Hello - can anyone comment on things you have (or have not) done around your homes to assist those with CF. Do I need to clean the sinks and toilets every day with bleach? The tub? How about getting rid of household plants? I also recently read about rotting onions and asked all family members that I would visit alot to make sure they didn't have any. Allergen mattress and pillow pads? Rugs? Curtains? Having people take their shoes off and wash their hands upon entering my house?Am I paranoid?? Just trying to take come precautions but don't want to overdue it to the point that my family and friends think I am a bit freakish... Thanks.
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Precautions to take at home
- Thread starter anonymous
- Start date
AbsintheSorrow
New member
There's no need to overdo it, not if this is just a CF patient, and not a post-transplant patient. I've lived in a house that is fairly clean as in it's picked up. My mom cleans the toilets maybe once a week once every other week. We have lots of plants, and I live with 5 (up until recently, but 4 now) dogs. The one thing I like to point out is that overdoing it may never give your child any kind of immune system. You want to avoid serious stuff like psuedomonas (though it is indeed impossible to avoid forever, if hardly at all) and pneumonia, but colds the child should get used to. If you overdo it and the kid never gets a cold, he/she will be far worse off in the end. They need to build up a little bit of an immunity to some common stuff. It's kind of important.
Judging by your message, your child is still young. We went through the same things when Ashley was first diagnosed and it is easy to get wrapped up in it. Eventually you get more comfortable with it and relax more.We removed the carpets in the house, and gave our cat to someone that we knew would give her a good home. We tend to wash our hands more during the cold and flu season but it almost becomes 2nd nature. We usually have bottles of Purell all around the house in the Winter, but it is important not to use too much because overdoing will kill the good bacteria too. Before kids I cleaned my bathroom daily because I wanted to, but now that we have Ashley I don't have the time anymore. She is 4 yrs old and has never been hospitalized or had any bacterias. I keep the house neat and clean but I do not overdo it. If you spend your time cleaning then you will not have time to enjoy your child and give them the love and nurturing they need to stay healthy.As for the mattress/pillow allergen covers I had a bad experience. We bought the allergen pillow cover and a few months later I was making the bed and noticed the cover and pillow were covered in mold. I do not suggest them.Before you give away your plants, consider that they give off oxygen and add life to a room. A gloomy house with nothing in it is not a good environment for your child either. Encourage good hygiene, keep the house clean, and enjoy your child. If you spend all your time worrying about what might happen you won't enjoy the time you have now.If you want people to wash their hands when they come in, you can get a little shelf and put a bottle of hand santizer at the front door. Most people should get the message.
Yeah - you'd drive yourself crazy because "Dirt Happens".You would never be able to keep your house clean enough... so don't stress too much. I have an indoor cat (with a stinky litter box) that is not going anywhere. I keep the house clean - like general cleaning every other week, but I burn out when I start trying to do too much deep cleaning. Special things I do: make sure I wash my son's sheets every week (ok, sometimes every other week when I get busy - I need to buy a spare set <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> ) Maybe once a month I will go over the house with Lysol - spray the doorknobs and such, including some of his bath toys.The biggest areas of focus for me are handwashing (and making sure my son washes his hands after using the restroom) and making sure his nebulizer equipment is clean and sterile.Oh and another thing I do: I always use a new/clean washcloth and towel when he takes a bath. I don't know how fast pseudomonas grows so I don't reuse that stuff even one time. I'm sure a lot of people do that anyway. I also got rid of my loofah sponges after reading on this site that those areas are good grounds for growing pseudomonas. I am sure those sponges are ok if you just replace them every once in a while.
NoDayButToday
New member
Be sure to clean your air conditioner vents very often. Curtains can also get very dusty... we were told to avoid carpeting completely. I wouldn't clean our bathroom daily, but it is definitely clean. Another thing-- shower curtains are breeding grounds for bacteria and mold, replace them once a month or so, or clean them very often. I don't think plants are a problem (except if a CFer also has allergies of some sort), but rotting plants are because of pseudomonas (not that someone would keep them around). The same sort of goes for rotting food-- obviously it isn't good for CFers, but why would someone have rotting food anyway (except for those leftovers that somehow get lost in your fridge <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">).I think asking everyone to wash their hands is a bit excessive if they are just entering your home; if they are going to be handling your baby and he/she is very young, it may not be a bad idea. Though I don't think that's been a requirement in order to interact with me since I was about 18 months old. I have allergen covers for my bedding, but that's only because I have dust mite allergies, not just because of CF, and haven't had trouble with them- but haven't been super impressed either. I wouldn't go for those unless it is proven that your child has allergies (to dust mites especially) since they can be expensive.Last thing- I know I'm reiterating what someone else said, but keep the nebulizer equipment very clean. Soaking the 'cups' in vinegar is a good idea- we don't use any intense cleaning products since you are inhaling the vapors from the cup... Lysol residue isn't good to inhale. Another thing is to check the filters on your nebulizer pump often. They can easily be forgotten, but it's important their clean. Keep clean, but don't obsess over it. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
My son is 15months old and reasonably healthy although we have had pseudomonas.I found a spray that you can spray over the bath after each use which cleans it, and I also put 2 caps of dettol (antiseptic) which is suitable for bathing in with him and his toys!We also do this for our shower as well after each use.I also unfortuately have carpet right through our house so I do vacume every day.But we have lots of plants but they are up high so that he can't get into them.Our CF nurse gave me a tip to put bleach down all the drains once a week with really hot water and that should keep them clean, and I also don't have any compost bins around that he can get into either.Best of luck to you and I know how you feel!RebekahMother to Matt 15mths w/CF