Hay Fever/Dust Mite Allergy

I have no carpets or curtains on doctor advice apart from upstairs in my chalet bungalow where ,which I only use for filing/storage and a rug in my living room. It has made no difference !

My son (now 25) is allergic to dust mites - he had patch tests on his skin - so when he lived at home, we got rid of the carpets, had laminate flooring throughout, which is easy to keep clean. Curtains were replaced by wooden blinds, and all ornaments, pictures, things that gather dust, were kept to a very bare minimum. I used to wipe every surface with a damp cloth, which had neat disinfectant on it (Zoflora).

It is absolutely impossible to avoid dust altogether - public transport, cafes, offices, etc.

I have lots of allergies. My mattress and pillows have dust mite proof covers on them. The cotton sheets and pillowcases are washed using soap nuts (extra rinse) then white vinegar is used instead of fabric conditioner (very allergic to that).

There are no chemicals (cleaners, air fresheners etc.) here as I use natural stuff instead. I use coconut oil as moisturiser. Finally, I can't have any flowers or flowering plants inside.

I do have a cat but, being allergic, if I touch her, have to wash my hands straightaway. She is not allowed in the bedroom. I never touch my eyes unless I've just washed my hands, either.

My OH has bad Hayfever which has worsened as he has aged, and he is also allergic to dust mites? It's tricky to manage isn't it?

We have ditched fitted carpets, I think they are unhygienic anyway. We have wood floors (with insulation under). We also have blinds. We don't have dust mite covers on mattress because found them sweaty, but vac mattress often. We are also quite minimal in furniture and ornaments.

His real bete noir is scented candles or any type of air freshener, which really makes him chesty. I believe some artificial plug in types are really harmful to lungs, but the supermarkets shelves ar full of the things.

I've just noticed I'd said my son is 25. He's not, he's 35! However, he also washes all his bedding and towels on 60 degrees and vacuums the mattress.

Thanks for your replies. I'm not houseproud where dust is concerned so maybe that's it? Also he got worse as he retired so spending more time at home. Will get him to hoover up and dust daily!

Be careful with dusting and hoovering, it can stir up the dust ! I dust with a damp cloth or my Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner, but emptying the dust reservoir is tricky !

I have severe allergies and take a nasal spray and fexofenadine pills.
It did take about a month before they really started to work.
It is now totally under control.

Missfoodlove yes he has been prescribed same and taken them for about a month but little improvement. Do they need to be taken on a regular basis and indefinitely?

Very regular, same time of day too!
The spray can be used twice a day.

Do you have a dehumidifier? I keep mine set at 40 and it runs most of the time.

We have leather furniture as dust mites live in upholstery and I steam clean the rugs (but probably not often enough).

My daughter changes the bed linen usually. I just have a sneezing fit if I do it. I've found that the only thing that really helps me is old-fashioned Piriton.