Archive for the 'asthma' Category

May 24, 2007 | Allergies, asthma, Health, Cleaning tips

Truth be told, I only sweep my front porch and back deck once every several months. Well, once or twice a year to be brutally honest. But times, they are a-changin’! I just read at the IIRC website (they have some great cleaning tips) that regularly cleaning the outside areas of your home that people regularly enter through can cut down on allergies. Apparently, less pollen and debris get tracked in that way. Who knew?!

Now, one thing we do right in our house (though for other reasons) is we take our shoes off when we come in. I remember going to a friend’s house as a kid where I was told to take my shoes off when I came in. I thought they were so persnickety about cleanliness - just because they didn’t wear shoes inside. Just think. What got on your shoes the last time you were in a public restroom? How much of it actually came off on the way home, and how much was still on the soles of your shoes when you entered your house? If you have crawling babies or toddling kids, think of the effect that has on them. (ew, gross!)

Now as an aside… Another perspective on the whole shoes thing - and this is why we don’t wear shoes in our house - is that in many Eastern cultures people just don’t wear shoes inside. They’re seen as dirty, cumbersome footwear that should be traded in at the door for cozy, homey slippers. It’s cleaner. It’s comfier. It fits more with the ambiance and is more appropriate to the environment. And when you visit someone else’s home, it’s one of the small ways you show respect. It’s the same idea as zero footprint. The less mess you leave for your host (and the less dirt you track into their home), the less time they’ll spend cleaning it. And that shows you respect their time and effort to invite you as a guest. Consider that.

Anyhow, it does make for a cleaner home, and I can see it when I wash my kids’ socks. They’re used to taking off their shoes inside, so they do it wherever they are. When they’ve been at home, their socks are usually the same color they were when they were freshly washed. When they’ve been at someone else’s house who wears shoes inside, their socks are almost always darker on the soles. I can tell how clean my floors are by the sight of my kids’ socks…

May 15, 2007 | asthma

It can be so frustrating to go through the day with asthma - always conscious of triggers, coughing for seemingly no reason. The EPA has reported that indoor air is multiple times more toxic than outdoor air. So what to do? A new study notes that the critical time to keep your windows closed is between 4 and 8 AM. That’s when most plants emit their pollen. So keep those windows closed in the early morning. But open them up in the evening. Let the breeze blow through your house and conquer all those spring time allergies and asthma triggers.

Next - and this one is pretty obvious - make sure your air filters are HEPA - they capture 99.97% of particles.

You can also check the daily pollen count at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Stay inside when pollen counts are high.

Clean the house frequently - and especially things like pillowcases, which should be washed in hot water to eliminate dust and pollen settling in.

Finally - and this was a bit of a surprise to me - shower at night before you go to bed. A lot of asthmatics have worsened problems at night. A lot of the time this is because they carry pollen and dust to bed with them on their bodies. So shower at night, wash off all the day’s pollen, and sleep more soundly.

May 9, 2007 | asthma, Health, Cleaning products

I feel like I’ve been bombarded lately with moms whose kids have asthma. I know their fears well, and their stresses. Anything that effects the way your child breathes is infinitely scary. I never thought I would say this, but I am so blessed that I grew up with asthma. It’s put a bunch of tools in my toolkit so that I know how to manage my children’s asthma. And not just that. I know exactly what they’re feeling when they have an asthma attack. I know how to evaluate the triggers, and I can test out new products and new places - if something triggers me I can be pretty sure it will effect my kids in some way.

I have this amazing benefit that I’ve been managing asthma for over 25 years (I won’t say how much over 25) and I’m so glad I’ve had that experience before having to manage my kids’ asthma, and teach them the tools to handle it themselves. The good news is that I’ve found a huge difference in my breathing ease since switching from regular cleaning products to natural cleaning products. The difference it has is mind-boggling. Honestly, when I pour Mr. Clean or Fabuloso into my mop bucket, the effect on my lungs is almost immediate. And sure, that dissipates while my kids are napping, and by the time they wake up the fumes are less severe. But they’re still in my house. So I appreciate it so much when I pour a natural cleaner into my mop bucket and breathe free. But just in general, I really do breathe easier now - I haven’t used regular cleaning products in years, and my house is a much nicer place for me to be. So if you haven’t tried making the switch, give it a shot. You’ll be pleased. And so will your kids.