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    Reading time: 5 Min

    Dust allergy tips: Home remedies for dust allergy sufferers


    It’s hard to relax when you feel like you’re allergic to your own home, but the good news is that once you’ve dealt the source of your reaction, you can ease your sneezing and sniffling. Let us show you how to help dust allergy symptoms in various ways, from improving the air quality in your home to home remedies for dust allergy relief.

    What causes a dust allergy?

     

    The underlying cause of a dust allergy is the same as other allergies. It’s because an allergen has got inside your nose and caused inflammation – officially known as ‘allergic rhinitis’.1 Common allergies include:

     

    • Dust allergy: caused by house dust mites (tiny insects that eat flakes of human skin). Specifically, there’s a chemical they produce that causes the reaction.
    • Hay fever: in this case, pollen is the allergen that causes your body to react.
    • Pet allergy: reactions to pets can be caused by dander (flakes of animal skin or hair) and saliva or urine droplets.


    If you suffer from an allergy, your immune system is reacting to the harmless allergen as if it was harmful. The immune response involves producing antibodies, which in turn cause cells to release histamine, which leads to too much mucus and inflammation on the inside layer of your nose.2

    Dust allergy treatment

    Dust allergy treatment

     

    Just as the root cause is the same, many of the ideas for dust allergy relief are similar to other allergy treatments: it’s all about reducing your exposure to the allergen. The good news is that, just as you can ease pet allergies at home, and help hay fever at home, you can also easily relieve dust allergy symptoms at home.


    There are specific dust allergy remedies and approaches that can really help deal with problems caused by dust mites in particular, but first, let’s look at the most common signs of dust allergy.

    Dust allergy symptoms


    Symptoms of a dust mite allergy are the same as those experienced by hay fever sufferers and those with pet allergies. Signs of dust allergy sensitivity include:

     

    • Sneezing
    • Runny or congested nose
    • Watery, red, or itchy eyes
    • Itchy throat or roof of mouth
    • Coughing
    • Pressure in the sinuses

    What you need

    How to help dust allergy


    To achieve dust allergy relief, you need to try to reduce the amount of dust mites in your home. As they thrive in humid, warm environments, like soft furniture, carpets, pillows, bedding and mattresses, these are the places you’ll want to focus your attention on – even more so in winter, when their numbers increase. Here’s how to help dust allergy by getting rid of dust mites.

     

    • Dust regularly. As dust mites live in dust, you definitely want to keep your home dust free. Top tips for effective dusting include using a vacuum cleaner attachment, dusting from top to bottom, and using a damp paper towel to capture the dust without sending it into the air (which happens with dry wiping).
    • Change bedding weekly. Wash sheets, mattresses, blankets and pillowcases (plus cushion covers) weekly on a hot wash and tumble dry to kill the mites. You might even want to use allergen-blocking covers for your bedding.
    • Clean carpets, sofas and mattresses regularly. Use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to keep your floors and upholstered furniture as dust free as possible. You could even consider having hard flooring instead of carpets and non-washable rugs.
    • Protect yourself when cleaning. Wear a filter mask over your nose and mouth when you clean. In addition, once you’ve vacuumed or dusted, it’s a good idea to wait for at least a couple of hours before going back in the room.
    • Clear clutter. The fewer surfaces dust has to accumulate on, the better.
    • Use an air purifier. Of course, you don’t want dust in the air either, so an air purifier can be useful to have in the home.


    Tip: The Air Purifier Series 3000i removes up to 99.97% of allergens (and pollutants and viruses) in less than eight minutes, making the air in your home cleaner.

    Home remedies for dust allergy relief

     

    Now you have some great ways to reduce the presence of dust mites in your home, but what about dust allergy remedies to help ease your symptoms?

    Try cleaning your nasal passages with a saline solution. You can find kits for doing this at your local pharmacist – always use them according to the instructions on the packaging. Always remember, If your symptoms are severe, it’s important that you seek medical help.

    Now that you know what dust allergy treatment plans you can put in place, you can look forward to breathing easier in the comfort of your own home!

     

    Source(s):


    1 NHS: Allergic Rhinitis
    2 NHS Inform: About Allergic Rhinitis

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