According to a recent survey, more than 12 million children around the country can have allergies, which are caused by elements in their own homes. This is called home fever and it is usually triggered by allergens, which are found common in your home. We are not talking about a filthy home. You might keep your home spotless but, there are 1600 different allergic reactions that a child can get from chemicals you use for cleaning, pets, dust mites, the material of your carpet and so on.
Home allergens
Scientists from different countries have coined the term ‘Home Fever’ for these allergies. The cause of these allergies is bound to your surroundings. More than 50% of such allergies are caused due to dust mites followed by pets, cleaning products, fabric materials around the home and so on. As parents, we spend time and resources to keep our kids safe from pollutions and dust outside and we assume our house to be a safe place. It turns out most of the kids are actually allergic to their homes.
Tips to keep your kids away from home fever
How to reduce the frequency of these allergies and fever? We talked with many health-care providers and we have brought down top tips for reducing the frequency and intensity of these allergic reactions
Monster on the bed
It is time to check for monsters on the bed. On average, a bed and pillows would have 2 million dust mites over six months of time. Changing bed linen and pillows once a month is not enough anymore. It is recommended not to use the same linen for more than two weeks.
Change the way you wash
An average washing machine would wash the clothes and linens in lukewarm water. Water up to 40 degrees C is not capable of killing dust mites completely. You need a hot water wash at 60 degrees C or above.
Change mattress
How many of you have the same mattress for the past decade? Well, most of us actually do. More than 10% of allergy sufferers have reported that they have the same mattress for more than ten years. If your child has flu, cold or allergy repeatedly, it is time to change your mattress, if it is more than five years old. Pillowcases have to be renewed every year.
Hypo-allergic material
While choosing curtains, carpets and other fabrics around the house, it is best to choose hypo-allergic materials. If not, you can find allergen-proof materials to cover duvets, pillows, and others.
Dusting is not enough
When you dust with a dry cloth, you are moving the dust from one object to the air around you and eventually, the dust would settle on another object. This can accumulate over time and cause serious allergies. Use a damp duster or cloth and then a dry one to clean.
Are you buying allergens?
How often do you buy soft-toys for your kids? How often do you wash them? Generally, toys have to be washed in hot water at least once a year. What about the toys that cannot be washed? Place them in a plastic bag and freeze for 12 hours to a day.
Your humidifier can be a reason
You need to reduce humidity in the house. Increase the ventilation in your house. Nowadays parents are more concerned about having an open window for several reasons. If so, use trickle-vents. You can also use ActronAir Conditioning or other air conditioning systems, which would trap the allergens in its filter. However, you should remember to wash the filters regularly. If possible, use a dehumidifier to keep the molds from growing. Your home’s humidity must be around 30-50 percentage for a safe environment.
Learn about your cleaner
Do not blindly buy a cleaner which says high-cleaning technology or extra-strong. Make sure they are hypo-allergens. Do you know that most of the home fever sufferers are allergic to the cleaning material used for keeping the house clean? Choose reputed brands and do not go for flavored ones. Most of the flavored cleaning items have additional chemicals and airborne particles to keep your home fresh-smelling. But at what cost?
Air purifier
If your kid has very high-frequency allergies, it is time to buy an air purifier. Sometimes, you can find air-purifier and de-humidifier in the same equipment. Choose wisely. Your equipment should not just move the allergens around the room but, actually, trap them.
Do not wait for symptoms
Do you know more than three thousand of the participants in the study did not have any symptoms before the onset of continuous allergies and fever? There are numerous symptoms for these allergies and it is very easy to miss a few, especially when you are juggling a couple of kids at home. Thus, it is very important to be pro-active about keeping allergens out of the home.
Trial and error method
There is no proper analyses to find which part of your home or which element of your décor is causing problems. It is a trial and error method of changing and cleaning one after another and looking for better results. Most of the families consider an overall change in décor and equipment to be a costly move. It is true and you can always find cost-effective methods by moving your family closer to nature. You do not need a de-humidifier; all you need is an open window. You do not need an air purifier. Just plant an ample amount of plants and trees on the lawn. They will purify the air for you. Do not go for top-shelf cleaning material. Hot water with salt can do the magic. Sometimes, just hot water would be enough.
Take the first step in making your home safer for your kids again. Instead of bombarding your kid’s immune system with a high level of antibiotics and other medicines, it is better to make a few life changes until they grow immunity. These allergic reactions are not just a couple of days of running nose and fever. Constant allergic reactions can cause serious skin problems, respiratory disorders, a change in sleep pattern, difficulty in concentration and so on.
