Most people with asthma also have allergies. This means that as well as following the usual advice for good asthma management dealing with asthma involves:
Creating a healthy home can help you and your family breathe cleaner, fresher air and hopefully reduce allergic reactions or allergy-related asthma episodes.
A clean, hygienic environment is important for good health, but try not to over-sanitise your home with cleaning products. Not only is research increasingly showing that a little bit of dirt is good for you, cleaning products themselves can trigger asthma. Look for household cleaning products with fewer harsh chemicals and no fragrances.
Controlling your indoor environment can help reduce your exposure to asthma triggers. So consider your heating, cooling, ventilation, purification, humidification and dehumidification. Aim for a dry and well-ventilated house with good wall, floor and ceiling insulation. This will help target triggers such as dust mites, mould, chemicals like VOCs and temperature changes.
Dust mites are one of the most common allergy triggers in the home. Unfortunately, they love snuggling into your bed as much as you do. A regular hot wash will kill the mites in bed linen; freezing soft toys overnight will also help. Mattresses, pillows and quilts can be harder to clean, so instead look for washable mite-impermeable covers or products made with anti-microbial treatments.
Visit our Sensitive Choice website for more tips and advice on Creating a healthy home.
Our Sensitive Choice® program aims to help Australians with asthma and allergies make better lifestyle choices.
We developed the Sensitive Choice program as a way of identifying products that may help people with asthma and allergies breathe a little easier and reduce allergic reactions.
The program is of particular value to the millions of Australians and New Zealanders with asthma and the one in three of us who have allergies.
To help you identify these asthma and allergy-aware products, community-conscious companies use the Sensitive Choice symbol on their packaging. You’ll find that reassuring blue butterfly on hundreds of products – from bedding to building materials, from cleaning agents to carpets, from air purifiers and vacuum cleaners to the very paint you put on your walls.
For more information about the Sensitive Choice program, partners and products visit our Sensitive Choice website
