I am sure you have ruled out the obvious, but just in case....do you have the windows open on the days he develops hives? Do you have forced hot air heat or AC vents that might need to be cleaned (or at least put an allergen-catching filter on the system). Did previous tenants have a pet? Washing walls and floors thoroughly might help. Any chance it was something he ate/lotions/bath soap/etc. he consumed/used on those days before going to bed? Do you have an air cleaner in his BR--that might help. Allergies can be tricky to track down sometimes--hope you can get to the bottom of this so he can be comfortable.

Fleas? Bed bugs? Spiders?
And could it be something else? Is there anything different he's eating?
Linda C

Could he have developed an allergy to something he wasn't previously allergic to? I used to be fine with Tide, but became allergic to it. And I know of a woman whose ten-year-old just became allergic to strawberries this summer.

You said that the walls are painted. Could the paint be new enough that it's giving something off?

Or could there be mold inside the walls in his room?

Hives are pretty awful. I hope things get sorted out and your son gets better soon.

Hi mccaba....I looked it up and other things mentioned besides the obvious food reaction are things such as stress, heat or cold, latex and viruses. They consider it chronic if the person has hives for longer that 6 weeks. I'd take him to the doctor. Hope you get to the bottom of this.

Is it possible they sprayed the place for bugs right before you moved in? I'd get out soap and water and wash the room from top to bottom.

Maybe the carpet was cleaned with something before you moved in? Does he spend a lot of time on the floor, or on the bed? For relief Zyrtec is supposed to be over the counter now. I think they have a children's version, too. Benadryl makes me really tired, but I find Zyrtec and Claritin work for me. Good luck :) Christy

Wow! Thanks for all the replies in such a short time. :) Let me take them from the top!
"do you have the windows open on the days he develops hives?" -yes, but they are open all over the house, and he doesn't have problems anywhere else

"Do you have forced hot air heat or AC vents that might need to be cleaned?" - Nope, we have hot water baseboard, BUT, I'll have to take the covers off and clean in between there.

"Did previous tenants have a pet?" Yup, they had dogs, but he was tested and is not allergic to any animals.

"Washing walls and floors thoroughly might help." I'm going to do that this weekend. Should I just use warm water, or what kind of soap?

"Any chance it was something he ate/lotions/bath soap/etc. he consumed/used on those days before going to bed?" Nope, nothing new at all.

"Fleas? Bed bugs? Spiders?" My daughter does have an allergy to dust mites, so he might have developed it, too. I'll have to go buy special mattress and pillow covers this weekend.

"Could the paint be new enough that it's giving something off?" It's about 8 months old, so that shouldn't be a problem any more.

"Or could there be mold inside the walls in his room?" How would I know? There's nothing visible on the walls, but it's an old house (built in the 1920's), so it might be possible.

He has gotten hives at odd times before, and the previous ones we tracked down to Boyscout brand microwave popcorn, and detergent. I'll scrub the room and get the anti-mites sheets this weekend and will keep you posted.

Thanks again!
Britta