subject: Identifying The Home Environment As The Main Asthma Cause [print this page] Various factors inside your home can cause asthma. These causes trigger your asthma leading to asthma attack. Identify the triggers for the asthma cause and avoid them.
Asthma cause with house dust mites:
House dust mites are the asthma cause if you are sensitive to the droppings of house dust mites. These dust mites may be tiny insects that live in the dust around your house such as in carpets, soft toys, bedding and soft furniture.
If you suspect that dust mites are the asthma cause, then you have to reduce the symptoms by following some steps:
Use complete covering system on your mattresses, pillows and beddings
Replace with hard flooring by removing all carpets if you have asthma
Use a vacuum cleaner and clean all areas regularly. Using an attachment to the vacuum cleaner, damp dust all surfaces
Do not keep soft toys on bed. Remove them from the bed and keep them in the freezer by keeping all the toys in a bag for minimum six hours every one or two weeks to kill the dust mites
Use a dehumidifier to dry the air as it makes it more difficult for the house dust mites to survive
Wash bed sheets, pillow covers and drapes once in a week in hot water
Soft furniture should be cleaned with anti-house-dust-mite-chemicals
If you have asthma, ask your family member to vacuum the home
Asthma cause with heating and cooking:
Dampness in your house may be one of the asthma cause. If your house is without central heating, the symptoms are harder to control.
Ducted air heating may worsen asthma symptoms as dust mites are breathed as the air is re-circulated. Fan heaters and convectors also move the air and dust around
If you have gas fires and gas cookers at your house, they have high levels of nitrogen dioxide. You may be allergic to nitrogen dioxide and your asthma may be triggered.
Asthma cause with carpets and furniture:
Furniture and carpets are the one of the asthma cause. Furniture, flooring and shelving made from chipboard contain formaldehyde resin, which gives off a pungent, colorless gas that can irritate the airways.
Carpets also are a source of formaldehyde gas left over from the manufacturing process. Before buying a new carpet, you should ask the shop if they could unroll and air it before you bring it home.
If you are allergic to latex, avoid carpets with a foam underlay. Your asthma may be triggered with the smell of new sofas and soft furniture. Keep the windows open for a few days if you had bought new furniture.
If you are allergic to pets, your symptoms last long even after the pets left home long before because the pet allergens can linger for long time on furniture and carpets and it is very difficult to remove without a steam cleaning or rigorous cleaning.
Building work and repair is one of the asthma causes. If you have poor housing conditions, poor ventilation and inadequate heating, then you are triggered with asthma attack.
Building works and repairs for asthma cause:
Repairs and renovations at your home can cause lot of dust
If you are treating your house for woodworm, dry rot, and damp, problems can arise
Insulation materials contain formalin and formaldehyde which can leak fumes into the house. These materials may create problem for you.
Before starting any building work within your home, consult a doctor if temporary increase in medicine is needed.
Asthma cause with cleaning, decorating and repairs:
Cleaning, decorating and repair are one of the asthma cause. If you are cleaning or redecorating your home in every day life, the products and solvents that are used can cause breathing difficulties if you have asthma. These chemicals are known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOC contains in cleaning fluids, glues, varnishings, and paints.
Cleaning, decorating and repairs for asthma cause:
The products that contain VOC are furniture polish, dry cleaned clothes, carpet cleaners and air fresheners which can trigger asthma.
Instead of using sprays, use solid or liquid alternatives.
Wet paints may cause problems as they gives off chemicals that trigger your asthma.
You can use water based, low odor gloss paints which are slightly better than wet paints.
If you are stripping the wallpaper, wash down before starting as it may help damp down the dust otherwise the dust may fall on you.
