House & Home
The Weekend Warrior

• Inner Space:  A Breath of Fresh Air

• Weekend Warrior:  Dust-Busting Your Home

• Links to House & Home On-Line:  Allergy-Busting Resources

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Dust-Busting Your Home

Ed. Note:  In conjunction with this month's Weekend Warrior, you may also
want to look at this month's Health / Focus On:  The Host of Allergies, as
well as this month's Inner Space article on A Breath of Fresh Air, and this
month's Links to House & Home On-Line:  Allergy-Busting Resources.

This month the Weekend Warrior battles Allergens, the invisible offenders that bring tears to the eyes of the allergy sufferer in your family.  You can't see them or feel them, but they're there ... in fact, they're everywhere.

Some measures are not too hard.  But a full-out attack on indoor allergens is labor intensive.

First, know the enemy ...
The most common allergens in your home are dust (dust mites, actually), mold, pet dander and pollens from outdoors.  You are already thinking that no one can eliminate all the dust or mold from a home.  Probably true. 

Fortunately, allergic reactions take place when you exceed your allergic threshold.  That means that reducing the amount of exposure to allergens will decrease your likelihood of an allergic reaction.  It's not as much like a light switch that goes on or off as it is a glass of water, filling closer and closer to overflow.  So the more you can do to reduce exposure the better.

You vs. the dust  ...

The notorious Dust Mite

Dust mites live in dust and produce waste.  If you're think you're allergic to dust, you're actually allergic to dust mite waste. 

Dust mites love dark, warm, humid environments ... like your mattress and pillow.  They are nourished by the scales shed from human skin. {Yuck.}  We spend one-third of our lives in the bedroom, so meet the enemy here first, and then move on to the rest of the house.  ...

What to do?  ...

• Buy allergy-impermeable covers for pillows, mattresses and comforters.  You can order these online (see this month's Links to House & Home On-Line) or at bedding stores.  Since you'll be stirring up dust to put these covers on, let the room air out for 30 minutes before your allergic family member comes in.  If it's you, wear a filtering mask.
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• Wash bedding once a week in hot water.  Use a dryer if you can.
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• Reduce the number of surfaces that attract dust ...  open bookshelves, curtains, stuffed animals, throw pillows, and dried floral arrangements.  This may require building or buying cabinets or other closed storage space. It may also require re-education of your teenager if he or she uses the floor or a chair instead of a clothes dresser.
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• It's a big job, but, if you can, remove carpeting, from the bedroom at least, and perhaps other rooms as well.
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• Vacuum at least once a week.  Dust-trapping vacuums are expensive.  If you can't afford one, buy special high-filtration vacuum bags and vacuum filters and change these frequently.  Use a damp cloth and damp mop for hard surfaces.
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• A room air cleaner helps.  But before you plop down big bucks, you can construct an inexpensive air cleaner with an ordinary box fan and a filter for under $40. (You can find the details at The Online Allergy Center:  THE Air Cleaner.)

Okay, but you're not done, because there's a good chance that the dust had an ally:  mold.

You vs. mold  ...

Mold Spores

For the most part, you can fight mold on the same front as you're fighting dust.  It often lives on dust.  Mold also hates bright light and low humidity.  ...

Mold goes off (sporulates) during the night.  The highest mold counts are around 2:00 AM and are often responsible for the allergy symptoms you wake up with in the morning.

Since mold loves the damp and dark, your weapons of choice are dryness and light.  Deal with moisture problems as soon as possible.  ...

• If porous materials get wet and remain wet for more than 3 days, the chances of mold growth are nearly 100%.  Unfortunately, you may need to pull up rugs or carpets that were once wet and are now harboring mold.  If your roof leaked this past winter,  carpeting, ceiling tiles, or sheet rock may be a mold haven.
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• Ventilate.  Tightly insulated houses may save heating bills, but they trap moisture in the house.  ...
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• If you use a woodstove, your house will probably be dry.  That's good for allergies.  Mold grows on wood bark, though.  If you've been storing your wood indoors, you've literally been sleeping with the enemy.  Yes, you went to all that trouble to lug in the wood, but out it must go.
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• In the bathroom, try to reduce moisture by opening a window (or installing an exhaust fan) to eliminate moisture resulting from showers.  There are also mold-preventing cleansers you can use here.  Keep carpeting out of the bathroom.
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• Don't let your allergic family member have a basement room.  If your basement or crawl space has a dirt floor, cover it with plastic.
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• It's not glamorous, but it is heroic -- clean, clean, clean.  Shower curtains, garbage pails, shoes and boots, refrigerators.  Drain the pan under the refrigerator often.
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• The homemade air filter will be effective against mold, too.  In addition, although it is expensive, you can buy an ozone generator (this isn't from an episode of Star Trek) that will completely zap mold.  On the other hand, mold lights are inexpensive and work for any given system, like a closet or bathroom.  They don't kill the mold; they just make them sterile.

If you're thinking this is going to take more than a weekend, you're right.  But you can do one project at a time.  Prepare yourself for battle mentally.  Remember:  There are more of them than there are of you.   But you're definitely smarter than a dust mite. 

Unfortunately, unlike other, more obvious projects, busting allergens doesn't leave you much to show for your Herculean efforts.  ... Except, of course, a bit more comfort and ease for the allergy sufferer you love.

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Lou Colasanti, Editor & Laura Wisniewski, Associate Editor
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