ALLERGY-PROOF YOUR ENVIRONMENT (part 3)
The Kitchen
Don’t allow food to spoil, but if it does, discard it immediately, then wash and dry receptacles thoroughly. Use a fan or open the windows to remove excess steam when cooking. Look out for mold on cutting boards and sponges, in sink and disposal stoppers, refrigerator gaskets and drip pans, washing machines, garbage containers, and places where fresh food is stored. Watch for dust and mildew atop, behind, and under sinks, stoves, refrigerators, and other hard-to-reach places.
All Rooms
Bare is beautiful. The fewer objects lying around, the better. Books, magazines, light fixtures, shelves of knickknacks, TV sets, even clothes collect dust. Move small objects to drawers and cabinets and keep the furniture 3 to 5 inches from the wall, so you can vacuum behind them. Store all garments in clean closets with closed doors. If you must dust the room yourself, use damp rather than dry dusting, and wear a disposable face mask. To get to hard-to-reach places atop refrigerators or behind headboards, wrap a moist rag around a pole or yardstick. Painted walls are preferable to wallpaper because the flour in wallpaper paste has a high content of mold spores. So do fabric hangings and tapestries. If practical, replace upholstered chairs and sofas with. canvas, metal, plastic, or simple wood furniture. Decorative pillows and stuffed animals attract dust. One mother tells her daughter she’s taking her teddy bear for a ride, then pops him into the dryer for a half-hour spin at high heat. An alternative is to put Teddy in an airtight plastic bag and place him in the freezer for two to three days. It takes that long for the cold temperature to kill the mites, although it doesn’t remove their debris. A third possibility is to cut open the toy, replace the stuffing with old nylon stockings or polyester fill, and sew up the seam.
Tags: allegra, Allergies, allergy, atarax, clarinex, claritin, zyrtec
June 30th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
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