cleaning irritates my lungs

catboogie · Jul 30, 2007

cleaning makes me especially irritated these days--and i'm not talking about not wanting to do it! we have all hardwood floors, so when i sweep, i am exposed to all kinds of dust mites, pet dander and fur, dirt, etc. i know that i am very allergic to both dust mites and pet hair. generally i will get a bit short of breath, sometimes cough, sneeze, and my nose runs like crazy. and when i'm done, my symptoms go away fairly quickly.

my question is, am i causing myself harm by exposing myself to this stuff i'm allergic to? the only other option for me is to buy a HEPA vacuum that will work well on the hardwoods...that would kick up less dust and i wouldn't have to be bending down to sweep the crap into the dustpan inches from my face. i would have bought one already, but they are expensive and i don't have a lot of funds right now.

thoughts?

catboogie · Jul 30, 2007

cleaning makes me especially irritated these days--and i'm not talking about not wanting to do it! we have all hardwood floors, so when i sweep, i am exposed to all kinds of dust mites, pet dander and fur, dirt, etc. i know that i am very allergic to both dust mites and pet hair. generally i will get a bit short of breath, sometimes cough, sneeze, and my nose runs like crazy. and when i'm done, my symptoms go away fairly quickly.

my question is, am i causing myself harm by exposing myself to this stuff i'm allergic to? the only other option for me is to buy a HEPA vacuum that will work well on the hardwoods...that would kick up less dust and i wouldn't have to be bending down to sweep the crap into the dustpan inches from my face. i would have bought one already, but they are expensive and i don't have a lot of funds right now.

thoughts?

catboogie · Jul 30, 2007

cleaning makes me especially irritated these days--and i'm not talking about not wanting to do it! we have all hardwood floors, so when i sweep, i am exposed to all kinds of dust mites, pet dander and fur, dirt, etc. i know that i am very allergic to both dust mites and pet hair. generally i will get a bit short of breath, sometimes cough, sneeze, and my nose runs like crazy. and when i'm done, my symptoms go away fairly quickly.

my question is, am i causing myself harm by exposing myself to this stuff i'm allergic to? the only other option for me is to buy a HEPA vacuum that will work well on the hardwoods...that would kick up less dust and i wouldn't have to be bending down to sweep the crap into the dustpan inches from my face. i would have bought one already, but they are expensive and i don't have a lot of funds right now.

thoughts?

catboogie · Jul 30, 2007

cleaning makes me especially irritated these days--and i'm not talking about not wanting to do it! we have all hardwood floors, so when i sweep, i am exposed to all kinds of dust mites, pet dander and fur, dirt, etc. i know that i am very allergic to both dust mites and pet hair. generally i will get a bit short of breath, sometimes cough, sneeze, and my nose runs like crazy. and when i'm done, my symptoms go away fairly quickly.

my question is, am i causing myself harm by exposing myself to this stuff i'm allergic to? the only other option for me is to buy a HEPA vacuum that will work well on the hardwoods...that would kick up less dust and i wouldn't have to be bending down to sweep the crap into the dustpan inches from my face. i would have bought one already, but they are expensive and i don't have a lot of funds right now.

thoughts?

catboogie · Jul 30, 2007

cleaning makes me especially irritated these days--and i'm not talking about not wanting to do it! we have all hardwood floors, so when i sweep, i am exposed to all kinds of dust mites, pet dander and fur, dirt, etc. i know that i am very allergic to both dust mites and pet hair. generally i will get a bit short of breath, sometimes cough, sneeze, and my nose runs like crazy. and when i'm done, my symptoms go away fairly quickly.

my question is, am i causing myself harm by exposing myself to this stuff i'm allergic to? the only other option for me is to buy a HEPA vacuum that will work well on the hardwoods...that would kick up less dust and i wouldn't have to be bending down to sweep the crap into the dustpan inches from my face. i would have bought one already, but they are expensive and i don't have a lot of funds right now.

thoughts?

JazzysMom · Jul 30, 2007

Anything that irritates your lungs is causing some type of harm. My biggest problems is when I get hemoptysis from it. The actual coughing & SOB isnt so bad because I feel better in the long run.

If we are advised to control our allergies to limit irritation to the lungs and you are allergic then I would advise that you do something to minimize your exposure to breathing it all in!

Diane · Jul 30, 2007

I have hard wood floors also and i would not recommend using a broom and dustpan ever. That kicks up way too much dust. I have a Hepa Vacuum cleaner, but if i didnt ....instead of using a broom, i would use a damp mop( Murphy's Oil Soap does wonders and doesnt have an irritating smell). It works better than a broom for a dusty floor. In fact i always use a damp rag to dust furniture also. It keeps dust from flying. I am a housekeeper by trade, ( have been for 18 years and still do it 3 days a week )and have found all the tricks to avoid kicking up too much dust. Maybe you can borrow the money for a vacuum, or ask for one for your birthday or as an early b-day gift ? I got mine at Sears for under $100.00 on sale. I hope you can find a way to get one, because all that loose dust flying around is not good for you. You also might want to wear a dust mask if you have one while cleaning, if it makes it hard for you to breath.

JazzysMom · Jul 30, 2007

Anything that irritates your lungs is causing some type of harm. My biggest problems is when I get hemoptysis from it. The actual coughing & SOB isnt so bad because I feel better in the long run.

If we are advised to control our allergies to limit irritation to the lungs and you are allergic then I would advise that you do something to minimize your exposure to breathing it all in!

Diane · Jul 30, 2007

I have hard wood floors also and i would not recommend using a broom and dustpan ever. That kicks up way too much dust. I have a Hepa Vacuum cleaner, but if i didnt ....instead of using a broom, i would use a damp mop( Murphy's Oil Soap does wonders and doesnt have an irritating smell). It works better than a broom for a dusty floor. In fact i always use a damp rag to dust furniture also. It keeps dust from flying. I am a housekeeper by trade, ( have been for 18 years and still do it 3 days a week )and have found all the tricks to avoid kicking up too much dust. Maybe you can borrow the money for a vacuum, or ask for one for your birthday or as an early b-day gift ? I got mine at Sears for under $100.00 on sale. I hope you can find a way to get one, because all that loose dust flying around is not good for you. You also might want to wear a dust mask if you have one while cleaning, if it makes it hard for you to breath.

JazzysMom · Jul 30, 2007

Anything that irritates your lungs is causing some type of harm. My biggest problems is when I get hemoptysis from it. The actual coughing & SOB isnt so bad because I feel better in the long run.

If we are advised to control our allergies to limit irritation to the lungs and you are allergic then I would advise that you do something to minimize your exposure to breathing it all in!

Diane · Jul 30, 2007

I have hard wood floors also and i would not recommend using a broom and dustpan ever. That kicks up way too much dust. I have a Hepa Vacuum cleaner, but if i didnt ....instead of using a broom, i would use a damp mop( Murphy's Oil Soap does wonders and doesnt have an irritating smell). It works better than a broom for a dusty floor. In fact i always use a damp rag to dust furniture also. It keeps dust from flying. I am a housekeeper by trade, ( have been for 18 years and still do it 3 days a week )and have found all the tricks to avoid kicking up too much dust. Maybe you can borrow the money for a vacuum, or ask for one for your birthday or as an early b-day gift ? I got mine at Sears for under $100.00 on sale. I hope you can find a way to get one, because all that loose dust flying around is not good for you. You also might want to wear a dust mask if you have one while cleaning, if it makes it hard for you to breath.

JazzysMom · Jul 30, 2007

Anything that irritates your lungs is causing some type of harm. My biggest problems is when I get hemoptysis from it. The actual coughing & SOB isnt so bad because I feel better in the long run.

If we are advised to control our allergies to limit irritation to the lungs and you are allergic then I would advise that you do something to minimize your exposure to breathing it all in!

Diane · Jul 30, 2007

I have hard wood floors also and i would not recommend using a broom and dustpan ever. That kicks up way too much dust. I have a Hepa Vacuum cleaner, but if i didnt ....instead of using a broom, i would use a damp mop( Murphy's Oil Soap does wonders and doesnt have an irritating smell). It works better than a broom for a dusty floor. In fact i always use a damp rag to dust furniture also. It keeps dust from flying. I am a housekeeper by trade, ( have been for 18 years and still do it 3 days a week )and have found all the tricks to avoid kicking up too much dust. Maybe you can borrow the money for a vacuum, or ask for one for your birthday or as an early b-day gift ? I got mine at Sears for under $100.00 on sale. I hope you can find a way to get one, because all that loose dust flying around is not good for you. You also might want to wear a dust mask if you have one while cleaning, if it makes it hard for you to breath.

JazzysMom · Jul 30, 2007

Anything that irritates your lungs is causing some type of harm. My biggest problems is when I get hemoptysis from it. The actual coughing & SOB isnt so bad because I feel better in the long run.

If we are advised to control our allergies to limit irritation to the lungs and you are allergic then I would advise that you do something to minimize your exposure to breathing it all in!

Diane · Jul 30, 2007

I have hard wood floors also and i would not recommend using a broom and dustpan ever. That kicks up way too much dust. I have a Hepa Vacuum cleaner, but if i didnt ....instead of using a broom, i would use a damp mop( Murphy's Oil Soap does wonders and doesnt have an irritating smell). It works better than a broom for a dusty floor. In fact i always use a damp rag to dust furniture also. It keeps dust from flying. I am a housekeeper by trade, ( have been for 18 years and still do it 3 days a week )and have found all the tricks to avoid kicking up too much dust. Maybe you can borrow the money for a vacuum, or ask for one for your birthday or as an early b-day gift ? I got mine at Sears for under $100.00 on sale. I hope you can find a way to get one, because all that loose dust flying around is not good for you. You also might want to wear a dust mask if you have one while cleaning, if it makes it hard for you to breath.

princessjdc · Jul 30, 2007