Asthma is a very common condition in children, but that doesn’t mean it’s not serious. Asthma attacks are very frightening and can be triggered by a long list of commonplace things including allergens, smoke inhalation, and even certain foods. As you live with the condition, you’ll learn more about which triggers are most likely to cause an asthma flare-up in your child. Here are some tips to reduce the impact of many common irritants around your home.
Keep Things Clean
Image via Flickr by polentafria
Thorough cleaning can eliminate a number of asthma-inducing substances from your home. Using a vacuum with a HEPA filter at least once a week will help keep your home clear of pet dander, pollen, dust, and other irritants that could induce an asthma attack. While you’re vacuuming, run your bedding through the washing machine. Shoes carry everything from pet dander to pollen; if you can train your family to leave them outside, you’ll eliminate a lot of allergens from your home. If possible, remove your carpets and use washable rugs to keep your floors cozy. Mattresses and pillows are ideal homes for dust mites, so consider buying dust-proof covers for all the beds in your home.
Keep Smoke Away
If anyone in your family smokes, you should strongly encourage them to quit, so their clothes and hair aren’t constantly bringing traces of tobacco into your home. At the very least, no one should be smoking inside the home or garage or near the child with asthma. Consider replacing a wood-burning fireplace with gas logs, and ask your neighbors not to burn leaves in the fall. If the neighbors won’t respect your needs, keep your child indoors during fall with the windows closed, and run the furnace or the air conditioner (depending on the weather), so the air in your home will at least be running through an HVAC filter.
Use an Air Purifier
An air purifier is an extra unit that will remove irritants that your HVAC system can’t filter away. Start with a room-sized air filter in your child’s bedroom, since he or she spends more hours there than in any other single space — but that doesn’t mean you don’t need dust-proof pillow and mattress covers, since the air from your child’s pillow will be right next to his or her nose all night long and won’t have a chance to pass through the filter. You can add more room-sized air filters or have your HVAC professional install a whole-house system that uses your existing ductwork to filter allergens and pollutants from your entire home.
Avoid Triggering Foods
Sulfites, which are present in many dried fruits, wines, pickles, salad dressings, and boxed foods, are well-known asthma triggers. Avoid these products and keep a list of other foods that trigger allergy or asthma symptoms in your child.
You may feel helpless in the face of your child’s asthma, but you are not. You have the power to control your child’s environment, at least within your home. Take action now to reduce the number and severity of asthma attacks your child will suffer.
