Dust allergy families: how far did you go?

[Anonymous]

We’ve confirmed through testing that child’s terrible nasal allergies are to dust mites. Action plan is:

-encasing all pillows, comforters, mattresses
-throwing away as many stuffed and upholstered items as possible
-switching to a HEPA vacuum and emptying outside if bagless
-vacuuming the entire house twice a week
-covering vents with dust filters
-having two top quality air purifiers running at all time
-using dehumidifiers to keep humidity under 40
-hiring vent cleaners to come when we’re out of town

Phew.

But what about all the beloved stuffed animals 4 year old sleeps with? The sofas we sit on? Outdoor furniture? I’m so exhausted thinking about this but doc says our ability to execute may mean the difference between having to get allergy shots and not…

Thanks to anyone who has btdt

[Anonymous]

What's wrong with allergy shots? My DS had them and they are really effective. He's allergic to pollen and cats too. Now he doesn't have to take antihistamines.

[Anonymous]

Can you not put the stuffies in the dryer for 60 mins?

[Anonymous]

When my kid was diagnosed, we did the following:

1. Encased mattresses.
2. Removed area rug in bedroom.
3. Got air purifier.
4. Dusted and vacuumed bedroom more consistently.

That (and Allegra, daily during the winter) seemed to be enough to keep things under control. She does bring her own pillow if she's traveling to places like a cabin (where pillows and linens may be ancient). She also avoids sitting in old upholstered chairs/couches when we visit people. (Our own furniture doesn't seem to be a problem.)

[Anonymous]

Don’t avoid allergy shots! I wish we had done when we first realized our child suffered from allergies. So much needless suffering.

Make sure you pick an allergist close you your house because you go once a week for the allergy shots.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks, everyone. The allergist suggested that we do all of this (along with Flonase) as a first step. Do people do allergy shots for dust without trying to minimize the allergen at home first?

I’m struggling most with the area rug (because it’s a big room with wood floors) and the frequency of vacuuming recommended. I don’t have cleaners but probably have to hire someone at this point. Does anyone use a washable rug?

[Anonymous]

Vacuum daily.

[Anonymous]

Is bagless a horrible idea for dust allergies? Dyson has a HEPA stick and that would make it so much easier to vacuum daily. We have lots of stairs. I could empty it outside…

[Anonymous]

My DD has dust mite allergies and she has carpet and tons of stuffies. I really think a good air purifier helps and regularly vacuuming the carpet.

[Anonymous]

Get a Neato robot vaccum. I like it better than the Roomba. I run it daily. And I have zero carpet in my house. Also no drapes or honeycomb shades.

[Anonymous]

P.S. Shots are a good idea too. You can't eliminate dust from the world.

[Anonymous]

In addition to everything you already did we took wall to wall carpeting out of every room and put wood down.

[Anonymous]

In addition to the wall to wall removal we also wash bedding and blankets weekly in hot water. No frangance beads at all. Only hot water kills mites. Washing blankets is a pain but we never skip

[Anonymous]

Thank you all again! Do you use synthetic or cotton blankets that are easy to wash? I have mostly wool. Also thinking I need to get rid of sheepskin area rug since it’s impossible to truly clean

[Anonymous]

Miehle vacuum.

Austin air air cleaners in kids rooms. IQ air is common rooms (and my own bedroom).

Mattress and pillowcase encasing.

Allergy shots.

That’s my dealing with dust short list.