Let's Talk Allergies

Best Allergy Control Products for Travel

I’ve written about traveling with allergies many times, but with so many people traveling for the holiday season, I think it bears covering again. So here is our list of the best allergy control products for travel.

If you have environmental allergies and will be staying in a hotel or someone’s home then there are really two products you must take with you. Not only are they they best allergy control products for travel, but they will work for multiple environmental allergies.

The first is made by Alkaline Labs. It is the ADMS Anti-Allergen Spray. If you don’t want to travel with the whole quart bottle, pour some into a smaller spray bottle and put it in your suitcase. When you arrive, spray the bed, carpets, draperies, etc with this spray. When I stay in a hotel, I even spray the forced air system with this product.

It will work to neutralize the allergy-causing proteins from dust mites, pollens, cats, dogs, molds, cockroaches and all the other common environmental allergens. All it takes is a light mist to neutralize those allergens on contact. Because it works on so many allergens, I think it is the best allergy control product on the market if you are limited in what you can pack.

The second item you should pack is an inexpensive zippered pillow cover. Take this with you and put on the pillow that you will use to place your head upon. Unless you know you are staying at a hotel or house with a king size bed, take a queen size pillow cover with you. Most hotels and homes use either queen or standard size pillows.

If you take a standard cover and are faced with queen pillows, you are in trouble. If you take a queen pillow cover and end up with standard size pillows, it will still work. Since you aren’t going to be using this cover for the rest of your life, I recommend buying one of the less expensive fabrics, like the Bed Bug zippered cover. That way if you forget to take it off your pillow before you leave, you won’t be heartbroken about the expense.

Traveling can be stressful, the holiday times can be stressful if you let them. Don’t stress over your allergies, just be prepared.

Til Next Time!

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

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Can You have a Dust Ruffle if You Have Allergies?

In my humble opinion, nothing makes a bed look more finished than a dust ruffle. It’s just that little accessory that makes it bedroom set look complete. Its like the bow tie on a tuxedo or the pocketbook carried by the Queen of England. But can you have a dust ruffle if you have allergies?

Its function, like a bedskirt, is to cover that awkward area from the bottom of the mattress to just above the floor. This covers your boxspring and also helps hide anything you may have hidden under the bed. It answers the question, “What do I do with the space not covered by my comforter?”

If you have dust mite allergies, the doctors will tell you that if you can’t cover it in a zippered allergy-proof cover or wash it in 140°F water every week, it has no business on your bed. Well, it is not practical for me to take my bed apart every 7 days just to get the dust ruffle off and in the wash. There is no such thing as a dust ruffle cover, but my dust ruffle does have business on my bed. It is there to look pretty! It works hard making sure that my boxspring is modestly covered (who wants to show their boxspring??) It turns the area under my bed into the perfect hiding spot for my cat, Faith. Faith thinks she is like a rare unicorn and cannot be gazed upon by human eyes. She spends much time in hiding and a favorite spot is under the bed, but I digress.

you can have a dust ruffle if you have allergies

So, the dust ruffle stays, but the dust mite allergies must go! My solution? ADMS anti-allergen spray. This is the same spray I used to use when I had carpeting in my room. I just lightly mist the dust ruffle once a month with this solution and my dust ruffle can stay. ADMS has many great uses. What it does is denature (or break down) the proteins in the dust mite body and feces that cause me to have allergic reactions. It also works on other household allergens like mold, pollen and yes even the allergens from hiding cats like Faith. It is odorless and doesn’t stain. It is safe for all fabrics and almost all surfaces. I use ADMS Anti-Allergen Spray on other things in my house, such as rugs, upholstered furniture and curtains. It is great for many things…but when it comes to letting me keep my pretty dust ruffle, it is the best anti-allergen spray there is. Yes, you can have a dust ruffle if you have allergies if you have ADMS.

Til Next Time!

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

Allergy Control for Duvets

Wow, what happened to Fall? We have had some crazy snow storms in the East and West and it is only the first of November. There just seems to be something wrong with snow falling before the leaves have a chance to fall! That means it is already time to pull out that winter duvet and start worrying about allergy control for duvets.

As we get cooler temperatures at night, people are getting those winter-weight duvets out of storage and putting them on the bed to snuggle up. If you aren’t careful, you will be snuggling with dust mites. Before long sniffing, sneezing, coughing, wheezing and a host of other symptoms may ensue if you don’t take steps for allergy control.

How can you control the allergens that collect in your duvet? I’ve got a number of suggestions. You can pick what works best for you.

Start with a duvet that is made from materials that are naturally resistant to Dust mites. Silk and wool are both great natural choices for people with allergies. Both wick away moisture and provide an inhospitable environment for dust mites. Now, that doesn’t mean that wool and silk duvets will not collect dust mite particles, and feces. They will. What they won’t provide is an environment that fosters the growth of dust mite colonies.

Next, be sure to encase the duvet in a zippered dust mite-proof cover. These anti-mite proof covers will put a barrier between you and the dust mite particles and feces that will collect in any duvet. Even though I have a wool duvet, which is naturally resistant to mites, it still has an all-cotton zippered duvet cover on it.

You can also use your household steamer to give an anti-allergen treatment to your winter duvet. Just hang it up and apply steam to both sides of the duvet.

Be sure to move your steamer slowly enough to give the power of the steam time to contact and neutralize the allergen-causing proteins from the dust mites. I do this a few times a year using my Vapamore steam cleaner with the fabric/upholstery attachment.

Allow the duvet to dry completely before putting your zippered cover back on. In practical terms, I usually do the steam treatment at the same time I am washing the zippered duvet cover in De-Mite. That way, when the cover comes out of the dryer, the duvet is nice and dry and the zippered cover is clean and I just put them back together again!

If you don’t own a steamer, you can spray your duvet with a denaturing agent like ADMS anti-allergen spray. While it won’t penetrate the way steam can, it will be effective in neutralizing the allergy-causing proteins from the dust mites and their feces. You can also do this while your zippered cover is in the wash. Just as with the steam treatment, make sure your duvet is completely dry before you put the zippered cover back on it.

During the cold months, you won’t need to do this process every time you change the sheets, but if you at least spray your duvet with ADMS Anti Allergen Spray monthly, you can cuddle knowing that your duvet is protected.

Til Next Time!

Cheryl
The Allergy Store