More of us are sneezing every year. Outside, golden ragweed and purple coneflowers leer at us, pollen wafts into our noses, pollution inflames our throats. Inside our homes, at least, we should be safe.
Except for the layers of dust-mite feces deep in our carpets. The bits of cockroach shell or excrement that drop in dark of night. The smoke that wafts from a spouse’s bad habit.
We breathe, just a simple in-and-out, and suddenly we’re clawing at our streaming eyes. Mucus pours from our nose, the back of our throats itches like somebody’s down there with a window squeegee.
We’ve inhaled something we’re allergic to, and our immune system has blazed into high gear. It’s pumping out antibodies that stick to our mast cells, forcing them to make histamines.
Can we blame our parents? In part: We inherit the tendency to become allergic. But a polluted world with wild climate swings isn’t helping. Neither is the way we cosset our children. One theory is that we give them so many antibiotics and vaccinations, their immune systems don’t become robust.
At the moment, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology:
- More than half of all U.S. citizens test positive to one or more allergens.
- Over 50 percent of homes had at least six detectable allergens present.
- Allergic rhinitis is estimated to affect approximately 60 million people in the United States.
- Its prevalence is increasing.
So if you want at least your home to be a sanctuary, here are the most common inside allergens—and tips from Dr. Phillip Korenblat, an allergist in private practice and professor of clinical medicine at Washington University, for removing them.
Cats are the cruelest animal, if you’re allergic. “If you have asthma, and you have a single exposure to a cat, your lungs can be irritable for 30 days,” Korenblat says. Unfortunately, he adds, cats are also the allergen source a family’s most reluctant to remove from the home. After years arguing the point, he sounds too weary to even bother underscoring it.
Dust mites’ real name is dermatophagoides: “skin eaters.” They eat skin and thrive in high humidity. They also squirt out 200 times their body weight in waste, and those fecal pellets are what trigger our allergies. Korenblat’s multi-pronged combat strategy:
- Encase mattresses and pillows in zippered covers. “And then put tape over the zipper!”
- Try to use synthetic pillows—“although if you do all this, you won’t know there are feathers in there!”
- Wash bed linens in hot (103 degrees Farenheit) water.
- Vacuum two or three times a week, wearing a mask and using either a HEPA filter or double-bagging standard vacuum bags. “Central vacuum systems are really good.”
- Remember that vacuuming only removes 5 to 10 percent of the dust mites in carpet. Don’t carpet your bedroom. At the most, use throw rugs you can throw in a hot washing machine.
- Put stuffed animals in the freezer overnight (tell the kids they’ll have a blankie) every six weeks.
- Use smooth window shades you can clean easily. “Drapes can collect things.”
- Cover air returns with muslin or filter cloth.
- Plug in a HEPA filter machine to trap the tiniest particles.
- What about cleaning air ducts? In Korenblat’s opinion, “the data to support it is not good enough.” Some say the process only stirs up more allergens.
Mold spores can come from something as simple as a forgotten crust of bread, now flocked with velvety green. “People get angry when you say they have mold in the house, but that’s all it takes,” says Korenblat.
- Keep humidity 45 percent or less.
- Fix any basement leaks.
- Beware of bookshelves in the bedroom; books trap dust and mold.
- Don’t carpet a bathroom.
- Use bleach to clean bathrooms.
- Limit use of vaporizers and humidifiers.
- Try a dehumidifier, either in a damp basement or on your furnace.
Passive smoke “should not be allowed. Period. Not in the home or the car.”
*If someone must smoke, electric air filters with active charcoal will help clear the air.
Cockroaches know how to hide in daylight. Cardboard cartons of food are their Trojan horse—that, or a neighbor with an infestation. “No one’s really sure whether the allergy is to the exoskeleton of the cockroach or to its excrement,” Korenblat says. As though it matters. His one tip to eradicate the problem?
- Get professional help.
