For the victim, nothing is harder to explain than how can anyone be allergic to -- ?.  
I remember the first time I picked up a plain old plastic water hose and drank from it.  

What looked like pure water, wasn't, not to me.  It was as if my mouth, throat and all 
the way down to the bottom of my stomach was coated with plastic from that one tiny 
swallow.  I fell to the ground writing in agony.  For what seemed like an eternity, I 
writhed there with vomit erupting and sweat pounding from my every pore.

Years later I learned that a few others had experienced similar "discomfort" from plastic 
hoses.  In the United States the use of that kind of plastic was forbidden in the manufacture 
of anything that might be eaten from or drank out of.  But now with imports flooding our 
store shelves, that kind of plastic is found, mixed with other kinds.  Consequently, I still 
have to be VERY careful what I drink from when dining out.

The Allergies of Moving

by Lin Stone

For a person with allergies, potential hazards are hidden around 
every corner. A severe allergic reaction can quickly turn into a 
life-threatening medical emergency. Even a very small amount of 
allergen can cause a severe attack—and with little warning.

 

Yes, allergies can be tragic.  You just name a substance and SOMEBODY is allergic to it.  
Dust held captive inside some building structure is a real villain for many of us. 


You see, no dust in any home is pure dust.  The dust in any home is composed of different 
substances than is the dust in any other home.  When we move into a new home we are 
especially vulnerable to the NEW dust that greets us because our bodies have not built up 
an immunity to that new combination of dust.  

From Dust to Dust


According to the Allergy Store: "Rather than a single substance, house dust is a varied mixture of potentially allergenic materials. The particles seen floating in a shaft of sunlight may contain fibers from different types of fabrics; cotton lint, feathers, and other stuffing materials; bacteria; mold and fungus spores (especially in damp areas); food particles; bits of plants and insects, dog hair, cat hair, and other allergens peculiar to an individual home."
Even though ragweed reactions are more prevalent in the United States, house dust mite allergy is the major year-round allergy in the world. Small enough to be invisible, mites snuggle up in bedding, flourish on the furniture, and cut capers on even the most expensive carpets. Microscopic mites are like airborne rangers, being carried from room to room  in house dust by fans and air conditioners. Their waste products are what actually provoke the allergic reactions.

According to Jeffrey C. May, author of My House is Killing Me, published by Johns Hopkins University Press: "There are dozens of different species of mites. Some specialize in eating grains, others molds; some live in soil, some in or on other animals. Pet food and even flour can become contaminated with mites."  Click on the picture for a larger view and more information. Waste products from your friendly cockroaches also contribute their share to allergy symptoms experienced from household dust.

Some advice from the EcoBedroom..

What is recommended is to put on two sheets at the beginning of the the week, and then take off a bottom sheet and put on a new top sheet on Wednesday. Then on Sunday, take all the sheets off and sun and air the bed.
Sunning mattresses and bedding that is made out of natural materials helps to clean them. I'm sorry to say that this does not work for products made out of synthetic materials. 
Sunlight kills the dust mites and they don't like air. Whenever you can, leave the covers pulled back from the bed, on any day. Dust mites need your body and your body's moisture to survive.

I think you will concede the point; Dust in a home is not pure dust!  Consequently, it can easily produce symptoms like:
watering eyes
itching eyes, nose, or throat
sneezing often accompanied by a runny or clogged nose
a dry, hacking cough
postnasal drip
swelling of the eyelids, causing red-rimmed, swollen eyes, and even crusting of the eyelids.
and symptoms MUCH worse!

So, here we are, moving into a new (to us) house.  I don't care how hard the people leaving it have cleaned it up, that house is still dirty!  If you begin to experience any combination of the symptoms above, you will want to make some of the efforts listed below to remove the offending particulates.

If you already know you are allergic to many forms of dust, don't wait for the symptoms to appear before you take all of the precautions listed below.

If you are going to do your own cleanup, use a dust mask.  Good dust masks come in packages of five and cost about $2.00  Two in a package of the best dust masks cost $5.00  

If the house has central heat or central air, find the INTAKE chamber and remove the filter.  Then clean out AND disinfect the chamber itself.  The last house I bought had crud in the intake chamber an inch thick and the filter itself came apart in tattered shreds as I struggled to remove it. 
Replace the filter, making a note of when your new filter needs to be changed, and REMEMBER, that suggested time period is for NORMAL people who aren't allergic to dust.

Use a long feather duster to dust off anything you can't reach, paying particular attention to the fan blades on any ceiling fans. 

Sweep and mop or vacuum anywhere you can.

Make any repairs you have to make, such as ripping out soiled carpets, repairing broken water lines, removing asbestos, putting in sub floors, and fixing up the bathroom.

Scrub the walls and do any painting you want done.

Sweep and mop or vacuum anywhere you can reach, again.

Take Time to Air the house Out. 
Open the doors and windows and set fans to circulating. 
Professional cleaners will use professional quality air movers. 
If you can't find the big air movers then concentrate several sets of fans to accomplish as much as possible at moving the outside air through the house.

Why do I start you out with the central heat and air? 
Mostly because very few people care enough to take care of it.
"The air circulating in the ductwork of your home or office can be some of the poorest quality anywhere," says D & D Chemicals. "Molds, bacteria, yeasts, dust mites, viruses- all these could be present in every breath you take."
And remember this,
you fill your lungs up with air about 20,000 times each day.

Okay.  But what if you have already moved in only to find yourself beset with racking coughs and hideous streams of sneezes?  Before the pile of used Kleenex? gets a foot high, get yourself a dust mask --
then sweep and mop or vacuum anywhere you can reach.  Next, reach for the can of Lysol? Spray and carry it with you to use anywhere in the home you will remain for more than a few minutes.  Gradually you will get control of the environment of your new home. 
There are many products to help control dust, once you have it under control.  Air Purifiers, Air Cleaners, Air Filters, HEPA Filters, and even inside water fountains are ready to help you control the environment you care most about.

 

Summary: 
For a person with allergies, potential hazards are hidden
around every corner.  A severe allergic reaction can
quickly turn into a life-threatening medical emergency. 
Even a very small amount of allergen can cause a
severe attack?  and with little warning.
 
Click HERE for even more information.

Lin Stone is very familiar with allergies:  "For the victim,
nothing is harder to explain than 
how can anyone be allergic to --.
  I remember the first time
I picked up a plain old plastic hose and drank from it.  What
looked like pure water, wasn't, not to me.  It was as if my
mouth, throat and all the way down to the bottom of my
stomach was coated with plastic from that one tiny swallow. 
I fell to the ground writing in agony.  For what seemed like
an eternity, I writhed there with vomit erupting and sweat
pouring from my every pore.  

"Years later I learned that a few others had experienced
similar "discomfort" from plastic hoses.  In the United
States the use of that kind of plastic was forbidden in the
manufacture of anything that might be eaten from or drank
out of.  But now with imports flooding our store shelves, 
that kind of plastic is found, mixed with other kinds. 
Consequently, I still have to be VERY careful what I
drink from when dining out."

Mr. Stone is an author, writer, photographer.  His web
work appears on many domains. Most of it is yours to
read for free.  http://www.talewins.com/StoneSoup.htm
reveals direct links to many of them.

Dust Allergies  *  Good Food Restores Good Health  *  Norwalk viruses  *  Cockroaches