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

ADS allergy control sprayWe 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 phototake 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 photoOrder 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

Allergies and Flying

I’ve written before about allergies and travel.  But what about allergies and flying?  This was a great topic suggested by one of the blog readers.

“Peanut fares” and “flying for peanuts” turned Southwest Airlines from a regional carrier to a major national airline.  Even though their peanuts are iconic, they offer peanut-free flights.

If you have a nut allergy, it is imperative that you let the airline know when you book the flight.  This way, they can accommodate your need to be nut free and the other passengers’ desire for a snack.  I know nut allergy can be life-threatening, but I will admit, when Southwest announces that a flight will be nut-free I inwardly groan.  Pretzels are usually the substitute snack of choice and I despise pretzels.  But I digress.

Also, book your flight for early in the day as possible.  Because airlines turn around flights quickly on the ground, the plane isn’t really cleaned between flights as much as “tidied up”.  This means that peanut residue may linger from earlier flights.  The first flight in the morning will be the cleanest.  Even if you are on the first flight, be sure to have your Epi-Pen handy.

If you are concerned about the spread of viruses and bacteria due to recirculated air, the only mask that is going to protect you is an N95-type mask.

These are designed and manufactured to prevent the inhalation of particles as small as 0.1 microns.  This will protect against viruses and bacteria.  If you remember from the recent swine flu, bird flu, and SARS scares, these were the types of masks you saw people wearing in public.

As far as dust mites and pollens go, the bad news is that the seats and carpets of airplanes aren’t frequently cleaned to remove allergens.  This means that everyone that walks on the plane is bringing a small amount of pollen from the location they are leaving.

The good news is that dust mites aren’t found in large numbers on our clothing.  This means that you shouldn’t have high dust mite populations on your seat.  That is a good thing because it is hard to get liquid through security in your carry-on.

You could put 3 or 4 ounces of ADMS Anti Allergen Spray in a small bottle and spray it around your seat, but do you really want to waste that precious space in your one allowed quart bag of 4-ounce liquids?  Not me!  I’ll save that room for toothpaste and deodorant every time!

If you are having an allergy attack when you are flying, you need to pay close attention to your ears.  Sometimes allergy can lead to the Eustachian tubes being swollen.  It is important that this passage be clear when you experience changes in altitude.

It might be necessary to take a decongestant before your flight.  If so, remember to allow plenty of time for it to enter your bloodstream.  Speaking of medications, if you are like me and suffer from an occasional bout of motion sickness when flying, your allergies are in luck.  The active ingredient in Dramamine is very similar to the antihistamine found in Benadryl.

Don’t let your allergies keep you grounded…flying is not a problem if you are prepared!

Til Next Time

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