Apartment and Allergies

wyliecoyote1

Hello All,

Moved into the apartment over three months ago. Temperatures were high outside so windows were open 24/7 and we were drying cloths indoors. Over the past month we have started to close the windows while still drying the cloths indoors. After a month of my sinus problems and other halfs eczema (worse than ever) got worse than they have ever been. The penny dropped and we realised that drying cloths indoors with no ventilation is very bad for allergies.

So, over the past week and half we stopped drying our cloths altogether and left the windows opened all day. However there is still no improvement with my sinuses.

I have searched the forum about this issue and found the same results. i.e. formation of mould or dust. However, there is no visible dust or mould in the apartment.

I see suggestions on other threads about buying a dehumidifier and drying out the air. But that would only make sense if we were still drying the cloths indoors. The current weather we are getting is also low in humidity so it doesn't make sense to be dehumidifying the current air.

Anyone have any experience or suggestions of what might be causing this??

snubbleste

What did the GP say?

wyliecoyote1

snubbleste wrote: »

What did the GP say?

Havent gone to a gp yet.

athtrasna

Do you have a tumble dryer or a washer dryer? It would be unusual not to have an electric drying option

wyliecoyote1

athtrasna wrote: »

Do you have a tumble dryer or a washer dryer? It would be unusual not to have an electric drying option

No tumble dryer. Only appliance we have is a washing machine for cloths.

Going to cleanse the place at the weekend to ensure no dust.

Also any cooking is done with the extractor fans on

basically, theres no sources of humidification at the minute

wyliecoyote1

wyliecoyote1 wrote: »

..........The penny dropped and we realised that drying cloths indoors with no ventilation is very bad for allergies...........

I'd imagine your apartment has room vents so I doubt the interior clothes drying was the problem in the first instance.

wyliecoyote1

Augeo wrote: »

I'd imagine your apartment has room vents so I doubt the interior clothes drying was the problem in the first instance.[/QUOTE

theres no visible vents. could be some there, ill have to look tonight

but we were drying a **** load of cloths pretty much 24/7. Like they were basically coming out of the washing machine soaking wet and covered in detergent and a few days later are dry. so that moisture has to be going somewhere.

you could be right tho in the fact that the cloths arnt the problem and there is still issues after the cloths have been removed from the equation

Fian

wyliecoyote1 wrote: »

Augeo wrote: »

I'd imagine your apartment has room vents so I doubt the interior clothes drying was the problem in the first instance.[/QUOTE

theres no visible vents. could be some there, ill have to look tonight

but we were drying a **** load of cloths pretty much 24/7. Like they were basically coming out of the washing machine soaking wet and covered in detergent and a few days later are dry. so that moisture has to be going somewhere.

you could be right tho in the fact that the cloths arnt the problem and there is still issues after the cloths have been removed from the equation

Unlikely that it was the moisture itself aggravating allergies, much more likely it was spores from the fungus that all that moisture will have caused to grow. The moisture is reduced now, presumably the fungus is not.

Is there any visible mold/damp on the walls/windows? Clean it well if so.

shrapnel222

is all your furniture your own or is the furniture and bed part of the apartment? are they hard floors or carpets?

If so it could have nothing to do with drying clothes and everything to do with dust mites, which are a well known allergenic. easily solved thankfully if it is the case

cormie

You need very little detergent to wash clothes adequately, so you could cut down on this to begin with, the less chemicals you have surrounding you through air circulation and in contact with your skin, the better. This won't solve the issue, just a pointer.

Get a dehumidifier and try keep the humidity around 60%. Your apartment could be damp without any visible signs of mould or even dampness. Keep the room ventilated and a window ajar if you can. Your clothes should dry within about 30 hours in an ambient temperature of 17 degrees if they are hung properly. The fresh air won't affect the drying speed much and will greatly improve the air quality in the place. When the clothes are dry to the touch, put them in the hot press for final airing and replace with the next cycle.

Point of dust mites is well worth looking into also. You could remove the carpet and steam clean any fabric furniture.

wyliecoyote1

Fian wrote: »

wyliecoyote1 wrote: »

Unlikely that it was the moisture itself aggravating allergies, much more likely it was spores from the fungus that all that moisture will have caused to grow. The moisture is reduced now, presumably the fungus is not.

Is there any visible mold/damp on the walls/windows? Clean it well if so.

thanks for the reply. theres no visible mold/damp on walls or windows

wyliecoyote1

shrapnel222 wrote: »

is all your furniture your own or is the furniture and bed part of the apartment? are they hard floors or carpets?

If so it could have nothing to do with drying clothes and everything to do with dust mites, which are a well known allergenic. easily solved thankfully if it is the case

cheers, gonna do serious clean at the weekend

wyliecoyote1

cormie wrote: »

You need very little detergent to wash clothes adequately, so you could cut down on this to begin with, the less chemicals you have surrounding you through air circulation and in contact with your skin, the better. This won't solve the issue, just a pointer.

Get a dehumidifier and try keep the humidity around 60%. Your apartment could be damp without any visible signs of mould or even dampness. Keep the room ventilated and a window ajar if you can. Your clothes should dry within about 30 hours in an ambient temperature of 17 degrees if they are hung properly. The fresh air won't affect the drying speed much and will greatly improve the air quality in the place. When the clothes are dry to the touch, put them in the hot press for final airing and replace with the next cycle.

Point of dust mites is well worth looking into also. You could remove the carpet and steam clean any fabric furniture.

thanks for advice!

shrapnel222

wyliecoyote1 wrote: »

cheers, gonna do serious clean at the weekend

it's more than a serious clean for dustmite, you need to fumigate/dust/spray (quick search online and you'll find loads of products), whichever you want but do it properly and thoroughly!!!

Dial Hard

If your clothes are coming out of the machine soaking wet and covered in detergent, there's something wrong with your washing machine.

wyliecoyote1

Dial Hard wrote: »

If your clothes are coming out of the machine soaking wet and covered in detergent, there's something wrong with your washing machine.

sorry i didn't mean soaked in detergent, just meant a small amount. Its not visible or anything. But im assuming if the cloths smell nice, theres going to be residual detergent left on them

Del2005

wyliecoyote1 wrote: »

No tumble dryer. Only appliance we have is a washing machine for cloths.

Going to cleanse the place at the weekend to ensure no dust.

Also any cooking is done with the extractor fans on

basically, theres no sources of humidification at the minute

There's still 2 sources of humidification in the apartment, you and your OH, so a dehumidifier will still be needed. Do another few spin cycles when the washing is finished and the amount of water on the clothes will decrease a lot.

Ms Doubtfire1

ehm...the LL is held to supply a drier if there is No yard or outside drying option available? Tenancy act? Just get in touch...

Laundry, food preparation and food storage
Article 8 of the 2008 Regulations (as amended) requires private landlords to provide access to:

A washing machine
A clothes-dryer if the dwelling does not have a private garden or yard

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/renting_a_home/repairs_maintenance_and_minimum_physical_standards.html

dont bother

wyliecoyote1 wrote: »

Hello All,

Moved into the apartment over three months ago. Temperatures were high outside so windows were open 24/7 and we were drying cloths indoors. Over the past month we have started to close the windows while still drying the cloths indoors. After a month of my sinus problems and other halfs eczema (worse than ever) got worse than they have ever been. The penny dropped and we realised that drying cloths indoors with no ventilation is very bad for allergies.

So, over the past week and half we stopped drying our cloths altogether and left the windows opened all day. However there is still no improvement with my sinuses.

I have searched the forum about this issue and found the same results. i.e. formation of mould or dust. However, there is no visible dust or mould in the apartment.

I see suggestions on other threads about buying a dehumidifier and drying out the air. But that would only make sense if we were still drying the cloths indoors. The current weather we are getting is also low in humidity so it doesn't make sense to be dehumidifying the current air.

Anyone have any experience or suggestions of what might be causing this??

OP, i also suffer with sinuses, and the last few weeks has been acting up.

you are wrong - there is a warning on Accuweather in relation to the weather of the last while (week or two and coming up again next week) about it being weather that will aggravate sinus-prone individuals.

it's the weather, i think you may be reading into it being an apartment issue when it's not.

wyliecoyote1

dont bother wrote: »

OP, i also suffer with sinuses, and the last few weeks has been acting up.

you are wrong - there is a warning on Accuweather in relation to the weather of the last while (week or two and coming up again next week) about it being weather that will aggravate sinus-prone individuals.

it's the weather, i think you may be reading into it being an apartment issue when it's not.

thats interesting, could you provide a link or screenshot if possible? having trouble finding it online

Ms Doubtfire1

half the country is ill with that- however LL is still required by law to install a dryer

wyliecoyote1

wyliecoyote1 wrote: »

thats interesting, could you provide a link or screenshot if possible? having trouble finding it online

edit: found it. its saying under allergies: "low indoor dust and dander levels"
Under sinus: "neutral weather for sinus and headaches"
Under colds and flu: "neutral weather for colds and flu" and even "beneficial weather for colds and flu"

cormie

Dial Hard wrote: »

If your clothes are coming out of the machine soaking wet and covered in detergent, there's something wrong with your washing machine.

Are they ringing wet though? Do they drip water when you leave them to hang? A mix between an inadequate washing machine and too much detergent will leave your clothes with a strong smell of detergent.

shrapnel222 wrote: »

it's more than a serious clean for dustmite, you need to fumigate/dust/spray (quick search online and you'll find loads of products), whichever you want but do it properly and thoroughly!!!

Dust mites are killed with high temperature cleaning such as a steamer for furniture or a hot wash for bed clothes etc too You can also get allergy bedsheets and mattress/pillow covers.

dont bother wrote: »

OP, i also suffer with sinuses, and the last few weeks has been acting up.

you are wrong - there is a warning on Accuweather in relation to the weather of the last while (week or two and coming up again next week) about it being weather that will aggravate sinus-prone individuals.

it's the weather, i think you may be reading into it being an apartment issue when it's not.

The apartment and other elements could be a root cause of the issues you're both experiencing though, or exasperate the issue.

You could also try this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7mqV1lo6PU

Finbarr Murphy

Regarding the post with dehumidifiers above, I'd get the RH as low as 50%-55% during winter.

Look for a dehumidifier with Laundry mode and an adjustable louvre if drying clothes indoors..

If you want some help selecting a model just let me know and I'll be glad to help.

Edit: Google 'ByeMould drying clothes indoors' for the features you need in a dehumidifier for drying clothes indoors