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I'm allergic to something in my house :-(

18 years ago

I'm suspecting mold. My house is around 160 years old, and I've lived here 30 years. The only allergy symptoms I've had that were as bad as what I'm experiencing now was when we got a load of moldy hay many years ago.

Some mold appeared on the beams in the living room a couple of years ago. I wiped two beams clean with a bleach solution, and that (along with a dehumidifier) kept the mold away. So I did most of the remaining beams recently. That may have triggered the allergy symptoms, but I'm not 100% sure.

What I do know is that my nose is stuffed, and I'm developing a bit of a wheeze sometimes, just below my throat. When I breathe inside the house the air feels harsh against my throat, as if there's some smoke in the air. Thank heavens, there's no smoke. But there's something.

How do I track this down? Are there people who inspect houses for this purpose? Do they charge exorbitant fees? Is there an alternative?

Thanks for your help!!

Susan

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Comments (6)

socks
18 years ago
I wonder if it really is something in your house, or you have developed allergies to the spring flowers which are now starting to bloom.

Is mold a problem where you live? Are there any damp conditions around your house to promote the growth of mold?

There are companies which inspect for mold.
In the yellow pages of my phone book, the experts are found under Mold Remediation.

Good luck.
Meghane
18 years ago
I'd go to an allergist and get tested to see what you are allergic to. Then if it's mold, have an inspector come out and do the mold testing. But people can develop allergies to anything at any time. There's plenty of pollens out now too. In the meantime, some of the newer antihistamines work very well and are non-drowsy. At least keep the symptoms at bay...
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lindac
18 years ago
Buy an air cleaner....or 2....put one in your bedroom and keep it running on high and keep your door closed.
That won't eliminate the cause....but it may give you some relief.
Linda C
talley_sue_nyc
18 years ago
I second the vote to get the allergists to test what you're allergic to. They have new blood tests they can do, you don't have to go through the big scratch-test trial.Why spend the energy cleaning up something if it's not going to work?
msafirstein
18 years ago
I am allergic to mold and mildew and if I do not mop my basement with bleach water in early Spring and again in the Fall, I can't stop sneezing.

When we moved in 2000 we put on an electric air cleaner and tore out everything in the basement just to be on the safe side. The air cleaner filters dust wonderfully, but the mold and mildew spores are still present so it is back to the mopping with bleach water twice a year.
Ina Plassa_travis
18 years ago
cleaning with anything less than a HEPA-filtered vacuum tends to put as many spores into the air as get disposed of...

cleaning almost always triggers an allergy attack for me - especially at my mom's house, where the mold and my sinuses have an old feud going ;)

but the pollen is also off the charts this season (the first year in many I've had to resort to drugs) and I'm sure that's not helping.

getting tested to pinpoint whether it's a dustmite, a mold, or a whatever that's triggering you is fairly important.

an air cleaner really does help, as well.

really.

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