allergy control Archives

Back to School Allergy Control – From Backpacks to Buses

While there’s still plenty of summer left, August means its time to start thinking about back to school. If your child is one of the 40 million in the United States that suffers from allergies, then you know allergy control starts at home but extends to school as well.

So here are a few allergy control tips for the younger back to school crowd:

Recycling that Backpack? If you are getting another year out of your child’s backpack (and there is nothing wrong with that) then make sure it is as allergy-free as possible. That means dig it out of storage (or the bottom of the closet) and wash it. Hang dry or tumble dry on low and then spray lightly with ADMS Allergy Control Spray. Since you can’t wash most backpacks with hot water, this is the best way to get it clean and allergy-free.

Wash away Pollen! If you don’t already do it now, then get started. If your child has hayfever, seasonal, or pollen allergies (all names for the same thing) it is very important that they shower or bathe and wash their hair before bed if they have been outside playing (which is a good thing). Hair is like a pollen magnet, especially on windy days. If you don’t wash that pollen out before they go to bed, they will sleep with it all night and spread it all over the bed.

Get ready for the Bus. If your child rides the bus to school and has

back to school allergy control — courtesy digitalart@freedigitalphotos.net

pollen allergies, remind them to sit away from the window. Even when the windows are closed, they are not airtight. If the weather is warm and the bus is riding with the windows down, you might want to consider another form of transportation until Fall pollen counts go down.

Between standing out waiting for the bus and the exposure on the bus ride, it might not be the best transportation when pollen counts are high.

Lunchtime/Snack Time. You already know the routine if your child has food allergies. Be sure to talk to the teacher, nurse, and room mother before or as soon as school starts. Take a look at this post about your School Allergy & Asthma Team. If your kid has friends with food allergies, make sure they understand the dangers of sharing their food or snacks with this friend.

Back to School Tips for the Older Crowd

Just because they are old enough to leave for college doesn’t mean they are too old for allergy control. Along with packing on a few extra pounds from all the pizza, they can experience terrible flare-ups of allergies and asthma. That is because you provided a safe zone for them at home, something they probably won’t do on their own once they leave.

Sleep and Breathe. Two things your scholar will be guaranteed to do on a semi-regular basis is sleep and breathe. Focus your efforts on those activities. Grab a zippered dust mite proof or bed bug proof mattress cover for the dorm bed and you are off to a good start. Right now you can save 20% on dorm room allergy control must haves such as:

Mattress covers
Pillow covers
Sheets
Comforters
Air cleaners
Mattress Pads

Peak Need for Peak Flows. If your teen has asthma, the stress of a new environment, new schedule, and new people may trigger breathing distress. Have them chart their peak flows for 2 weeks before they leave for school and then continue to chart daily once they get on campus. By charting their peak flows, they can quickly see trouble coming 12 to 14 hours before an attack occurs. Plenty of time to get to the clinic.

Til Next Time!

Cheryl

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

allergystore.com

Must Have Allergy Control Products

After taking an extended trip, I have come to the conclusion that:

There really is no place like home
There really are some must-have allergy control products. These are the allergy control products I just can’t do without.

Must-Have Allergy Control Product #1 Allergen Wash

I was fortunate that one of the stops on my multi-state trip was my mother’s home. I knew I could depend on her to have a bottle of Allergen Wash. Not only could I wash out all the dust, dirt, and grime but I could get rid of the allergens also.

You might not think of allergens in the laundry, but on this extended road trip, I didn’t get many opportunities to do laundry and I knew that my clothing was collecting pollens because some of it was damp (did I mention that this trip included spending an afternoon hauling the contents of a Budget moving truck up a flight of stairs in 100-degree weather?) it was ripe for molds and dust mites. It was great to see Mom and it was great to see her washer and dryer and that bottle of Allergen Wash.

Must-Have Allergy Control Product #2 Allergy Bedding

It was also nice to sleep on a bed that was completely protected in zippered dust mite-proof mattress covers and pillow covers. Of the many places I slept on this trip, only two of them were places where the beds were completely covered.

It makes such a difference in how I feel in the morning when I get up. Covers = Cheryl which is a bright ray of sunshine. No Covers = Cheryl that can’t see straight, can’t think straight, and is a growly, crabby bear. I don’t try to hide it…I know how I am!

Must-Have Allergy Control Product #3 – ADMS Spray

This brings me to the third allergy control product I can’t live without……my bottle of ADMS Spray.

The ADMS Spray is a lifesaver when you are going to be staying where you can’t control your environment.

As I have written before, a quick spray on the air conditioner, bedding, and carpeting and most hotel rooms can have a drastic reduction in the level of allergens waiting to greet you. I didn’t have a room that gave me problems on the entire trip!

It is certainly good to see the countryside, but it is even better to be home. In your own bed. In your own bedroom that has no carpeting. With your Austin Air HealthMate humming you softly to sleep.

Til Next Time

Cheryl