Fall Allergy Hotspots: The 20 Worst Places In The U.S.

If you’re an allergy sufferer, you hardly need us to remind you, but it is that time of year again! Fall allergy season is upon us.  Think you live in a particularly bad spot?

The non-profit Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has, once again, compiled a list of the 100 worst metro areas for seasonal allergies — rankings that are based on pollen scores, the number of allergy meds used per patient in any given area, as well as the number of specialists in that spot. According to WebMD, one of the main culprits for fall allergies is ragweed, which typically begins pollinating in August, but can linger into the fall. Mold spores can also play a major role.

Wondering if your hometown made the so-called “allergies capital” list? Check out the 20 worst offenders below as reported in the Huffington Post.

1. ENCASE:  Cover your bed with allergy encasings!  They’re the #1 doctor-recommended step for allergy relief!
2. WASH:  Wash linens to remove allergens.  Make your job easier with allergen-removing detergents.
3. CLEAN:  Every little bit helps with cleaning and certain household cleaners are designed to tackle allergens.
4. REMOVE:  It’s best to remove carpets, but that can be touch.  Use carpet treatments that remove allergens.
5. FILTER:  Air filters trap allergens and keep them from circulating in your home. 
6. PURIFY:  HEPA air purifiers capture airborne allergens.  Save now on Blueair HEPA filter replacements! 
7. SAVE:  What’s this 7th step?  Oh yeah, it’s an extra bonus from us!  SAVE 20% with code 20SPOT until 10/31.  If you’re in a tight spot with allergies, get the products and the relief you need! 

Bedbugs and Dust Mites

Let’s get one thing straight – bedbugs and dust mites are not the same. The first is a nasty little bloodsucker that makes you itch and the second is a nasty little dead skin eater that makes you sneeze.

How about we start with the nasty little bloodsuckers?
Remember what your Gran used to say as she tucked you in? “Sleep tight; don’t let the bedbugs bite”? Well, she should know, because fifty years ago one in ten homes had them. Thankfully the little monsters are much less common than they used to be, mainly due to the modern, clean homes that we now live in. They feast on human blood, but will slum it on pets if they have to.

How do you know if you have bedbugs?
You’ll wake up with itchy, whitish bites, usually on your neck and arms. Bedbugs don’t carry disease – but don’t scratch the bites because they may become infected. Another way of finding them are the telltale spots of blood you will find on your bed linen after they’ve had dinner at your expense.

You’re not likely to see your houseguests, because they only come out to feed at night when you’re asleep. They are about the size of an apple pip, a reddish brown colour and have six legs. By day they hide in cracks and crevices around the home like skirting boards, behind loose wallpaper and in your bed.

Bedbugs live between six and 12 months and adult females will lay an average of 2-3 eggs a day. So once they’ve moved in, they tend to take over. They also love to travel – on clothes, luggage and in second hand furniture. Therefore, houses or hostels with a lot of people coming and going are more likely to be infested.

The only way to get rid of bedbugs is to call in a reputable pest control company to spray your home with insecticide. Your local council should be able to recommend one, and may even pay for the treatment.

Before they visit, pest control will ask you to wash all bed linen, soft toys and clothes in the hottest wash allowed – 60 degrees if possible. You’ll need to expose all potential hiding places and make sure the kids and pets (especially fish) are out of harms way. After the spray has dried, expect a break from the housework because you won’t be able to vacuum for at least ten days!

Invisible filth
Like it or not, no matter how clean you think your house is, you live in invisible filth. Eighty per cent of house dust is made of dead, human skin. We shed 5-10 grams a week and this is what dust mites like best for dinner.

The average house will be home to 100,000 to 10 million of the little monsters. You can’t see them; they’re translucent and only about 0.3mm long. Most people don’t even know they share their home with dust mites, but their existence is evident is you have asthma, eczema or allergies due to the enzymes in the mite droppings.

The good news is you won’t have to call in the pest controllers; the bad news is you’ll never get rid of them completely, no matter how much you clean your house.

There are ways to control dust mites by simply reducing the dust they like to eat. They love bedding; a two year old pillow is full of dust and will be made up of 10% dead mites and their droppings, so start by getting new ones. Vacuum your bed regularly, you might think it sounds bonkers but it helps! Wash your bed linen on the hottest temperature allowed and air duvets and pillows regularly. Dust mites love moisture but hate air and light.

Dust mites will aggravate asthma so if you or any members of your family are sufferers, it would be a good idea to get rid of carpets and rugs as they are real dust traps. These can be replaced with wood or vinyl flooring. If this isn’t an option, vacuum everyday if possible and dust surfaces with a damp duster (a feather duster just moves it from one place to another).

To see the full article, click here.

UPI.com recently recently spoke to the Restoration Industry Association, a non-profit trade association that promotes best practices in the cleaning and restoration industry.  They have laid out these steps to avoid bed bug infestations while traveling and we wanted to share them with you:

• Before traveling, pack clothes in a large Ziploc bag.
• At the hotel, check the piping along the mattress and frame around the bed, look for empty body shells under the bed and between the mattress and box spring.
• Use a flashlight, check the closet for evidence before using.
• Leave clothes IN a suitcase, ON a luggage rack.
• Place shoes out in the open instead of under the bed.
• At home, immediately unpack in a laundry room or garage, wash clothes and inspect the suitcases.
• If bed bugs are discovered once home:  washable items should be laundered using the hottest temperature for washing and drying.  Suitcases, purses and unwashable items can be placed in a plastic bag and left in the sun for a day.

Photo from NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene

This week we’ll shed some light on bed bugs in the home and office, college dorms and when taking it on the road.   Check back every day for more information and a promotion designed to help prevent bed bugs infestations in your life.

Today, get the facts and be in the “know” as we feature an article we found pretty gross yet helpful!   Get the ‘Myths’ and ‘Truths’ pertaining to bed bugs and their existence in our world.    Check it out here! See how many True/False statements you can get right!

Let us know your personal experiences with bed bugs and any tips you might have learned along the way.  Things that you may have learned will help others avoid the nightmare of bed bug infestation!

Article from New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. 

On the Today show this morning, David Gregory and a recent Quinnipiac College Grad went through MUST HAVES for your DORM ROOM.  There were quite a few essential items that I wish I had when I went to college…many moons ago.

Here are some of the ESSENTIALS they listed:

• Double Stick Tape & Command Hooks - you can’t hammer nails into most college walls so these are great for decorating
• Light bulbs - you have your lights on most of the time in the dorms – so bring extra
• Surge Protectors - in our technology driven world you never have enough plugs
• Pant Hanger Valets - save space in your closet with one hanger for multiple pants
• Portable Steamer - makes getting those wrinkles out so much easier!
• Laundry Organizer – they are available in fun bright colors that look good in your dorm room yet you still keep brights & whites separate!  Mom..where are you when we need you?
• Bedbug Mattress Encasings - unfortunately bedbugs are becoming more and more common.   Let’s keep those disgusting bed bugs off of you!
• Bed Risers - such a simple purchase and you can raise your dorm bed and have more room for storage under the bed
• Clock Radio – the louder the better so you don’t miss class
• Cork Boards & Wipe Boards – the key to success is staying organized and of course you can pin up your favorite pic of your dog that you left at home!