Making your home allergy/asthma proof - tip#1


How do you make your home allergy/asthma proof? Tip#1

I was listening to a presentation the other day about asthma by two pharmacists. I'm not suggesting you disagree with someone with medical training, but I will anyway.

Someone asked him if you should change things in your home to make it more allergy/asthma proof. He said no. He has a family member with asthma, and he had removed his carpet and replaced them with wood floors. But he said it would be too expensive for most people.

I think he missed the boat. There are a lot of things you can do to make your home better. The first is the photo you see here. Take your shoes off! This is the view from my front door. And if you come to visit, your shoes had better be in there.

This didn't cost much, you can find baskets at any craft store. Or use a big plastic box, whatever works for you. As a designer, mine has to coordinate with my room.....

So, what's the big deal about wearing shoes in a house? Well, everywhere you have been during the day (think public bathroom, walking through leaves and dirt, stores, work, parking lots etc.) is all on the bottom of your shoes. And that is now being tracked across your floor. Nasty stuff on them- including dirt, mold, fungi, chemicals from the lawn, etc, etc. The first 8-10 steps you take wipes all of that nasty stuff all over your carpets and floor. Now imagine if you have kids sitting or crawling around on the same floor.

The reason I think the pharmacist missed the boat on this, is because he said to just keep taking your asthma medicine. Asthma Doctor always told me that using emergency inhalers is just a band aid approach. You have to find out what is causing the problem first. So, if you can make your house a little cleaner and safer for allergies/asthma. And therefore have less inflammation in the lungs, causing less asthma attacks or problems, why not do it?

I'll keep posting tips here that we've learned over the last decade. Stay tuned!

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