Let's Talk Allergies

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

Why Can’t Everything Last Like My Austin Air?

I am mad at my microwave oven. It is broken. Again. For the second time in two years. I glared at it this morning and it stared back blankly. It shows no signs of remorse or repentance. Why can’t it be like my Austin Air HEPA air cleaner?

I don’t even use my microwave that much. It is not like I ask it to run all day every day. I don’t even use it every day, so it doesn’t have a high bar of performance over which to leap.

But like all things in life, you really don’t need it until you don’t have it. I really needed it last night when I wanted to microwave an ear of fresh corn.

Microwave Corn on Cob – Yumm!

You haven’t had corn on the cob until you have eaten it steamed in its own husk in the microwave. Just pull off the top layer of the husk (top layer only!) and pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes per ear. When it is done, the husk and silk will easily slide off because the corn will have steamed. It will be crisp, fresh, and sweet.

Better than corn prepared any other way. As long as your microwave works. However, once again my microwave is broken. My kitchen appliances are always on the fritz. My Austin Air air cleaner has never broken. My kitchen appliances should pay attention!

How I Ended Up with Crappy Kitchen Appliances

In 2007, we prepared our home to sell. The real estate suggested that we get rid of the old reliable appliances we had in the house for years and years and update them with new ones because buyers want stainless steel appliances and granite countertops.

We made the mistake of listening to the real estate agent and buying all new Frigidaire appliances when we updated the kitchen. Just before the real estate market crashed……and our home value sank…and after a year we took the house off the market.

Frigidaire Needs Multiple Repairs in 4 Years

So, these appliances are 4 years old. In that time, the dishwasher has had to have its main control panel replaced, the heating element in the oven has required replacing, and this is the second time the microwave has required repairs.

I am almost afraid to leave the fridge in the kitchen with the other rogue appliances because it might get ideas and start requesting replacement parts also. Did I mention that these appliances were not cheap?

Austin Air Never Needs Repairs

But, in my bedroom is my Austin Air HealthMate. I bought it in 1998. I don’t think it has ever been turned off except to change the filter. That unit has been doing its job without requiring my attention for 13 years.

It never complains (like the dishwasher that sometimes makes strange noises) it just sits there and efficiently and quietly goes about its job of pulling in particles of dust, dust mites, mold, pollens, cat dander and fur, and general household dust.

I can depend on it every night to give me the clean air I need as I sleep. I leave the house in the morning, it is running..doing its job. I come home in the evening and there it sits, cleaning the air.

Frigidaire Poor Quality vs Austin Air High Quality

My Frigidaire appliances could learn a lesson or two from my Austin Air HealthMate. Like how to do your job when it is needed. How to be reliable and dependable and to act like an appliance…and that is work without complaining or requiring my attention.

I think I am going to have a serious discussion with my microwave.

Til Next Time!

Cheryl

Why Do I Need to Wash Bedding Weekly?

I wash bedding weekly for allergies. That means that I strip my bed every Sunday morning. I turn the Austin Air HealthMate up to high (because I know just the act of pulling off the sheets is going to send many particles in the air) and pull off the flat sheet, the fitted sheet, and all the pillow cases off ALL the pillows (and there are lots). I

I walk them straight to the laundry room.

I do this so that I know I can’t go to bed Sunday night until the sheets are washed and the bed is put back together. Its just my little trick to make sure that I wash bedding weekly for allergies.

If you are allergic to dust mites, even if you have the dust mite proof mattress and pillow covers, it is important that the bedding on top be washed once a week. While your zippered covers are keeping any new mites from getting in the bed and pillow and trapping existing mites, you don’t want to get a build-up of mite allergens on top of the covers. If you don’t wash bedding weekly, that build up will trigger your allergies. I know by he time I wake up Sunday morning, I can tell it is time to wash the sheets.

It takes water of 140°F to kill dust mites. You can go to your hot water heater and adjust the temperature before washing to get it hot enough to kill mites. Just remember to turn it back down after washing, or someone in the home could easily be hurt by water that temperature. Most hot water heaters are set at 125°F or less for safety reasons. Even at 125°F, a person could get a second degree burn if exposed for two minutes.

I personally am not going to waste the time or energy needed to get my hot water to 140°F to wash my sheets. I wash in cold water with a laundry additive, De-Mite. Just a couple of tablespoons of De-Mite and my laundry detergent and I can wash with cold water, knowing that the mites are dead and gone.

By stripping the bed in the morning, I give myself a deadline for having everything washed and put back together. It is a great motivator for me, and if you need something to remind you to wash your sheets once a week I recommend it. It doesn’t have to be Sunday, just pick a day and do it!

Til Next Time!

Cheryl
The Allergy Store