Great article for those with allergies!

13 years ago

Sorry for not providing a link, I didn't know how to provide one!

From Debra Lynn Dadd site though.

People with allergies are generally advised to rid their homes of carpets and as much dust as they can. They also keep their laundry room busy in an on-going effort to wash away allergens. But exactly how effective is laundering in eliminating common allergens? In order to address these questions, researcher Jung-Won Park, MD, PhD, and his colleagues at Yonsei University in Seoul took on hundreds of piles of laundry contaminated with three common and notorious allergens -- dust mites, dog dander and pollen.

To determine the impact of water temperature, the research team put loads through wash cycles with cold water [86Ã¯Â¿Â½ F]... warm water [104Ã¯Â¿Â½ F]... and hot [140Ã¯Â¿Â½ F] and followed them all with a cold-water rinse. The winner of the wash-temperature sweepstakes? Not surprisingly, it was hot water. It killed all of the dust mites and significantly removed more of the dander and pollen than did the other temperatures. However, there was a surprising finding as well -- adding a second rinse cycle in cold water successfully removed nearly all dog dander, whatever the temperature of the previous wash cycle.

When I contacted Dr. Park to find out more, he told me that he now believes the most important factor for indoor environmental control for allergy patients is in fact proper laundering. While his study did not look specifically at cat dander, Dr. Park says that he believes this finding would likely apply to it as well. Important to note, he says, is that sufficient cycle times are a must, including total wash cycles of at least 40 to 50 minutes for hot water and 30 minutes for cold water. Machines should be set to at least two rinse cycles of 10 minutes each [this is usually the default setting]. He advises using these guidelines for regular laundering of all household bedding and clothing.

Note, however, that 140Ã¯Â¿Â½ F is considerably hotter than is safe for other home water uses. Ask your plumber about safety options, such as special valves to prevent scalding. You may also be able to get around this issue by simply adding a second rinse cycle to every load.

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Comments (5)

vintage36
13 years ago
The study references "home" as a house. Given in the US, I've read that over 50% of the population reside in an apartment & "getting rid of carpets" is not really an option. In fact, not even sure that even 25% of the apartments have laundry room/closets or in the building. Very few can afford to do what was recommended. Articles should also state that any "remedies" can only be applied to homeowners.

A similar sidenote regarding electric cars: how many people in apartments or even condos can plug into an outlet to recharge the electric car? An issue that is being ignored by electric car fans & the EPA.
mrb627
13 years ago
Two 10 minute rinses? Does such a machine exist? A domestic machine where the user could control each phase of the cycle would be cool. But I doubt we will ever see one.

MRB
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davidro1
13 years ago
usually I'm in no rush to pull things out of my washer, and I run it again without soap. I might take a few things out to air dry them first. I might put something more in, to wash with the articles being re-washed.

I have also improved my habits in terms of washing all bedding frequently. Pillows and Sheets more often than bedspreads and everything.

I might run the washer again also (a third time). I'm busy doing other things and I don't want it to sit too long.

It doesn't matter to me whether I use hot water or not. I don't worry about "killing" all dust mites in a specific sheet or pillow, because I know that dust mites reproduce fast, spread fast, and return immediately. No point trying to overkill.

I used to have allergies. Indoor and outdoor.

Now, I have the ability to smell things acutely. Very acutely. I'm like a dog now, except that I can also say what it is that I smell. I'm very good at helping people diagnose their building's problems. I can smell stuff coming from behind the walls.

These are changes that took me about 20 years to figure out, to lessen my allergies gradually. About 25 years ago I asked an ORL and an allergy doctor if people had been known to "get rid of" allergies, or if it only went the other direction. When I saw they didn't have answers prepared for this kind of question, I started to look into it myself.

Dust mites are not the problem; they are a signal to you that your habits are not good enough. Your washing habits are the big one to look at.

I have wall to wall carpet in half my condo. Some of my furniture is upholstered. When I go to anyone's place, I can "tell" which of their upholstered furniture is used more than another, just by observation (dust mite odor and other observation). I can tell whether they vacuum the carpet a lot or a little. I can tell a lot.

About ten years ago, when I lined up at a bank branch with a huge open area lobby and forced air, I mentioned to the teller that the previous customer must have been a smoker since I could detect a smell, she asked me to repeat that and explain what I meant, and then finally told me that it was the one before the previous customer who had smelt of old tobacco smoke.

HTH
bookert
Original Author
13 years ago
Just to add, this was meant mainly for the washing and water
temperatures in the article.

davidro1,
I can concur. I too, am very smell sensitive and I think I'm allergic to dust mites in heavy amounts if that makes sense!
When flipping my mattress, my hands swell up like balloons and itch like crazy until I thoroughly wash my hands.

I just thought this was an interesting article and didn't imply it was necessarily doable. =)
gates1
13 years ago
I found that by washing my bed lining, all of them at least once a week has helped me out. Carpets and furniture do not effect me. I also took myself off of all the RX stuff since it didnt seem to help much anyway. I suffered for a while, but I must of built up a nature immunity to things. Once in a while they will flair up and I just take the behind the counter sudafed and all is well.

Great article for those with allergies!

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vintage36

mrb627

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Great article for those with allergies!

Comments (5)

vintage36

mrb627

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bookertOriginal Author

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