Can anyone help with DP and DS' sore eyes?

[WhatFreshHellIsThis]

So DP is allergic to dust mites (was tested when a teenager) but has never had any real problems with it before. DS is 2.5.

Since about two months ago, both of them have had sore, itchy eyes and other allergic symptoms like a tickly nose, sneezes etc. Seems to be worse in the kitchen for some reason, when DP is cooking. We've lived in this house for a year and didn't have this problem last winter, and nothing has changed, we don't use different products and haven't changed our vacuum cleaner or got a pet. They've both had coughs and colds during that time too, but this seems to be a separate issue. I haven't had any similar symptoms at all.

So my question is - does this sound like a dust allergy, and if so, why would it have suddenly flared up? and if it is dust mites, then can anyone recommend a good vacuum with an allergy filter (HEPA)? any other tips for combating it? I wash all the bedding at 60 degrees already, and we have a mattress cover on our bed.

any help gratefully received!

Sorry, forgot to add that it's definitely something to do with the house, as both DP and DS' eyes are much better when they're anywhere except the house.

bump?

anyone got any thoughts this morning?

My lot have dust and mould allergies.

Personally speaking I'd get a Miele vaccuum cleaner with a HEPA filter, and give the house a pre-Christmas spring clean by damp dusting (e-cloth and spray bottle from Lakeland would help with this), wiping mould spores off window frames (condensation attracts them), hoovering and airing the place within an inch of its life. (I sometimes steam clean the window frames from time to time to make sure I have really zapped the spores, but this is only 2 or 3 times a year, because I do have a life!)

You could do worse than also hoovering the mattresses and also quite thoroughly under the bed. Air any duvets or pillows in daylight as often as you can (not easy this time of year, I admit).

We do this sort of thing about once a month on top of normal housekeeping (eg 60C washing of bedding) and we find it makes a big difference. We haven't bought any expensive allergy stuff or turned our house into a reflective surface hell, because this gets rid of most of the nasties.

Thanks BoffinMum - I did wonder if it might be mould spores, as this house has a bad tendency to condesation and I read somewhere that autumn is the season for the spores to be very prevalent.

I open all the windows every morning and leave the house to air, which dries up the condensation on the windows, but I'm pretty convinced the kitchen has some nasty mould lurking behind the sink where it's really damp, and it does seem to get DP worst in the kitchen. Not sure what I can do about it though as it would involve pulling out the units and it's a rented place.

I will take your advice about the vacuum, vacuuming the beds and wiping down all the window frames - I know there's mould lurking in the bathroom under the roller blind, have been eyeing it for a while thinking 'must deal with that'...

Sigh.....

I also turn down the beds every morning and leave the curtains and windows open in the bedrooms, so hopefully that helps a bit.

DP is taking antihistamines, but I don't want to keep dosing DS with Piriton, can't imagine it's good for him.

I think you don't have to completely get rid of it, but just keep the worst excesses at bay to get an improvement.

You can get machines to filter the air - this might be a possibility for the kitchen. I've seen these of the Allergy Foundation website and so on.

I wondered about a dehumidifier for the kitchen, as it's by far the dampest room in the house - might help stop the spread of the mould?

Have been looking at the Miele vacuums - are they the best ones?

The thing about Miele ones is that they are easy to use and they seem to last for ages, and I think their allergy one has some sort of Allergy Foundation accreditation, if I remember correctly. But there are others out there as well, of course.

A dehumidifier is bound to help with the mould. I'd buy a good one if it's as bad as it sounds. But a good weekly clean is also bound to help.

There are masses of other anti allergy products out there to waste money on, but when I read the research (which I did at length a year or two ago), it all seemed to come down to dusting, wiping and hoovering like a 1950s housewife, and they also said as much on 'How clean is your house' once.

www.miele.co.uk/Products/Features.aspx?pid=541

I've got a vacuum very similar to this one. I bought a special mattress nozzle direct from Miele as well, which I keep separate to keep it clean.

www.lakeland.co.uk/F/keyword/ecloth/psi/1/pgs/12?src=gabrs&sq=ecloth

These products are great at trapping dust and won't over-sanitise your house.

www.poltiuk.co.uk/products.asp?cat=5

These steam cleaners are really great for dealing with mould but so expensive I borrow my mum's!

Thanks BoffinMum, you're a star! I thought our house was reasonably clean, although possibly not 50's housewife clean, but clearly my standards need improving...

I think I might get a dehumidifier for the kitchen, because I have a strong suspicion that the bulk of the mould is inaccessible behind the units, so I'll have to dry out the air rather than wiping it.

It shall be spring (well, winter) cleaning time this weekend.

Joy....

Happy to help. BTW it's not about standards of hygiene, it's about targeting particular culprits in a particular way, so don't get too hung up on this!

I'm of the school of thought that you can actually over-clean your house if you're not careful, with too many nasty chemicals and so on, which causes all sorts of other problems. We are all busy women these days, and have better things to do than mince about in frilly aprons trying to have houses that look like nobody actually lives in them. Simple airing, hoovering and wiping is my philosophy, and has really helped with the allergies of my lot. The allergy clinic at our local teaching hospital said much the same thing to us when we went there as well.

BTW did you know if you go on Alpine holidays over 500m altitude there are no dust mites at all, because they can't exist there ... that might be a thought for a summer holiday ...