“Your carpet is one of the largest surfaces in your home – and a hidden cause for illness. “

According to Dr. Jonathan Bernstein, professor of medicine at the University of Cincinnati, “Floor coverings are a major reservoir for indoor and outdoor allergens, including animal dander and dust mites.” He further adds, “And certain carpet materials give off gaseous volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which can cause headaches and respiratory problems for susceptible people.”

We spend so much time cleaning our home and going out of our way in this health-conscious age to make sure we’re as fit and healthy as possible. This is doubly the case for allergy sufferers who feel like they’re walking on egg shells trying to avoid any allergens. So naturally it comes as a surprise that the thing we’re walking could be such a host for all things creepy and crawly.

What’s in Your Carpet?

Dust

Dust is the worst allergen in any household because it’s nearly invisible. What you see on your furniture is only a collected version of what’s constantly filtering through the air you breathe. However, there are some actually some simple measures to take which can help eliminate the dust in your home, such as:
• Getting rid of all carpets. If this is not possible, make sure you vacuum and clean your carpets regularly. And, if you’ve rugs on hardwood flooring, you need to remember to have them cleaned or washed frequently.
• Getting covers for mattresses and pillows. Covers can be cleaned easily, and can protect from dust build-up.
• Washing and steam cleaning sheets, drapes and blinds often.
Using a HEPA filter in your furnace, and making sure to change it regularly.

Pet Dander

Many more people are actually allergic to their pets than they realize since many allergies develop over time. There are some pet-friendly habits you can easily keep up with, including:
• Keep pets out of your bedroom by either closing the door or using baby gates.
• As soon as you’ve hugged or cuddled with your pet, clean your clothes with a lint roller. Go around and remove all fur and hair from furniture and blankets.
• Don’t have carpets if at all possible, but if you can’t get rid of them, make sure you vacuum regularly.

Pollen

Pollen isn’t only found outside – it can be brought indoors on clothing, hair and pets. Take extra care to keep it out of your house, especially during peak pollen season.
• Bathe pets often.
• Again, use a HEPA filter in your home, and make sure it’s changed frequently.
• Don’t hang bedding and clothes outside to dry.
• Don’t leave windows and doors open.

Mold

You can find mold in many places in your home, but chances are there will be a lot more mold in your house than you’re even aware of. Mold can grow in places that you can’t see, but can cause a lot of problems for those living in the home. One very common place for mold is in your carpet, especially under the carpet and in the padding where water may have leaked to undetected.

What You Can Do

Clean – It’s such a simple answer, right? But truly, cleaning is one of the main ways to just keep allergens and contaminates under control. One of the biggest mistakes people make is not cleaning their carpet, simply because it ‘looks’ clean. However looking clean and being clean are two different things.

You should ideally be vacuuming your home at least once a week – more if you have young kids or heavy traffic. Make sure you have a vacuum with a HEPA filter. One vacuum that you might want to consider is the Bissell 5770 Upright Vacuum Cleaner with multi-cyclonic technology, microban antimicrobal protection, and an airetight HEPA filtration system.

Low Pile Rugs vs. Plush Rugs – Because it’s more difficult to remove allergens from large plush rugs, those seeking to reduce in-home allergens may want to get low-pile rugs. Low-pile rugs have fewer allergens stuck to them – the same is true for natural materials. Try favoring rugs made of natural fibers such as cotton, hemp or sea grass.

Green Carpet – When you’re getting carpet for an entire room, it’s important to look for natural fibers, like wool, or synthetic products that have earned the Green Label or Green Label Plus from the Carpet and Rug Institute, which ensures that floor coverings have low-VOC emissions.

Two sides of the problem – Thorough cleaning helps control allergen levels, so vacuum at least once a week with a vacuum cleaner equipped with a HEPA filter. (Flip area rugs over and vacuum on the back, as well as the front.) Professionally clean wall-to-wall and area carpeting once a year. Some cleaning agents are now nontoxic, says Gene Cole, Ph.D., professor of environmental health science at Brigham Young University.

Air it – If you do end up with a floor covering that reeks, there is no need to panic. Most carpet gets rid of VOCs within several weeks, says Richard Shaughnessy, Ph.D., director of the Indoor Air Program at the University of Tulsa. (Just make sure that the adhesives used to install wall-to-wall carpet are no- or low-VOC.) To help, crack open a window to let in some fresh air. If you have a new area rug, store it in the garage or basement until the odor is gone.

Getting rid of allergens completely is impossible, but it’s very easy to get the problem under control if you have the right tools and if you’re well-informed on what to look for.

About the Guest Poster:Shireen Shah is an indoor air quality expert with www.Air-Conditioner-Home..Com, and can be reached at shireen@air-conditioner-home.com

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H1N1 virus also called as swine flu virus is wrecking havoc around the world. You would be indeed an ignoramus or have not been reading the newspapers if you never heard of this new strain of virus that has killed many people in Mexico and has spread to as many as 20 countries around the world. There have been alarms sounded across the world, as people and health agencies scramble to find a solution to this problem of pandemic proportions that has taken the world by storm. It is indeed high time that we gain some information about this virus and its symptoms.

Symptoms of swine flu are similar to but more severe than common flu. The common symptoms are runny nose, sore throat, cough, breathlessness, congestion, mucus formation, fever and temperature with chills and body pains. In some cases patients also display symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea which could complicate matters. In case of those above 65 years of age, the symptoms could get accentuated, as is the case with kids who are less than 5 years of age. Pregnant women and HIV positive folks also are at high risk with respect to the affliction by H1N1 or swine flu virus. Such categories of folks should be carefully watched over for signs or symptoms of swine flu and action taken immediately.

Swine flu is contagious or communicable. If you have any flu symptoms, do not leave home and please avoid contact with outsiders when you are under quarantine as you could spread the disease to them. If the symptoms of flu do not subside and indeed persist do wear a mask and go to visit a doctor. You also have to cover your sneezes and fomites that are the infection particles with tissue which has to be properly discarded too. Do remember that the virus can spread from day one of infection right up to day 7 so you cannot afford to be careless about yourself as you could jeopardize public health that way.

If your flu symptoms continue you have to contact a health official and get the proper tests done to determine nature of virus infection. If the flu becomes very widespread, testing may not be required and one can go in for treatment. There are specific anti viral drugs that are prescribed by medical practitioners in order to treat for H1N1 infection. Some of the most common drugs that are now well known all over the world are Tamiflu which is essentially oseltamivir and also zanamivir. It is best to get treatment early and as close to the date of infection which is typically within 2 days of infection. However treatment can be done even if detection of infection is later than 2 days from infection.

In case of swine flu infection aspirin and related drugs should be avoided by all means, as these could cause after effects or side effects like Reye syndrome which is very risky to human health. For teenagers, one must check that aspirin containing products are not contained in the prescribed medicine against swine flu. For kids medical supervision and advice is of the essence. If you see any symptoms of flu, do get yourself or your loved ones checked quickly to prevent higher severity of case of swine flu infection later.

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Impetigo is a bacterial infection that its most common victim tends to be children. It is a very contagious skin disease that children seem to catch from each other during their time in school and on the playground. Adults can also catch impetigo but kids seem especially susceptible to it because of their poor cleaning habits. Helping your child remember good grooming habits will go a long way to help them prevent catching impetigo and other similar bacterial infections.

Your child can catch impetigo many various ways. This includes having open sores and touching or being touched by an infected area of another child. The first sign of your child being infected may be around the nose and mouth areas of the body. Signs of infection can also show up around the hands and forearm parts of the body as well. Once they have caught the infection your child may aggravate the situation by scratching, which will spread the disease to other parts of their body. This can lead your child to start to spread the infection to other members of the family through normal household items. This includes towels, pillows, wash clothes, bed sheets and other everyday items. Once your child is infected you should pull them out of school and go to the doctors to receive antibiotic treatments. It’s important that you try to help your child limit the spread of infection on their body. The smaller the amount of infection the better the chance that an antibacterial ointment will do the trick of curbing the disease. If it starts to spread creating a larger area of infection or to other parts of the body there is a good chance that your doctor will prescribe pills or some sort of liquid to help fight the infection.

The best way to fight this infection is to teach your kids how not to catch this or similar diseases in the first place. The biggest key in this fight is to reinforce proper hygiene at home and at school. This starts with teaching your children to always wash their hands when they come from outside playing with their classmates. It is also a good idea to teach your children to avoid contact with open cuts, scratches and bruises that form on other children. Sometimes children are fascinated with scars and bruises and will likely be curious when they see them on other children. A good amount of time this curiosity leads to touching which is never a good ideal. Instill in your children that, if they happen to accidentally touch a fellow classmates cut or bruise, that they should wash their hands as quickly as possible. This is a good idea for more than just avoiding impetigo. Your child should also be aware of what to do if they themselves receive a bruise or cut on the playground or in class. Instruct them to tell a teacher or a nurse about the cut or bruise. While they are being attended to, they should not be afraid to ask the teacher or nurse to wash the cut right away, before the bandaged is placed on top of the cut.

In conclusion as a parent your child will not remember to follow these rules unless they are constantly reminded of them on a semi regular basis. The practice of good hygiene starts at home. It is a good ideal that this philosophy becomes embedded into your children. This will save you as a parent a lot of restless itchy nights.

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