Does the thought of dusting make you nervous? Does the actual task of vacuuming hurt you more than help you? Well, if you understand how your body reacts to pollen, dust, dander, and a whole sea of invisible and silent enemies, then you’ll understand the torture that can result from the simple act of cleaning.

Divide and conquer
First things first: we have to decide what kind of allergy sufferer you are when it comes to cleaning. There are two simple and important categories:

1. The truly allergic
2. The cleaning-phobic

The “truly allergic” have a medical condition that is aggravated by the presence of allergens (those yucky things that get in our system, like pollen and dust, which make us sneeze or have a more extreme reaction).

The “cleaning-phobic” (sometimes known as the “work-phobic”) are those who claim to be allergic to anything that they don’t want to do, like cleaning the house, washing dishes, or paying bills. The “cleaning-phobics” will not be affected by the dust in the way that the “truly allergic” will. They just don’t want to do it.

Search and destroy
You might want to do a few laps around your living quarters before you attempt any cleaning to spot potential “allergy hotbeds” that might contribute to the production of allergens in your home.
Is your home dry? Does air circulate throughout your house, or would you say that there is a lot of “still” air that lies undisturbed? Do you smell a musty odor?

Check that stack of magazines kept in the wicker basket under your end table. Do they have signs of mold or mildew? Trashing your 1994 issue of Rolling Stone with Sting on the cover might be the hardest thing for you to do, but it may be your first step in breathing easier. Ideally, your living space should be cool, dry, and have a constant circulation of air flowing through it. If you get comments like, “Whoa, it feels like a sauna in here!” or “Did someone just take a shower?” when people enter your home, then you know that the temperature and humidity in your living quarters isn’t ideal.

If you have a ceiling fan, try running it all the time to keep the air flowing. Alternative solutions include buying inexpensive fans and placing them in various angles throughout your house. The fans will bust through the “still” air and help to prevent mold and mildew incubation.

Is the musty smell coming from a closet or pantry? Try leaving the light on or open the doors periodically for air circulation from a fan. The heat from the light bulb will help to raise the temperature to kill the mold and mildew and the air from the fan will discourage mold’s growing environment.