6 hidden allergies in your house that could be triggering your sneeze attack
6 hidden allergies that could trigger your sneeze attack in your home.
Video Transcript
TANIA ELLIOTT: Many people are aware of outdoor allergens. But what about allergens that are inside your home? A number of allergens can hide indoors, making you sneeze, cough, and feel miserable. Here are six hidden allergies in your home that could be triggering your sneeze attack.
Things that smell nice. Ever see the black line of soot around a candle? Well, that's the same stuff that burns off and goes into the air and can trigger allergy symptoms. So maybe instead of spraying an aerosolized spray, burning a candle, or incense, why don't you try essential oils? You can take a pot of hot water, bring it to a boil, and then put a few drops of an essential oil into that. Eucalyptus oil and ginger in particular can help calm down allergy symptoms.
Spring cleaning, so after spending long winter days cooped up at home, it's pretty common to feel an intense desire to just freshen things up. So when you're dragging out boxes of clothes out of storage, that can cause dust particles to be kicked up into the air and trigger allergy symptoms. Also, if you live in an environment that's somewhat humid and the air is moist, mold spores can also grow. And that is another common trigger of indoor allergies. So wearing a mask while you're cleaning your own house might seem a little annoying since we have to wear them everywhere now, but it is recommended because it can help to alleviate allergy symptoms when you're cleaning your home.
Turning on your air conditioner, small particles like pollen, mold spores, and dust mites can get trapped by air conditioning filters and then released into the air when the machine is turned on. So you want to make sure that you change your filters at least every three months at the start of the season-- or if your allergies are really bad, you want to change the filters out every month.
Pets, pet allergy is one of the most common indoor allergies. It can happen from any pet, but most commonly, cats and dogs. So wash the pet once a week. Try to keep it out of your bedroom if you can. And use an air filter that's the right size for your room. Because pet allergens are so small that they can stay suspended in the air even if the pet is out of the room.
Making your bed, so a British study showed that making your bed can actually lock dust mite allergies in. Dust mites live in your mattress, pillow, and box spring. That doesn't mean you shouldn't make your bed, but if you wake up in the mornings with congestion and sneezing, it might be a sign that you have dust mite allergy and you could benefit from some dust mite-proof covers for your mattress, pillow, and box spring.
Cinnamon, believe it or not, people can have allergic reaction to cinnamon fragrant skin products, sugar scrubs, or cinnamon alone. It can be a very common cause of lip dermatitis or a rash around your lips. So that could be the spice itself or any cinnamon fragrance products that could trigger your allergy symptoms. Now that you know what to look for, you can avoid these pesky allergens and breathe easy.
