Re: Down and Dirty allergy proofing

[Guest guest]

-Pandora,

Sorry to hear about the problems you are having with your knee.

I think this group is great too. I was feeling really depressed

and discouraged, but reading thru the posts on this site has given

me hope.

Thanks for all the allergy proofing tips, being new to this I need

all the pointers I can get. I expect I'll end up doing most of it

myself, because we farm and my husband is in the middle of harvest

right now, so his days are very long.

Is there any kind of a dust mask that you have found to work better

than others? How long do you need to leave the mask on or stay out

of the room after you get done vacuuming for the dust to settle?

I invested in a HEPA vacuum because my old one really spews out the

dust, just got it today, trying to get up the courage to use it,

because in the past vacuuming really set me off.

Does any of the stuff you can buy to spray on your carpets and

furnature for dust mites do any good?

Great idea about the overflow drains, I had put bleach down the

regular drains but hadn't thought of the overflows. I going to do

that as mold is one of the things I am very allergic to.

Thanks again and I hope you get to feeling better soon.

-- In , " keemaka42 " <keemaka42@y...>

wrote:

>

>

> the down and dirty on allergy proofing your home:

>

> *no pets

> *no live plants

> *no carpet

> *no drapes

> *cotton sheets or a blend that can stand high temps in the washer

> *plastic covers on your pillows and mattress and box spring--plain

> plastic will work; you do not need to get the pricey things from an

> allergy catalog

> *synthetic foam pillows that can be washed

> *synthetic blanket...vellux is by far the best...you can get a king

> size one for under $20 from WalMart and it can stand the washing

> *as good an air filter for your air conditioner as you can

afford..3M

> Filtrete runs $10-$15 depending on size and should be replaced

monthly

> or as often as you can afford

>

> **some will argue about using synthetics, but far and way most

> allergic people do better with the synthetics that can be washed to

> eliminate the dust mites and pollens that collect.

>

> Wash your bedding...all of it, weekly on hot hot hot...if your

washer

> does not have a temperature boster on it (ie you have an older

> machine) go to the laundromat and use a commercial machine. No

fabric

> softener and whatever laundry soap you are least sensitive

> to...without fragrance is best.

>

> Keep your windows and doors closed, use fans indoors if it is too

warm.

>

> To clean your house:

> Vaccuum or sweep FIRST then

> Wipe down every surface with a very dilute mixture of tea, fabric

> softener and water (say half a gallon of water, 1 tsp very strong

tea

> and 1 tsp of softener; not sure of the tea amount because it

depends

> on the kind of tea). The tannic acid in the tea discourages dust

mites

> and the small amount of fabric softener discourages dust from

settling

> back down onto the surfaces....these additions should NOT discolor

the

> water very much at all...mix fresh every time you clean.

>

> Environmental pollens come in on people's clothes, shoes, etc. If

you

> are really allergic, keep separate " outdoor " and " indoor " clothes

for

> yourself, change immediately when you come inside and wash your

hands

> and face.

>

> And my fave, which we JUST DISCOVERED...if you have a mold allergy,

> you need to occasionally BLEACH the overflow drain in your sinks in

> the bathrooms...think about it...dark, damp...hmmm nice place for

> nasty stuff to grow, AND we are always putting our faces down there

> close to it! Figure out a way to get some bleach down there...we

use a

> funnel, or you can carefully fill your sink to the overflow point

and

> add some bleach so that it slops into the overflow

drain...remember to

> NEVER mix bleach with anything else...you will make poison gas! It

> only takes a spoon of Clorox per gallon of water to make something

> strong enough to kill mold, so do not overdo it.

>

> Problem with allergens is that they are part of a living system, so

> you can't just do this stuff once...it is part of an on going

system.

>

> You can usually enlist the help of friends the first time; if you

have

> to do it by yourself, do it slowly, in stages, and wear a dust mask

> when you are vacuuming and dusting and keep your rescue inhaler

near by.

>

> Whew, I am tired...sorry for the lecture.

>

> Pandora

[Guest guest]

--- In , " cox58asthma " <cox58asthma@y...>

wrote:

>

> Is there any kind of a dust mask that you have found to work better

> than others? How long do you need to leave the mask on or stay out

> of the room after you get done vacuuming for the dust to settle?

>

> I invested in a HEPA vacuum because my old one really spews out the

> dust, just got it today, trying to get up the courage to use it,

> because in the past vacuuming really set me off.

>

> Does any of the stuff you can buy to spray on your carpets and

> furnature for dust mites do any good?

>

1) A very cheap alternative to a dust mask is a clean cotton bandana

that you dampen and wear like a robber's mask...other than that, there

are a large number of masks...the tighter the material, the harder

they are to breathe through, so at some point it just becomes a waste

of time...try something simple like a disposable painter's mask from

the hardware store...if that works a little, then you know you might

be on the right track and can think about upgrading.

2) Most of the dust mite sprays contain tannic acid as their active

ingredient, so using a weak tea solution probably gets you there

cheaper<vbg>

3) Do NOT use any of the " all natural " diatomaceous earth powders or

borax powders...they do indeed kill fleas, ants bugs and probably

mites...they also fill your house with fine white powder...just the

thing for sensitive asthmatics!

4) The HEPA vacuum is probably a good idea, but folks argue about

which one is best. check Consumer reports for reviews about which one

actually filters out the dust. Also remember to vacuum first, then

dust...this way you get whatever the vacumm accidently spews out. Even

the finest dust will settle within 30 minutes if your AC is not

running and your ceiling fans are off.

5)Don't get paranoid...your aim is to live " Dust reduced " ...no one can

live dust free, except maybe my wicked step mother and I think she

made a bargain with you know who to do it!

6) Give these steps TIME; it takes cat dander months to decay, for

example, so you will see results from your new regimen over the next

few months...

Good luck!

Pandora

[Guest guest]

Pandora,

These are great tips, thanks so much. It does seem overwhelming at

first and you've been a great help. I'm just going to do alittle

bit at a time and see how I make out. I expect every little bit

will be a step in the right direction.

I go to see my pulmonologist Mon and also the allergy Dr wants me to

have a CT scan of the sinus Mon because I just keep getting worse.

As I step down on the pred, my peak flow gets lower and I feel

worse.

Hope to hear real soon when I can Start Xolair, and I also am going

to ask my Allergy Dr about allergy shots.--

Best wishes to everyone.

- In , " keemaka42 " <keemaka42@y...>

wrote:

>

>

>

> >

> > Is there any kind of a dust mask that you have found to work

better

> > than others? How long do you need to leave the mask on or stay

out

> > of the room after you get done vacuuming for the dust to settle?

> >

> > I invested in a HEPA vacuum because my old one really spews out

the

> > dust, just got it today, trying to get up the courage to use it,

> > because in the past vacuuming really set me off.

> >

> > Does any of the stuff you can buy to spray on your carpets and

> > furnature for dust mites do any good?

> >

> 1) A very cheap alternative to a dust mask is a clean cotton

bandana

> that you dampen and wear like a robber's mask...other than that,

there

> are a large number of masks...the tighter the material, the harder

> they are to breathe through, so at some point it just becomes a

waste

> of time...try something simple like a disposable painter's mask

from

> the hardware store...if that works a little, then you know you

might

> be on the right track and can think about upgrading.

>

> 2) Most of the dust mite sprays contain tannic acid as their active

> ingredient, so using a weak tea solution probably gets you there

> cheaper<vbg>

>

> 3) Do NOT use any of the " all natural " diatomaceous earth powders

or

> borax powders...they do indeed kill fleas, ants bugs and probably

> mites...they also fill your house with fine white powder...just the

> thing for sensitive asthmatics!

>

> 4) The HEPA vacuum is probably a good idea, but folks argue about

> which one is best. check Consumer reports for reviews about which

one

> actually filters out the dust. Also remember to vacuum first, then

> dust...this way you get whatever the vacumm accidently spews out.

Even

> the finest dust will settle within 30 minutes if your AC is not

> running and your ceiling fans are off.

>

> 5)Don't get paranoid...your aim is to live " Dust reduced " ...no one

can

> live dust free, except maybe my wicked step mother and I think she

> made a bargain with you know who to do it!

>

> 6) Give these steps TIME; it takes cat dander months to decay, for

> example, so you will see results from your new regimen over the

next

> few months...

>

> Good luck!

>

> Pandora