My 4 Year Old Has Dust Allergy! Any Advice???

J.,
As someone that was given the same diagnoses as a child -- I feel a lot better with a humidifier/air filter in the home. Also if you can place her head when she sleeps away from the heating vent. (There is a lot of dust that comes up from there). Do you currently dust with fiber clothes?
Any other way of dusting is really simply moving dust around or introducing chemicals into your environment.
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!
With my whole heart, C.

the clorox company recently came out with an allergy reducing spray. i believe it's called clorox allergen reducer. i have bad allergies, so i tried this out recently and it has worked really well. i noticed a visible difference in floating dust particles and dust that collected on surfaces. also a vacuum with a good filter system can make a big difference.

We got dust mite covers for ds's mattress and pillows, even the one that just has the sham. We wash the stuffed animals fairly regularly in a pillow case on the gentle cycle. We also wash his quilts and blankets regularly. I did quilts because they wash easier than a bedspread or comforter. (Cheaper that way since I can do it myself.) His allergies are much better since then. We also do nasal rinses and they help a lot. Although we don't take the stuffed animals out of his room, we do keep the toys and other stuff that can collect dust to a minimum. I also switched to easy to clean blinds. We haven't gotten a air filter yet, but seem to be fine without it. If it's any encouragement, at 5 he has outgrown many allergies from his tests at 4. It does get better. GL!

Hi J.,
Every year, the numbers keep increasing with children and adults who have allergies and immunity problems. Exposures to toxins, before and after birth, are thought to be a lot of the problems.
Please check out my blog at www.goodngreen.org, where I've posted an article about toxins and the effects they have on children. I included a link to a very interesting video from the Environmental Working Group's webiste.
Also, you may want to check out the air filter system that I offer through Shaklee:
http://www.shaklee.net/sowing4health/product/55102

Good luck in your search for the best answer for your child and family.

God bless & Merry Christmas.

L.

Hi J.,

I have the Nikken Power Pro 5 and love it. It is a 5 stage filtration unit - HEPA filtration, plus negative ions without producing ozone (critical as most others produce ozone which is bad for your lungs). I used to have a Sharper Image Ionic Breeze which I later found out produced ozone. I had another one I bought at Sears and the filter never seemed to get dirty - plus it was noisy. You do get what you pay for with air filtration and since your daughter has allergies, I'd recommend investing in a good one. It is certified by independent labs to remove dust, mold spores, pollen, pet dander, other allergens, organic and inorganic chemical vapors and more.

It has a dust reduction mode on it too which rapidly cleans the air in a room. I can send you a link to watch a clip go over the technologies. There is also a Traveler Unit that is great for a bedroom or in the car (when we go up to the mountains we take it). I still have to dust, but I have noticed a decrease - especially when you vacuum the pre-filter and see all the dust, dog hair and junk it trapped. Better than my body having to filter it all.

One other thing you will want to look at is the products you use to clean your house. This is especially critical with someone with lung or allergy issues. Unfortunately, cleaners are not regulated for the safety of ingredients and you could be absorbing more toxins through your lungs and your skin.

Email me directly for more info (and a clip you can watch). Happy to show you the cheapest way to get it as well.
Take care,
S.

I second or third making her bedroom a allergy haven... remove the carpet (if you can).... you can also get a zippered mattress and pillow cover. limit or remove stuffed animals, and replace her bedding with hypo-allergenic alternatives. my sister has chronic allergies (including dust among other things) and doing these types of things made a huge difference.

also, though 4 may be a little young for this, there are a lot of saline nasal rinses you can buy that work great. theyy are a great drug free alternative and really help keep the nasal passages clear and clean out the dust that accumulates during the day.

Hi! April Air Filters are really good. This is a filter that needs to be installed on the furnace. My husband has worked and owned his own AC business for 16 years. And he always recommends that one. The ones that are free standing are expensive and will not filter your whole house.

I have the same allergies as your daughter and my parents found out when I was a child. These are some of the tips the doctor gave us...

hard floors (wood, laminate, tile) are MUCH better than carpets - with carpets you should steam clean regularly

dust/clean as much as possible

clean sheets in hot water once a week

wash stuffed animals regularly (in the washing machine)

The most important room to keep the cleanest and most dust-free is her bedroom - as that is the room she spends the most time in. Plus, allergies can be more problematic when she is trying to sleep. Keep her room as clean and dust-free as possible. Take the carpet out if you can. Don't have cluttered shelves - just more to dust. Keep stuffed animals to a minimum and those that are out washed regularly. Keep her windows closed during outdoor allergy season - install AC if necessary. Make sure her vents are clean and keep her door closed when no one is in there - to keep dust from the rest of the house out of her sleeping space.

Good luck! You may have to resort to allergy meds occasionally...It's not a big deal.

Have you ever heard of A-SERT (Allergy and Sensitivity Elimination and Reprogramming Technique) You can google it to find out more info, I probably wouldn't explain it very well. It is more of a whole body healing technique, I don't know if a medical doctor would know about it. I went to a chiropractor who did this several years ago and it helped with my allergies.

You will have to run the stuffed animals through the dryer once a week if not more if she is going to keep them, they harbor a lot of dust.

Also get her a hypo allergenic pillow. You will need to change her sheets more often too probably. You can get special things specifically for her room, like air purifiers but the expensive furnance filters don't do any better of a job then the less expensive ones. You need to change them monthly though to keep dust down to a minimal.

Didn't the Dr give you any literature on this? Is she going to be taking medication? I know my son is on Nasonex and it has helped him tremendously. His allergies are more seasonal but it has helped him with congestion keeping him on through the winter this year so he may have more extensive allergies, we don't know for sure yet.

To be honest, everyone is allergic to dust to one degree or the other, it is an irrantant so I am not sure you have to go overboard, which in dry weather and being a mom is a tough enough job.
I would do some more research and find out if a hepa filter in her room would help her.

My 7 year old son and I are both allergic to dust and cats. We found out he was at age 10 months. We have hard wood floor and tile throughout most of our house. Carpet is a terrible thing to have if you have allergies. He has a few stuffed animals and they don't seem to bother him. Unfortunately we live on a dirt road and I work full time. So I have a house cleaner come in every other week. Between the two of us we keep the dust level under control. My son has been off his medicine for 1 1/2 years and has not had problems. We have an air purifier but it does not seem to make a difference with him. We have a great allergy doctor that my son really likes.

J., I am also allergic to dust. Winter is the hardest time because the house was so closed up. Only dust with a wet cloth, this keeps the dust out of the air as much as possible. Change the filter in the furnace often and if you can, get your air ducts cleaned on a day when you little one is not at home. I remember having to donate all of my stuffed animals that could not be washed and was really heart broken over some of them, but mom explained that they were making me sick and that they were going to kids that didn't have any toys. Good Luck.

HEPA air filters seem to work great. I'm allergic to everything under the sun and recently bought a house that had 2 dogs living in it before (wish I would have known that!)

Also, do you have a vacuum with allergen reducing filter? I got a dyson and I can vacuum myself without feeling cruddy.

Hi. I know that allergies are really tough. I know you can get a home air filter that will help. Contact me as my cousin is an hvac engineer and he did something to his house and my son (who is severely allergic to cats and they have two) was totally fine. We may do the same to our house, and that may save you a lot of effort constantly cleaning. I would maybe get bunk beds or have the bed be as far off the floor as possible since dust settles down. Other than that, you are probably pretty good. According to my son's allergist, we live in a great place for folks with allergies. Apparently, it's too dry for mold and dust mites so you just dealing with the dust itself at this point. His allergist did not think we had to get rid of all the stuffed animals, etc. Byt, maybe buy one of those allergenic pillows.