Let's Talk Allergies

Do You Need To Cover All Pillows

A lovely young couple was in the store last week. He had just been diagnosed with allergy to dust mites. The doctor had sent them to us right away with instructions for allergy-proofing their bedroom.

They were on a tight budget (aren’t we all) and were looking to spend where they would get the most bang for their buck.

He asked why it was necessary to cover all pillows on the bed with a dust mite proof pillow cover, not just the one he slept on. It is a very common question. I mean if you aren’t sleeping on it why must it be covered? Why do you have to cover all pillows to get allergy relief?

In order to answer the question, you have to understand how you are exposed to dust mites. These microscopic creatures and their feces are in your mattress, pillow, and comforters. Every time someone moves on the bed, a cloud of microscopic particles is blown into the air and the allergic person inhales these particles. So, if person A (the person with allergies) is laying in bed with their covered pillow and person B is laying on the bed with a pillow that is not covered, every time person B moves, they will send up a cloud of particles that will rain down on person A. Person A is not protected from B’s allergens.

The other scenario is that you sleep on two or more pillows. If you only cover the pillow on which you lay your head, every time you move your head the other pillows release their cloud, right there by your head.

What I recommended to this couple was something I do myself. The pillows that are used to cradle the head are the pillows where you put the most expensive and comfortable covers. For example, if you have 6 pillows on the bed (1 for each person’s head, 1 to go under each person’s sleeping pillow, and 2 for decorative shams) then the pillows that are used for sleeping should have a microweave pillow encasement made from Pristine Luxury or AllergCare Cotton. The other pillows can be encased with coated fabrics like the Bed Bug Solution fabric, which are totally effective just less expensive. That way you can cover all pillows and stretch your allergy control dollar.

Just another way to get the protection you need without spending more than you need.

Til Next Time

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

Send Germs and Molds Packing with Antimicrobial Spray

Vital-Oxide is an antimicrobial spray with many household uses.

The bulk of the product we sell is for someone that has had some type of mold contamination and they are looking for a way to safely and effectively clean up the problem. Vital-Oxide is great for that. But as an all-purpose antimicrobial spray, Vital-Oxide does more.

The active ingredient is chlorine dioxide. Now don’t let the word “chlorine” make you think of chlorine bleach like you use in the laundry or put in your swimming pool. The Clorox stuff is sodium hypochlorite, which is totally different. Sodium hypochlorite is a skin and mucous membrane irritant and can damage the respiratory system. It breaks down into trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids.

Chlorine dioxide breaks down into chlorites and sodium chloride (table salt) and is not a metabolic toxin. It reacts with the amino acids in the microbial cells to eliminate bacteria and viruses but is relatively un-reactive to other organic materials.

As a bonus, it also denatures proteins, and proteins are the source of allergic reactions. Vital-Oxide will work on Der f1 and Der p1 (the dust mite allergens) as well as Can d1 and Fel d1 (animal allergens)

Because it works at the microbial level, it will get rid of odors at the source. I have found many uses for the product in my house. We often take advantage of sales on chicken breast. Our local butcher will run a special on chicken breasts that must come from birds the size of Tim Tebow.

These birds would make Loni Anderson and Dolly Parton feel inadequate. They are the largest breasts I have ever seen. They require further butchering and trimming down to become meal size for our household of 2.

Needless to say, after cutting up 10 to 15 pounds of chicken the cutting board, your hands, and the knife is a bit of a mess. I clean up with Vital-Oxide and let the antimicrobial spray go to work killing any salmonella or other germs that may have come home with the chicken.

After someone has had a cold, I like to wipe down door handles, knobs, and remote controls to keep germs in check. When we briefly had a cat that had litter box issues, the odor-eliminating properties of the antimicrobial spray were put to use. Just wipe up the urine, spray the area, then a little squirt in the air and the smell was gone.

We have a family member that is an MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) carrier. We have to be very careful that it does not spread. Vital-Oxide is great for killing this bacteria and we put it to work in the bathroom, wiping down surfaces to take care of any germs that might be left behind. Because it is not a metabolic toxin, it won’t contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. As anyone who deals with MRSA knows, this is an important health issue today.

Of course, Vital-Oxide works well on mold. Because it doesn’t produce chlorine gas, it can be used indoors without fear of respiratory damage. It was EPA approved for use to combat norovirus back in 2007 and has been used to clean up the cruise ships here in Miami.

So whether it is mold, chicken mess, cat pee, bacteria, or viruses, Vital-Oxide is a great all-purpose antimicrobial spray.

Til Next Time!

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

Out Damn Spot – Part 2 Remove Red Wine Stains

Not too long ago, I blogged about how I used Oxy-Boost to get a stain that had to have been set for two years. Well I just had another stain incident and I needed to remove red wine stains.

Well the good news is that this time I caught my hubby’s stain quick, the better news is I thought to grab the camera so I could document the results, and the best news is that the stain was removed quickly and completely.

Here is a pic of my husband’s khaki shorts with a red wine stain (hey we are in South Florida and we wear a lot of khaki)

I found the stain on Sunday and he obtained the stain the previous Saturday evening. So this is what I did to remove the red wine stains:

I mixed one ounce of Molly’s Oxygen Whitener with water that I had microwaved for 2 minutes on high. You don’t have to microwave the water to get it hot, I just feel guilty standing at the sink watching all that water run down the drain while I wait to get hot water from the tap. Somewhere along the line, I have rationalized that I am saving resources by using the electricity to zap the water to get it hot….but I digress.

Into the hot water went the Oxy-Boost, into the hot water and Molly’s Oxygen Whitener mixture went the leg of the shorts that had the stain. It began to foam right away

I did a few chores around the house and came back to check on it about 10 minutes later. The foaming had stopped. I held my breath (red wine is an ugly stain to try to remove) and slowly removed the fabric. Just like magic the stain was gone.

Of course it isn’t magic. It is the amazing cleaning power of sodium percarbonate. Oxy-Boost doesn’t use any fillers so that is why you don’t need much and it works quickly. Oxy-Boost will remove red wine stains, grass stains, blood stains, and any other organic stains.

Since I already had a load of white bed sheets in the washer with some De-Mite laundry additive I just tossed the shorts in. They finished the cycle and went into the dryer.

When I took them out they were free of stains and dust mites to boot!
Don’t take my word….see for yourself

So if you are going to have stains….you better have some Molly’s Oxygen Whitener around the house.

Til next time

Cheryl
The Allergy Store