4 Tips for Dealing with a Dust Allergy
If you suffer from allergy symptoms in your own home, such as sneezing, wheezing, and chest tightness, you may be allergic to dust. These symptoms will often improve when the sufferer leaves the house, and it can have a big impact on home life.
Symptoms of a Dust Allergy
- Wheezing, coughing, tightness in the chest and shortness of breath
- Sneezing
- Red, itchy or teary eyes
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Itching
Triggers
It isn’t actually the dust in the air that causes the symptoms; it is tiny dust mites that live in carpet, furniture, and bedding, and love high humidity. Removing as much of these dust mites as possible is key to relieving symptoms.
If you follow the tips below, you should greatly reduce the symptoms of a dust allergy.
Image/qimono via pixabay
Use a Vacuum Cleaner with a HEPA Filter
Regular vacuuming can actually make symptoms of a dust allergy worse, as vacuuming stirs up the dust mites into the air. It can take up to two hours for the mites to settle again, so if possible vacuum when the sufferer is not present.
A vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter is much more effective at capturing and containing allergens, and will be the most important tool in your fight against the dust mites.
Replace any Carpets with Solid Flooring
It may seem drastic, but removing your carpets and replacing them with solid wood or tile flooring will make a huge difference. Dust mites love carpets as they are warm, humid and have lots of fibers to attach to. Even replacing just the bedroom carpet will make a world of difference to an allergy sufferers symptoms.
Change to Allergy-Proof Bedding
Dust mites love soft, warm bedding such as pillows and mattresses. Replace these with allergy-proof alternatives if possible, or cover them with mite covers. Regularly washing all bedding in high temperatures will kill dust mites and prevent them from multiplying.
Keep Humidity Levels Low
If the humidity level in your home is around 75 – 80%, you may need to invest in a dehumidifier to reduce it. High humidity coupled with high temperatures makes a perfect breeding ground for dust mites.
You can measure the humidity in your home using a hygrometer, and with the help of a dehumidifier you should aim to keep the humidity level at around 55%. Dust mites can’t survive if the humidity level falls below 50%.
Having a fan in the bathroom and kitchen will greatly reduce the moisture levels in the home.
Conclusion
Having an allergy to dust mites can be a miserable and frustrating time. Even though they are small in size, they can have a big impact on the life of a sufferer. Hopefully these tips will help to ease your symptoms, and make your life manageable once more.
Author: Sammy Dolan
