Are you allergic to your own home? Eight ways to prevent house fever
Think you’re safe from hay fever in the cold weather? Find out why you may have house fever, and read eight ways to prevent allergy symptoms in your own home.
With the wintry weather setting in it’s common for many of us to develop the usual sniffly cold. But cold germs aren’t always the culprit – it could be that you’re actually allergic to your own house!
As many as 12 million people are allergic to their own homes
Airborne allergies expert and creator of HayMax allergen barrier balm, Max Wiseberg, explains why as many as 12 million of us could suffer with a condition he terms ‘house fever’.
Max recalls his own experiences of house fever:
“Knowing that I suffer from hay fever and that it should stop at the end of the summer, I always wondered why I carry on having horrible allergy symptoms, often throughout the winter.
And then I realised that although the pollen had stopped, there are many other allergens hanging around the house, ready to give me grief when I start to hibernate though the winter – including dust mite, mould spores and even animal dander. I thought, ‘blimey, I’m allergic to my own house! Instead of hay fever, I’ve got house fever’.”
House fever could be nearly as big a problem as hay fever. Currently around one in five people suffer with hay fever in the UK, and NHS Choices report that indoor allergies are very common and that 10-20% of the population has an indoor allergy.
And we can’t even escape it at Christmas time as the mould, pollen and dust collecting on our Christmas tree can trigger symptoms.
Eight ways to prevent symptoms of house fever
Here are eight of Max’s favourite practical tips for reducing house fever.
1) Keep the humidity low
Mould and dust mites thrive in moist environments. Try to keep the humidity in your house to a minimum to control these allergens. Make sure your house is well ventilated, avoid drying clothes on radiators and/or use a dehumidifier.
2) Vaccuum regularly
Vacuum your house regularly using a HEPA (High Efficiency Particle Arresting) filter, especially beds and fabrics to reduce the number of dust and pet allergen particles.
3) Damp dust
Damp dust surfaces regularly, to reduce allergens on surfaces whilst avoiding dispersing them into the air.
4) Wash your bedding often
Wash bedding very regularly to remove allergens. Anti-allergy bedding made from ‘intelligent fibres’ can be very helpful for children and adults who suffer from dust mite allergies. They limit the growth of dust mite allergens and also keep them away from the skin.
5) Use an allergen barrier balm
Apply an organic drug-free allergen barrier balm around your nostrils and the bones of the eyes in the morning, throughout the day and at night to trap dust, pet and mould allergens before they enter the body; less allergen, less reaction.
6) Shower at night
Shower or bathe at night before going to bed, to remove dust and pet allergens from your hair and body.
7) Keep your pets groomed
Ensure your pet is well groomed and shampooed as much as possible to remove pet allergens and dust particles, and try to keep pets out of bedrooms.
8) Hose down your Christmas tree!
Hose down your Christmas tree before taking it into the house, or after getting it out of storage, as this can help remove some of the dust and mould spores – though it’s probably best to get someone who isn’t allergic to do this!”
HayMax drug-free allergen barrier balms retail at £6.99 per pot and are available from Holland & Barrett; selected Morrisons, Waitrose and Boots; independent chemists, pharmacists and health stores; on 01525 406600 and from HayMax directly.
