cleaner to remove smudges and fingerprints from the handles and outside surfaces.  And don’t forget to dust the top!

5) Clean Your Oven, Stove Top and Microwave

I hardly ever use my oven; most of my daily food prep is on the stove or in the microwave.

That said, at the holidays I’ll use the oven to roast turkeys and chickens, bake biscuits and pies for holidays meals, and also bake cookies for Santa!

It’s important to clean all of your cooking appliances inside and out before the cooking frenzy begins.   Just scrape off food spills and wipe down with a mild cleanser.

6) Organize Your Pantry

In my house, the pantry can sometimes become a catch-all filled with everything from bird-feeders to extra towels.  There’s also usually some actual food in there…

Before the holiday foods start coming in,  go through everything currently in your pantry and sort it all out. 

Make some extra room for special holiday foods, and more food generally because you’ll be feeding more people.

If you’ve got shelves, wipe them all down.

I have wire shelves, so there’s not much actual cleaning to do – it’s mostly organizing.

7) Wash Seasonal Dishes And Cookware

You’ve probably got some dishes that you only use for special occasions. Since the holidays are filled with special occasions, you need to be sure these dishes are clean and ready to use.

Run everything through the dishwasher, so they’re ready to go.  It’ll save time when you’re in the middle of cooking and baking.

Be sure to wash and wipe down any special wine glasses or other drinkware, too.

A good way to add some Holiday pizazz to your kitchen, is with festive tempered glass cutting boards.

See the whole IRW Holiday Home Goods Collection here.

And Don’t Forget Powder Rooms and Guest Rooms!

If guests will be coming over, be sure all of the baths  – especially the main floor powder room – are squeaky clean and the guest room linens are freshened up.

Create Your Own Cleaning Plan 

That’s a lot of cleaning to get through, in addition to normal maintenance.  In my case, I also have to build in a couple of weeks on the front end for denial 🙂

I like to chunk big projects into smaller tasks that are easier to accomplish in one sitting, and that’s usually my basic plan to give the house a good cleaning before the first holiday decoration is brought out.

Your cleaning could be organized by time alotted, by overall task, or by room.

The Chunks of Fun Cleaning Plan

In years past I’ve started the first week of November and ended the week of Thanksgiving (with post-turkey cleanup the first week of December).

That time frame allows roughly 4-5 weeks to work the plan.

Then, I divide up the work by general tasks or areas of the home so by the time Thanksgiving week comes, I can do some Thanksgiving stuff – decorating, cooking, celebrating etc.  (That varies for me depending on the year.)

After Thanksgiving, all that’s left to do is clean up the Thanksgiving stuff and decorate for Christmas.

The division of weeks and labor would look something like this:

1. 1. 1. November Week One:  Wipe down tasks
      2. November Week Two:  Kitchen and Bathrooms
      3. November Week Three:  Living Room and Carpets
      4. November Week Four: Entries, Hallways, Guest Rooms, (T-day)
      5. December Week One: T-Day cleanup, prep and put up decorations

Some years, I work 30 minutes each day on the area/tasks of the week. Other times, I devote an entire day of the week (usually Saturday) to cleaning that area.

If you’re starting late (like me) you could chunk 2 weeks’ worth of tasks together into one week and then clean like a Tasmanian Devil!

If you’re absolutely slammed, just do the Top-Down Wipe-Down on the main floor before you put up your decorations – and then tackle the other stuff as you can throughout the season.

However long your pre-holiday cleaning plan takes, you’ll still need to keep up with your regular household cleaning.

What a drag, I know – but as my daughter tells me, “adulting is hard” 😉

The Holiday Atmosphere

Okay, finally – let’s talk how you create that festive holiday feeling at your house.

A lot of things, including decorations, go into creating a holiday atmosphere: special foods, music and games, and of course making your home look and feel (and even smell) a little bit different than usual.

Unfortunately,  some of those little differences can be triggers for people with allergies and asthma.

4 Common Holiday Asthma Triggers

Decorations

Most people take down their decorations shortly after New Year’s Day and store them in a basement or attic until they are needed again almost a year later.

Making sure you have an allergen-free holiday actually starts the previous year, when you put the decorations in storage.

Why Allergies and Asthma Spike During Holidays

Recently, there’s been an increase in the number of people having issues with asthma and allergies during the holidays.

Because the winter holidays come at a time of year when homes are most likely closed up due to the weather, the cause is clearly associated with indoor allergen “pollution”.

Many homes are built with improper venting systems – so what’s inside lingers.

How and where you store holiday decorations can have a big impact on how much they make you wheeze when you bring them out again.

Fiberglass and other insulation particles, dust, mold and other allergens can get into stored holiday heirlooms.

Even tightly sealed boxes can attract mice and insects, each contributing to the allergen and germ categories.   Eewww.

Mold

Mold (like pollen) floats around in the air but isn’t visible to the naked eye.

However, people who suffer from mold allergies can have serious allergic reactions if they’re exposed to it.

• • • Because mold is attracted to damp evergreens, it can reside in the fresh wreaths, Christmas trees, and boughs you buy and place in your home.
    • Artificial trees and wreaths will be mold-free off the shelf, but can acquire mold in storage.

Fortunately, proper storage and care of holiday trees and decorations can reduce mold and other allergens, whether the decorations are artificial or real.

Allergen-Reducing Storage Tips:

• • Start by selecting moisture and dirt free areas for holiday decoration storage.
  • Clean items with a damp cloth before storage. (Dirt supports mold growth.)
  • Store trees and decorations in plastic bins, or wrap in plastic bags, not cardboard. Cardboard holds moisture and is a food source for mold.
  • Dehumidify basement storage areas and install fans controlled with humidistat for attic storage.

If stored items from last year are already covered with mold and dust, place them in plastic bags or bins before carrying them through the house so you don’t spread mold and allergens.

Unpack the stored decorations outside of the house in the garage – and wear a mask to protect yourself. 

Clean fresh cut trees or stored items using a leaf blower or hose them down with a garden hose.   Both methods remove mold and dust usually found on artificial trees and decorations.

Christmas Trees

There’s often a big debate over the choice between real or artificial Christmas trees, wreaths and other decorations.

Whether “real” or “artificial” is better is one of those questions where the answer depends on who’s asking it, and what their allergy vs. decorating requirements are.

 

The mold that’s associated with watering live trees and the chemicals sprayed on live trees are likely triggers for allergy and asthma attacks. 

Trees may also be harboring pollens from their time on the tree farm.  Also, tree sap contains terpene and other substances that can irritate skin and mucous membranes.

If you do choose a live tree, blast it with a leaf blower or rinse it and allow it to dry prior to bringing in inside.

Wear long sleeves, gloves and a mask when handling the tree.

You could also wipe the trunk of the tree thoroughly with a solution of 1 part bleach, 20 parts lukewarm water.

Let the tree dry in an enclosed porch or garage before bringing it inside.

FUN FACT:  Live Christmas trees are a crop.  According to The National Christmas Tree Association, the average Christmas tree is 7 years old when harvested.

Artificial trees come with their own allergens, in addition to dust and mold collected in the home.

Artificial Christmas trees, tree lights and plastic decorations have been subject to warnings about lead.

Lead is added to PVC during manufacture to make the plastic more pliable when hanging strings of light or adjusting tree limbs.

Lead is a serious health hazard, particularly to children.

FUN FACT:  In the 1930’s, the Addis Brush Company created the first artificial-brush trees using the same machinery as they used to make toilet brushes. (!!!)

Poinsettias

Poinsettias, a great colorful live holiday decoration, are a member of the rubber tree family.

Although risk of a severe reaction is low, avoid direct contact with this plant if you have a latex allergy.

Artificial Snow

If you plan on spraying artificial snow (on any tree or decoration), follow the directions carefully.

Inhaling these sprays can irritate the lungs and provoke allergies.

Scents of the Season

Specific holiday smells of gingerbread, pumpkin, and pine have been replicated by candles, sprays and plug-in air fresheners.  Strong holiday fragrances can also be found in potpourri and other decorations.

While they smell great, these artificial scents can irritate the throat and nose of people with asthma and allergies. 

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology acknowledges that “asthmatics are clearly sensitive to odors and fumes; therefore it would not be unexpected that air fresheners could trigger asthmatic episodes.”

In fact, one-third of people with asthma report health problems from air fresheners (including non-holiday air fresheners), which contain volatile organic compounds (VOC’s).

VOC exposure has also been shown to  increase the risk of asthma in children.

Many  “plug in” scents contain synthetic esters and formaldehyde, which are also not good to breathe.

Real Scents

As an alternate to artificial scents, try using flowers and arrangements that have naturally good scents – or use potpourri.

You could also bake a pie or simmer hot spiced wine or cider to create a wonderful seasonal smell.

Fireplaces and Smoke

A fire in the hearth is wonderful this time of the year and creates a great cozy atmosphere, but smoke is a common asthma trigger.

If you want a fire, a gas fireplace is just as cozy – and doesn’t give off smoke. 

 

You could also place a candelabra of real or electric candles inside a wood-burning fireplace for decorative flames.

2 More Healthy Holiday Indoor Air Tips

1. 1. Given the choice, it’s better to place trees and decorations in areas with wood or tile floors as opposed to carpet.  (These floors are easier to clean and hold fewer allergens.)
   2. Using a quality air cleaner  – such as a HEPA filter  –  can remove circulating allergens and provide immediate indoor air improvement.

Celebrating Away From Home

As long as you’re in your own home, you can reduce allergens and asthma triggers as much as you care to.  But what happens when you’re visiting others?

You don’t need to be apologetic about taking care of your own health.  That said, you can’t insist that others remove allergens – especially in their own homes.

But there are some things you can do.

When you know you’re going to an event that will trigger your asthma or allergies, try some of these strategies:

• • Take preventive doses of your meds before you leave home, and bring emergency inhalers or epi-pens with you.
  • If pine trees or pets bother you, keep your distance from the tree and the furry buddies.
  • Avoid eating or drinking anything you know aggravates your sensitivity.
  • To stay away from fireplace smoke, mingle in another room.
  • Stay away from cigarette and cigar smoke.

If all else fails, make your excuses and leave early – or send regrets – and get outside into some fresh air 🙂

Breathe Easier with Air Filters and Purifiers

Even with all of these precautions, you may find you’ve still got some allergens trapped in your home – especially when the weather forces you to keep your windows closed.

Indoor allergens not only affect you during the daytime, they may disrupt your sleep, too.

Anyone who suffers with allergies knows that they tend to get worse at night.

This may be due to natural Circadian rhythms, your sleeping position, or even the allergens in your bedding.

Whatever the cause, if you can’t breathe very well or have a constant cough, it’s hard to get to sleep.

If you have central heating or air, you can use filters in your vents that will help to clean the air in your entire house.

Choose HEPA (High efficiency particulate air) filters that you can place in your vents.

There are several different ranges of filtration that you can choose.  I use the HEPA  vent filter from Filtrete, for my HVAC vents.

Whole house air purifiers and vent filters  are not as effective as having an air purifier just for single rooms. 

If your budget allows, consider an additional room purifier for your bedroom.

I have an air purifier in my bedroom and run it each at night with the door shut.  The brand I use is Inofia  but there are many other  good purifiers available.

Place this device near your headrest.  Try adjusting to it direct clean air towards your head when you sleep.

Air Purifier Guide

If you want to be sure that your breathing is the best it can be inside your home,  check out this helpful guide from ConsumersAdvocate.org on the air purifier industry.

Whether you celebrate at home or out and about, I hope these tips will help you make the most of your holiday celebrations! 

Leave a comment about your seasonal allergy triggers, or if you have a question drop me an email and  I’ll reply as soon as I can.   

Eat to Breathe Easier – the Best Food for Asthma

Hiking With Asthma! A 3-Step Plan for Success

And if you’re still looking for some fun gifts,  take a look at  the IRW Merch shop!

Snarky T-Shirts, IRW Logo Stuff & More!

If you don’t want Holiday-themed stuff, we’ve also got T Shirts and sweatshirts sporting the *incredibly attractive* I’d Rather Walk logo, or an amusing, inspiring or snarky message. 

Messages are witty, fun, silly – but never political or crude.

You’ll probably want more than one!   Take a look at all of the collections in the IRW Merch shop to see what’s out there.  

Click to See the Whole IRW Merchandise Shop

Thanks for stopping by – see next time!  LJ

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