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First, know what triggers your or your children’s asthma or allergies. Talk to a doctor or nurse about keeping emergency medicine around if your asthma or allergies are severe. If someone you love takes asthma or allergy medications make sure they know when to take it.
Healthy Housekeeping
Clean your home often. Since cleaning puts dust into the air, have someone without asthma or allergies do it. Wear a dust mask if you can’t find somebody else to clean. You can buy one at a drug store.
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Keep clutter down. Clutter collects dust and makes it harder to keep a clean home. Store your belongings in plastic or cardboard boxes instead of keeping them in piles or stacks. You can move the boxes to make cleaning easier.
Air cleaners may help in the bedrooms of allergy and asthma patients. Good air cleaners (with HEPA filters) often cost $100 or more. Do not use an air cleaner that makes ozone because ozone can cause health problems.
Keep Down Dust Mites
Use zippered plastic mattress and pillow covers beneath sheets and pillowcases. You can buy them at your local department store or through the Internet. If the mattress cover is uncomfortable, put a mattress pad over it.
Wash bedding, including blankets, pillow covers, and mattress pads in hot water every week. Temperatures above 130ºF kill dust mites.
Control Other Pests
Roaches and rodents can trigger asthma and allergies. They need food, water, warmth, and shelter to survive. You can control roaches, mice, and other pests by making these things hard to get. Here are some tips to keep pests away:
• Store food in tightly sealed containers.
• Clean up crumbs and spills right away.
• Empty your garbage often.
• Wash your dirty dishes right after eating.
• Don’t leave out pet food or water overnight.
• Fix plumbing leaks and drips.
• Seal cracks where roaches and other bugs hide or get into your home.
Pets
Furry pets like dogs, cats, and gerbils can cause asthma and allergy attacks because of their saliva and skin flakes. It is best to either not have pets or keep them outside. If you do have pets inside, make sure to keep them out of sleeping areas and off fabric-covered furniture.
Check Your Appliances
Make sure your gas appliances, fireplace, furnace, or wood-burning stove have yearly checkups to keep down soot or smoke (and protect you from the dangers of carbon monoxide).
Check the filter on your furnace or air conditioner a couple times each year. Change when needed. Think about buying filters that cost a little more than the most economical ones. They will clean the air in your home better. They trap more dust so you will need to change them more often. You can buy air filters at a department, hardware or home improvement store. Check labels and packaging to find out about these products. If you rent, talk to your landlord about these steps.
Smoking
Cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoke causes health problems, especially for people with asthma. It is best to quit smoking (contact the American Lung Association at 1-800-LUNG-USA for help).
Otherwise, smoke outside and away from children. Don’t light up in your car, because smoke will linger there and affect children.
Mold
When people breathe in mold, it can cause allergies and asthma to act up. Mold needs water to grow. Keep your home dry to control mold. That will also help with roaches and dust mites.
Source: The Healthy Homes Partnership, HUD Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control, USDA-NIFA and Dr. Joe Ponessa, professor emeritus at Rutgers University Extension.
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