Healthy Indoors Archives

May 16, 2022June 1, 2022

Allergy Control You Don’t Leave Home Without

luggage photo So you’re packing for your trip. Once you gather your clothes and shoes you probably pack toiletries next. You probably don’t leave home without these bottles.

A small bottle of shampoo – check
A small bottle of conditioner – check
Travel size toothpaste and mouthwash – check
Travel size allergy control spray – what?

Allergy control spray, what’s up with that?

Allergy Control To Go

We encourage everyone that stays in a hotel, motel, or even a friend’s home to travel with a fitted mattress cover. But we know most people don’t follow that advice so they spend part of each vacation sniffling, sneezing, and wheezing.

If you want allergy control but not the cover, there is an alternative. Travel size bottles of allergy control spray like Ecologyworks Anti-allergen Spray and Vital Oxide Anti-Microbial Spray.

Quickly Treat a Hotel Room for Allergies

So once you’ve checked in and checked the room for bed bugs, it’s time to unpack your spray and get to work. Many motels have air conditioning units that harbor mold and mildew. Spray the top of the unit and the vent area with either ADS or Vital Oxide Spray. ADS will neutralize the allergens and Vital Oxide will kill and denature any molds or other allergens in the AC. Vital Oxide will luggage photo take care of that “funky” ac smell as well.

Spray down the sheets, bedspread, and pillows. Since the bed is already unmade from your bed bug inspection, go ahead and spray it down with your ADS or Vital Oxide allergy control sprays. You don’t need to saturate the linens, just a light mist will do.

While you are at it, spray down the carpeting very lightly as well. Don’t forget to spray both sides of the curtains too. Housekeeping may vacuum each day, but they never clean those draperies.

Complete Allergy Control Coverage

We carry many allergy control sprays, but then we recommend only 2 for travel. That’s because these products are powerful and cover a wide spectrum of common indoor allergens.

Even if the room has hosted a cat, dog, or other small furry animals you are protected.

ADS and Vital Oxide will neutralize allergens from:

animals
dust mites
molds
pollen
cockroaches

luggage photo Order your travel size of allergy control spray today. Then worry about how to fit that extra pair of shoes in your bag!

Til Next Time

Cheryl

October 30, 2020October 6, 2021

Cockroach Allergy is for Real

We’re wrapping up this month’s discussion of annoying pests with the venerable cockroach. Have you ever heard of cockroach allergy? Just like dust mites, people can be allergic to cockroaches and they are a main source of allergens in densely populated areas. Twenty-three to sixty percent of urban residents with asthma test as sensitive to the cockroach allergen.

Cockroach allergy was first reported in 1943. Skin rashes appeared immediately after the insects crawled over patients’ skin. How gross is that? The first allergy skin challenge test to confirm cockroach allergy in a patient was in 1959.

How do Cockroaches Cause Allergy?

Just like dust mites, cockroaches contain proteins in their bodies that are easily misidentified by the immune system as an enemy invader. When you inhale this protein, your body thinks it is a germ and kicks your immune system into high gear.

The bad news is that when cockroaches die, they create in the environment even more of the allergy causing protein. That’s because the protein is released as their wicked cockroach bodies break down and crumble.

Cockroach Allergy Symptoms

Cockroach allergy symptoms can be similar to dust mite allergy symptoms, except they don’t only occur and night and in the morning. Coughing, wheezing, skin rash, and a runny nose can all be symptoms of cockroach allergy. As stated earlier, cockroach allergy frequently contributes to asthma.

Control the Cockroaches!

The best way to control your cockroach allergy is to control the cockroaches. Integrated pest management practices will reduce cockroach populations with the least amount of poison. In addition, The American College of Asthma, Allergies, and Immunology suggests that you:

Keep food and garbage in containers with tight lids. Never leave food out anywhere.
Clean up food crumbs and spilled liquids immediately.
Wash dirty dishes right away, never leave them out.
Don’t leave out pet food, except when the pet is eating.
Keep counters, sinks, stove, tables, and floors clean and clear of clutter.
Clean the kitchen floor after meals. Mop the floor at least once a week.
Repair leaky faucets, drain pipes, and other moisture problems.
Get rid of cardboard boxes and newspapers, where cockroaches may hide.
Plug up small spaces around the house, such as cracks between the wall and floor, where cockroaches can enter.

Control the Allergens

If you find that cockroaches have invaded, once you get the invasion under control you can attack the allergens they left behind. Almost every product that we sell that controls dust mite allergen will work on cockroach allergen as well. This means that if you find cockroaches in a box of stored clothing, you can wash the clothing with Allergen Wash and the cockroach allergen will be washed away.

If you have had cockroaches crawling on your floors or furniture, you can lightly spray with ADMS Anti Allergen Spray. It will safely denature the cockroach protein and is safe for your furniture and fabric surfaces. All it takes is a light mist. If you have had a serious cockroach invasion, you might need to make two treatments.

Unfortunately cockroaches are probably here to stay. In the end, it will probably just be sharks, cockroaches, and dust mites roaming the planet and seas. Until then, if you think you are allergic to cockroaches, talk to your doctor about it. They can perform skin or blood tests and suggest medications to get symptoms under control until you can control the little buggers.

Til Next Time!

Cheryl

cockroaches courtesy japanachai@freedigitalphotos

August 10, 2015July 16, 2021

Flooring, Formaldehyde and Indoor Air Quality Connected?

Imagine that you or someone in your house has allergies or asthma. Or maybe you are just one of the folks that are concerned about the indoor air quality. You’ve read all the horrible things about carpet. You might have even read our article about the best type of flooring if you have allergies. So you take action and rip out that carpet and replace it with a hard floor. If you selected laminate wood flooring, you may have inadvertently decreased your indoor air quality, not increased it.

The news is enough to make steam shoot out of your ears, your eyes to bleed, and your head to explode. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but if you put in laminate wood flooring you purchased from Lumber Liquidators you may have a real problem with formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde Affects on Indoor Air Quality

Formaldehyde is used in the glues and as a preservative in many products in home construction and remodeling. During and after installation of items such as cabinets and laminated flooring, formaldehyde gasses are released. These gasses can cause:

Coughing
Burning eyes
Dizziness
Nausea
Headaches
Pain
Respiratory irritation

The federal government recognizes formaldehyde as a known carcinogen and sets limits for exposure.

Formaldehyde and Laminate Wood Flooring Timeline

Beginning in the spring of this year, Lumber Liquidators has come under fire for selling laminated wood flooring that was manufactured in China and exceeds limits for formaldehyde. The timeline is something like this:

March 2015 This is not a good month as 60 Minutes shows up and releases story that claims Lumber Liquidators is selling flooring that exceeds formaldehyde limits. Lumber Liquidators naturally denies the claims as they watch their stock value tumble.

April 2015 While Lumber Liquidators denies that their products are emitting excessive formaldehyde they send test kits to customers that are concerned about their flooring.

May 2015 Oops! Turns out those test kits are showing there is a problem. The first lawsuits are filed. The CEO resigns.

June 2015. Anna Schmidt takes the company to small claims court in Charlotte North Carolina and wins a refund of $796.85. She represented herself. To her amazement, Lumber Liquidators did not want to settle out of court. So, they went to small claims court and she won. She won against one of the top attorneys in Wake County. Things are looking grim for Lumber Liquidators. The EPA begins scrutiny of Lumber Liquidator’s methods of formaldehyde testing.

July 2015. The Global Community Monitor testing finds formaldehyde released by Lumber Liquidators flooring is 100 times over the levels approved by the State of California.

Improve Indoor Air Quality – Remove Formaldehyde

Whether you are in a lawsuit or not, you need to get the formaldehyde out of the air. Some people are looking at air cleaners to do the job. Not all air cleaners remove formaldehyde. Here are the units we think do the best job:

Air Pura P600. Like all the units we are recommending, this unit is designed specifically for the removal of chemicals such as formaldehyde. HEPA, carbon, and ultraviolet light are the tools this unit uses to improve indoor air quality. The AirPura P600 Air Purifier doesn’t use glues in their filters or rubber in their gaskets. No off-gassing and no ozone make this a formaldehyde fighting favorite.

Austin Air HealthMate Plus. The Austin Air HealthMate Plus (sometimes referred to as the SuperBlend) was made for people sensitive to formaldehyde and toluene. The carbon and zeolite mixture in the filter is enhanced with potassium iodide specifically for formaldehyde removal.

This unit has a powerful motor, and it not the most quiet of all the machines, but it is highly effective and affordable. If you already have an Austin Air HealthMate machine, you can convert it to a Austin Air HealthMate Plus Air Purifier by simply replacing your current filter with the Plus filter.

Till Next Time!

Cheryl