Covid?

This went on for months in our home with one family member until we had our duct work cleaned. I still don't know what it was, but whatever it was seems to have been in our AC ducts.

Mold

OP reporting in. Whatever I did seemed to work; allergic person got home and reported minimal allergies. So I'm going to assume it was dust mites and move on with my life. Thank you for the suggestions!

Sounds like mold. Especially given the high humidity we’ve had.

Get a hygrometer and see what the humidity levels in your house are. If it's dry enough, your risk of mold issues is minimal.

The $15 meter is a lot cheaper than a $200 dehumidifier (which is totally worth it if the humidity levels are too high)

I'm allergic to common molds found on old produce and around the drains. You might try pouring some boiling water down your drains and cleaning the flanges around the disposal.

Just came here to say I also currently have Covid and it started with lots of sneezing.

My Covid symptoms felt like allergies, sneezing and runny nose. I was cleaning out stuff so assumed it was dust irritation.

The entire house was dusted and vacuumed yesterday and all the bedding already has encasement. No stuffed animals in bedrooms, almost all hardwood, etc etc. We’ve done the dust mite thing for a while!

Anonymous wrote:All this rummaging around and I’m starting to feel a little allergic too, so maybe it is dust mites (I have an allergy). Kind of hope it is, I know how to fix that and it doesn’t mean water damage! We’ll see how things go when the allergic person gets home. Still moving the HEPA around the house.

-op

The HEPA air cleaner is going to have a minimal effect. The guideline is to vacuum daily and clean dust off surfaces with a damp cloth to keep it from going into the air. Also, use the zippered mattress and pillow protectors. My allergist was adamant about that. She also wanted me to rip up all my carpets which was out of my reach so I never did that.

All this rummaging around and I’m starting to feel a little allergic too, so maybe it is dust mites (I have an allergy). Kind of hope it is, I know how to fix that and it doesn’t mean water damage! We’ll see how things go when the allergic person gets home. Still moving the HEPA around the house.

-op

Allegra is non drowsy and works for us.

It's probably dust mites, which can be so much worse this time of year. There's no way to completely rid your house of dust mites (which are microscopic) but you can help by using a vacuum with a HEPA filter and vacuuming daily, especially in the person's bedroom. Don't forget under and around the bed where dust collects. Also, use allergen covers on the person's pillow(s) and mattress. Both should have zippers to completely enclose the pillow and mattress. And finally, use an over the counter antihistamine daily. Benadryl is the strongest but usually leaves people dead to the world. I have found Zyrtec to be pretty effective without causing excessive drowsiness.

We tested for radon when we moved in and installed a remediation system which is still operating. Family member spends a lot of the day in AC as well and doesn’t seem to have this experience there, nor does it seem to go away overnight.