Have environmental allergies? Here are some steps you can take inside your home reduce allergy symptoms.
Dust:
- Bedroom should contain only one bed
- Remove all upholstered furniture, rugs, pads, stuffed toys, and dust catching ornaments from the bedroom
- Remove all stored clothing, toys, packages and other articles in the bedroom closet. The closet should contain only the patient’s clothing in current use and should be as dust-free as the room. The closet should not be used for storage
- Vacuum the mattress thoroughly, including the box springs, once or twice a month
- Do not use comforters or quilts on the bed. Washable cotton, rayon or other synthetic fiber blankets are best. Washable throw rugs may be used if kept clean
- Keep the bedroom dust free with frequent vacuuming and a weekly wiping down with an oil or damp cloth
- Close and permanently seal all furnace-type outlets in the room; otherwise, the room will become filled with dust-ladened air during the operation of the furnace
- Change furnace filters frequently
- Consider a filtration system; either portable for the bedroom, especially if you are a renter or have a central system (an attachment to the heating/air conditioning system)
- Cover all pillows, mattresses, and box springs with plastic encasing. Microfiber is best to look for when shopping for encasing
Feathers:
- Feather and/or down pillows or mattresses should not be used. Duvet covers on feather/down comforters would be helpful but the cover should be washed every two weeks in hot water
Wool:
- No wool blankets or rugs in the bedroom
Animals:
- No pets in the bedroom at any time
- Confine the animal to an area of the home that can be easily cleaned
- Consider removing the animal from the household and keeping it outdoors
- Shampoo all rugs, furniture and bedding with which the animal has come in contact. You should even vacuum out the air conditioning/heating ducts if that is feasible
- Bathe the animal in mild soap and water each week
Pollen:
- Unusually heavy exposures such as mowing the lawn should be avoided. If undertaken, the wearing of a simple surgical mask can drastically reduce the amount of inhaled pollen
- The general airing of a home during pollinating month must be avoided. If windows and doors are opened for just several hours, then pollen counts within the home may reach approximately one-third of those in the outdoor air. These counts will remain elevated for approximately 48 hours
These recommendations may seem unnecessarily severe, but experience has shown that an environment free of those substances to which a patient is allergic will be substantially beneficial. It is frequently impractical to control the dust factor throughout the entire home or the place of work, but the sleeping quarters do lend themselves to rigid control. Also, the dust of the bedroom, for specific reasons, is more allergenic than the dust from other rooms of the home. Pillows, mattresses, box springs, bed pads, blankets, bedspreads, comforters, quilts, stuffed furniture, rugs, and drapes all break down and may produce a substance of allergic importance.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office at anytime.