Help! Cleaning up Allergens?

I use vinegar and baking soda. I wash the inside of the closets, walls, ceiling, floor and door before I move in. In my wash water I use 1 cup vinegar. Wash the windows with vinegar water. Windex is a high allergen. There could be mold under the carpet which rises up with every step. Take up a bit of the carpet and look under to see if there is mold on the pad and even on the back of the pad.
That is a health hazard and if it is present the carpet must be destroyed. Landlords may not like it but they will be ordered to do it. The county will insist.

Your advice so far is great, but if it is cool enough, could you open the windows to let in some fresh air? It may just need to be aired out for awhile to get some of the cat dander, carpet cleaning solution, etc. out. Good luck!

I see that you cleaned the carpets again, so hopefully that does the trick. If not, you may need to literally wipe down all the walls. As much as it sucks to do, I had to do it when I moved into a house several years ago. Even though there was wood floor that was clean, my allergies were still really getting to me...so I started wiping down walls, baseboards, etc. I was SHOCKED at how much hair was stuck to the walls. After that major cleaning, I was fine.

You need to find out what your husband is allergic to. Right now you're batting at windmills. It could be mold. It could be the insulation in the walls. It could be the carpet cleaner. It could be whatever is growing outside in the yard. You just need to see what's going on. In the mean time, you can get an air purifier or ionizer for your bedroom and living room. Both should provide some relief. Damp mop your floors daily and make sure your vaccuum is equipt with a hepa filtration system, or you're just distributing the allergens with the blow out from the vaccuum.

Talk with his doctor about a good oral antihistamine that he can take that will mitigate his allergic reaction/asthma. I wish you all a speedy recovery!!

If they washed the carpet it could be the carpet cleaner causing the issue. Also vacuuming kicks up all the allergens, you might be doing more harm than good by doing that daily. Try an air clean, Like a hepa filter. I can not think of what they are unfortunately they are about 200-300 but that might help. They are Air purifiers, they clean the air.

We also use Melaleuca products, the other thing that may work for you is baking soda and vinegar, yea it smells, but only for a little while. They may absorb and neutralize what is bothering your husband. Melaleuca oil will help control mold if there is a problem with that.

Get a air filter for the bedroom and the living room. Go to the store and look at febreeze. I think they have one for animal dander. Does your vacuum have hepa filter on it to help rid the allergens when you vacuum? Good luck

I'm sorry I.. What type of wood are the floors? Cold your husband be allergic to that? Did you buy any new furniture when you moved. My husband was very allergic to a new coach and we had to return it. Do you smell mold? Check under all sinks for any leaks or evidence of a past leak. Consider re-cleaning the carpets with a natural cleaner in case it is the soap they used.

I can make some recommendations of non-toxic cleaners or herbal allergy remedies if you like. Good Luck!

Hepa filter at night. But the carpets may be your problem even if they've been cleaned. You could have animal pee in the carpet that penetrated to the wooden floor underneath.

Hi I.,

Allergies can be a tricky thing. His asthma can be induced by environmental as well as chemical triggers in the home. Aside from the cat dander, chemicals in carpet shampoo or cleaners can really effect the respiratory system.

I started shopping at Melaleuca as a safer alternative for my family. It may be something for you do look into for yours. They have much safer products, free of harmful chemicals that contribute to cancer, eczema, allergies and asthma. They have an awesome product called SoluMel that kills dust mites and pet dander and can even be used as a carpet cleaner, sprayed directly or in the shampooer.
I love that I found this store. I feel so much better about what I use in my home and it saves us money over the major brands we used to buy. If you're interested; check out their website at www.melaleuca.com.
P.S. They're a membership store like Sams or CostCo, but if you want to check it out, the yearly membership is reduced to $1 right now until July 20th, instead of the normal $29.

Good luck. I hope you find the solution for your family and some safer alternatives that can take that load off his immune system!

Have a blessed day!
T. S.

You might try an air purifier that has a UV filter in it. Also, are there curtains? If so, you may want to have them cleaned. A thought - if there are carpets and they were shampooed, is it possible your husband is allergic to whatever shampoo they used? Good luck - I feel bad for him

The only thing I know of is to use a good air filter and good cleaners.

I use Shaklee for my cleaners. Not only are they so inexpensive that you save tons of money but they keep the toxins out of the house. The house is full of toxins and this is just one way to clean your house from allergens.
Go to http://nontoxiccleaners.myshaklee.com

You will have to do a lot of research to find a really good air filter. Not too many of them are good so check them out.

N.

I don't know how old the house is, but when I was a teenager we moved into an old house that have been remodeled several times and had firtex fiberboard for the ceiling and walls. Everyone but my dad so so allergic to it that he had to take it all down and put up sheetrock. I would look into something like that since its so accute and you've done a lot of the surface stuff already. Good Luck!