Particularly clean on top of closets where dust collects. (Creepy fact of the
week - most of that dust is our own dead skin!)
Dust mites like moisture and high humidity. Cutting down
the humidity in your home can cut down the number of mites. A dehumidifier
may help. Adequate ventilation is now considered to be extremely important.
Use a High Efficiency Particulate Arresting (HEPA) vacuum
cleaner or one with a power head, which picks up three to six times as much
dust as one without power brushes. A dirt-finder vacuum (which has a light
that turns from red to green when the carpet is clean) is even better.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches are one of the most common and allergenic
of indoor pests. Recent studies have found a strong association between the
presence of cockroaches and increases in the severity of asthma symptoms in
individuals who are sensitive to cockroach allergens.
These pests are common even in the cleanest of
crowded urban areas and older dwellings. They are found in all types of neighborhoods.The
proteins found in cockroach saliva are particularly allergenic but the cockroach
allergen also comes from dead roaches and roach droppings. It collects in house
dust and may persist in the home for some months even after the cockroaches
are eradicated.
It is thought that the reason some people are
supposedly allergic to chocolate is by virtue of included cockroach protein.
Apparently, when the dried cacao beans are gathered up, they are typically covered
in cockroaches and some beasties and droppings come along for the ride. ‘Cockroach
chocolate’!!!
Preventative strategies include:
Limit the spread of food around the house and especially
keep food out of bedrooms.
Keep food and garbage in closed containers. Never leave
food out in the kitchen.
Mop the kitchen floor and wash countertops at least once
a week.
Eliminate water sources that attract these pests, such as
leaky faucets and drain pipes.
Plug up crevices around the house through which cockroaches
can enter.
Use bait stations and other environmentally safe pesticides to reduce
cockroach infestation.
Other articles you may find interesting:
Asthma
- Indoor Mold
Asthma
- Mouse and Urine Faeces
Asthma
- Triggers and Prevention
Covering
Bedding Cuts Kids' Need for Asthma Drugs
Indoor
Plastics Linked to Respiratory Problems in Kids
Occupational
Asthma - Causes And Prevention
Read Karon Beattie's Biography
*The articles published on this site undergo our review process.
We found the information in this article to be very useful and informative.
