Why Bother Reducing Dust?

A bothersome or severe allergy to dust might seem fairly hopeless. After all, dust mites are invisible and everywhere, and you can’t avoid them completely. Luckily, there is a lot that can be done to seriously reduce the amount of dust around you - and that is worth doing! Allergists now say that we don’t show symptoms right away, but rather, the allergens accumulate over time, weakening or overwhelming the immune system. If there are too many allergens put into your system at once, or a steady amount all of the time, you’ll begin to feel miserable pretty quickly. That means that even if you can only reduce allergens in your bedroom or home, that still gives your immune system many hours out of the day during which it can recuperate. Fortunately, dust is one allergen that can be reduced significantly!

Tips:

1) Wash your bedding often! Once a week or every other week is best. Don’t take spare bedding from the linen closet, because it’s probably full of dust/dust mites. Also, washing bedding in hot water is best, although there are some products that can be added to the wash at other temperatures that will kill dust mites.

2) Get mite-proof covers for your pillows, comforters, and mattresses! It’s worth the effort and expense! As well, there are many brands that are extremely comfortable, as they contain no plastics or ‘itchy’ materials.

3) Carpets! It’s best not to have any at all of course, but that’s not always possible (or fun). Vacuuming often is a must! Try to avoid having thicker carpets, because the mites will burrow and escape the vacuum. On thicker carpeting, it is advised to treat it with an anti-allergen treatment.

4) Use a HEPA room air cleaner - it will remove not only dust but other allergens from the air. Also, moist temperatures promote dust mite breeding, so use a dehumidifier to reduce humidity. Take extra care to change or clean the filter often, and to remember to run it more often during humid weather. Trust me on this one - having one of these makes *all* the difference to my asthma management! Don't go cheap. I recommend Honeywell.

5) Reduce clutter! Dust will settle there and is much harder to remove! As well, avoid upholstery and curtains, stuffed animals, etc (or treat them as you do the carpets with products - recommend).

6) Do your laundry! If you haven’t worn a sweater in awhile, wash it first. Rotate your clothes through the laundry whether you’ve worn them or not. Remember to wash throw pillows, blankets, drapery, and outerwear like scarves, mitts, hats and coats. The last thing you want on an icy
winter day is to put your hands to your cheeks and start sneezing on top of everything else!

*This article is also published on my site:
http://www.allergynut.com