Is there a doctor in the house?
Out of context: Reply #28
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- d_rek0
*EPIC POST*
5timuli,
It's sounds like you have a seasonal allergy (tree-pollen this time of year, although that's dying down) or the more likely possibility - an allergy to dust mites.
I just discovered (after 25 years) that I was extremely allergic to dust-mites. I had just been blowing it off due to shifts in the weather and atmospheric conditions... but my doc was right, it's the dust-mites that'll get you. How I found out is a story in itself... but onto the heplful stuff.
So Dust-mites feed off of dead skin cells that accumulate in carpets, upholstered furniture, mattresses and blankets. Here's some super easy preventative care against dust mites - although these are temporary fixes there are some things you should seriously consider doing that I will share with you - but first the easy stuff.
1) Steam clean your carpets and furniture with HOT water. Hot water kills dustmites.
2) Wash any blankets / mattress pads / pillows in HOT water too. This is very important especially if you're suffering them at night while in bed. If you have pillows older than a few years you might as well go buy new ones. But think about lying on a pillow, huffing dust mites all night long, or wrapped in an old blanket that is full of dust mites. You NEED to clean these things in HOT water or go buy allergy proof blankets / comforters / pillows.
3) Invest in dust-mite/allergy proof mattress casings for both your mattress and box spring. If your mattress is old you should consider steam cleaning that too. You can also treat it with anti dust-mite spray / cleaner (more on this in a bit).
5) Get dust-mite / allergy proof casings for your pillows too.
6) Wash your sheets / blankets in HOT water every 10-14 days to keep the dust mite population down in them.
Ok, now for the long term preventative stuff:
1) Invest in a dehumidifier that will treat a large room (think master bedroom). Dust-mites thrive in humid conditions off of moisture in the air. Maintaining humidity at about 50% and dust mites start to die off slowly - below 45% and they essentially wither up and die in a matter of seconds. A good target should be between 40-45%. Although in certain climates this isn't always possible... but i'll get to that. Don't worry about doing the whole house at first but just the master bedroom - especially if it's carpeted. A decent dehumidifier that will function in a 14x20 room will run you between $150-$200.
2) Invest in an Air Purifier / Cleaner with a true HEPA air filter that can clean a 14x20 room or larger. A true HEPA air filter filters about 99% of allergens that exist on a microscopic level (.03 microns is about where it should be at to filter dust mites). Anyway, the one i have can clean a room using 'turbo' setting in about 8 hours (kenmore). You should notice a difference in the air quality immediately. These typically run about $100-200.
3) Invest in anti dust-mite carpet and upholster treatment cleaner to treat carpets, furniture and mattresses. You can sometimes find this stuff at bed, bath and beyond but I prefer to order it from nationalallergy.com . This stuff goes a long way in ridding carpets of these lil buggers.
4) If you have forced air heating / cooling here's what you should do. You should regularly change the furnace filter - very important. Also look into electrostatic filters for air registers that filter out allergens and dustmites - can sometimes find at a local hardware store, home depot, lowes - but also online @ nationalallergy.com.
5) GO SEE AN ALLERGIST!! Yeah your insurance is hit up but you will be thanking yourself when you know EXACTLY what it is that is causing you so much discomfort.
ok... any more Q's and you can probably google the rest of the info you need, email me or just go see your allergist :D
Hope this helps!
- Dust covers everything... it doesn't just settle onto the floor. You should wipe down your walls with a rag and hot water or a electrostatic duster.d_rek
- electrostatic duster.d_rek
- Thanks Dr. d_rek, some quality suggestions there!5timuli
- Previous place had a dehumidifier running all night... hmmm.5timuli