Down and Dirty allergy proofing

[Guest guest]

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