ALLERGIES. The word that my world is revolving around. Every morning when I wake up I have a headache, and it's throughout my whole head- even face and neck. There is this specific sharp pain I get on the left side of my brain, and it's awful! I take a deep breath and it burns all the way down through my itchy throat and congested nose. Then I open my eyes and they burn so bad it feels like a handful of sand has been thrown in them, so I rub them and it feels SO GOOD! But when I pull my hands away I see 2 things: more eyelashes have fallen out from the rubbing, and my fingers have goop on them again from my eyes draining. Not to mention the vertigo I've had for the past month from an inner ear infection and the pressure pain in my ears from the outer ear infection that my doctor refuses to give me an antibiotic for. The call from a warm shower and my Allegra pills are the only 2 things that have the power to drag me out of bed. And that is how I start each day.
One day I woke up, anxious for my shower and pill- even though I knew they would only take the edge off- and I had an epiphany. I looked down at my limp victimized body and then stared at the invisible air, my captor. "I'm stronger, bigger, and smarter than you!" I yelled with all my heart. "And I'm going to defeat you!"
The next few hours were spent on the Internet researching the enemy and learning how to destroy them. First thing was first though- I had to kill the leader of them all, then I would deal with the little guys. So I focused on dust because that is what I'm most allergic to. Here are some photos I found about the enemy that lives in the dust-
This is what happens: Dust has dust mites, the disgusting critters above, and they are EVERYWHERE, including but not limited to: curtains, carpet, bedding, clothing, towels, car interiors, and our skin. They are the part of the dust that causes the allergies, well it's not exactly the mite, it's their feces- disgusting huh. The overwhelming part is that the mites are impossible to get rid of, but there is a means to fighting their left-overs, and living with these eight legged creatures in peace. So I began my attack.
1. Thought of a creative way to convince my kindergarten daughter that sterilizing the house in an exciting thing to do for spring break.
2. Took down the curtains and washed them in hot water. (The "dry-clean only" ones surprisingly came out of the washer and dryer looking great- despite their warning.)
3. Washed all the bedding in hot water. I am going to do this every week from now on.
4. Bought a new filter for my vacuum and gave the carpet an intense cleaning. I will get it professionally cleaned as soon as the tax return comes and I am done with all the deep cleaning.
5. I'm still washing all the windows, including all the metal and runners.
6. I'm still washing all the walls.
7. I will start dusting all the solid furnishings when I'm done with the walls.
8. I detail cleaned my car inside and out.
9. I use an air purifier at night when I sleep.
It's been a busy week and my kids are losing patience with my mad mission. However...I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER! And my house smells really yummy! Hopefully I can make it up to the kids soon.
p.s. I can see now why people with large homes hire out for deep cleaning.
That's awesome that you're deep cleaning your house. I bet it looks wonderful. One thing that you might be able to do for your kids is do a movie night with a small amount of treats (for nattie) or make healthy snacks and eat them as you watch the movie. I think they would have a blast, but I don't know. That is disgusting about the mites fecies... bleck!
ReplyDeletecute idea Meagan! We'll do it and I'll be sure to tell them it was your idea!
ReplyDeleteThere was an interesting tv program on Sunday mornings a few years ago. One of the episodes showed dust mites. It was so disgusting!
ReplyDeleteGood to know when I come to visit the house will be spotless!! haha
ReplyDeleteThis is why I will never apologize for being a Type A, germaphobe, neat freak!!! I'm sure we still have dust mites and their poop in our house, but at least I feel better knowing that my constant, obsessive cleaning might have some impact at keeping them at bay. Never be ashamed to sweep and vacuum 2-3 times a day. That crevice tool does wonders too! Q-tips are our friend for corners and such. Make sure to change your vacuum filter and your air purifier filter often. They fill up fast! And yes, I wash our bedding in HOT water every. single. week. You can also buy a plastic cover for your mattress - they are pretty cheap. And, for $4 at Wal-Mart, you can buy a package of 12 filters to put behind your vents, to slow the amount of dust coming through when the air/heat is turned on. I love Allegra, but have also had really good success with Zyrtec, over the counter. Those are my thoughts and I hope you feel better soon! :) p.s. Can you find another doc to give you antibiotics?
ReplyDeleteI knew I would get a good comment out of you! I also just learned that toilet cleaner is awesome for cleaning mold out the of the grout in the tiles of the shower, it's AWESOME, but wear a mask! I agree on the filters too, the apartment owners only have them changed every six months but I read they should be changed every month. The doc I have is the most normal I've had in the near 2 years I've been here, so I don't dare switch, but on Monday I'm calling the office to beg.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get everything figured out. Feel free to come deep clean my place. Olivia will help, sort of.
ReplyDeleteFrom an older woman's perspective: You've described what we called spring cleaning ... some people did it more often. Beware of ever using cleanser with bleach. It's fumes are lethal and damage the lungs. When we lived in the Seattle area I did use a bleach and water mixture to wipe down window casings. It destroyed mold very efficiently after sitting for awhile. It can also damage metal though. And don't be too concerned about dust mites because they've coexisted with us for centuries. Just keep being the boss and all will be well. Wishing you great health and congratulations on a cleaning job well done!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Autumn, I love your blog. Where are you living now? My husband has suffered from allergies his whole life and a friend suggested the allergy clinic in Ogden so he's been going there for about a year. It takes several years to reduce allergy symptoms dramatically but our friend swears by it and sais it's the best thing he's ever done for his allergies so it might be worth a try for you. They figure out all the things that you are allergic to and then formulate a shot they give you each week with all those things in it so your body slowly begins to react better to them. I feel so bad for people with allergies - you can't spring clean the entire great outdoors! It's impressive how much you've done to your house though.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea your allergies were so bad, Autumn!!! (I still haven't given you any Lavender, have I??) -- Kristin
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