Making Your Home Pet Allergy Free for
Holiday Guests
It won’t be
long before families will be gathering
together to celebrate the many holidays that
fall in the last two months of the year.
Windows will
be washed, tablecloths ironed, and cakes and
cookies baked in preparation of the arrival
of out-of-town guests. Thoughtful hosts and
hostesses plan seating arrangements well in
advance to make sure that dining partners
get along. But what do you do if Aunt Sally
is allergic to Rover or Uncle Bill can’t be
anywhere near Fluffy? What about the guest
that has environmental allergies? Can you
make your home as welcoming to them as your
other guests?
Of course you
can! With a little extra work and advance
preparation everyone can enjoy the holidays
together without the worry of a trip to the
emergency room or a mad scramble for the
inhaler.
If your guest
has a pet allergy, they are sensitive to a
protein that is found in the saliva and
urine of your cat or dog (bunnies, hamsters,
gerbils and horses can also cause allergy
problems). This protein gets spread to the
skin and fur of the animal when they groom
themselves or empty their bladder. The
protein dries to the fur or skin (dander)
and is shed when the dander is shed. In
addition, the dried protein-laden saliva or
urine can also flake off on its own and will
adhere to the first surface it touches.
Because the problem causing agent is a
protein, it can be denatured or rendered
harmless. You just have to know what to do
and how to do it.
It is best if
you can begin preparations several weeks in
advance. But if not, don’t panic you can
still prepare. As soon as possible, close
the door to the bedroom in which your guests
will sleep to keep the pets out of the room.
Two to three weeks before the visit, begin
wiping your pet down once a week with one of
the
Allerpet
Solution formulas.
There are special
formulations for dogs and cats. The cat
formula can also be used on small mammals
such as rabbits and hamsters. These products
are 100% safe for your pet and are made of
ingredients that will denature the proteins
that are already on the pet. In addition,
the residual action will help denature the
additional proteins collected when the pet
grooms.
Two to three
days before your guests arrive, thoroughly
vacuum all fiber surfaces. This includes
carpets, rugs, upholstered furniture,
curtains and draperies. Wipe down all hard
surfaces such as furniture and damp mop
floors. You don’t want to do this just
before your guest arrives, as most of what
we call “cleaning” is really taking settled
particles and throwing them up in air
directly into the breathing space.
After
everything is cleaned, go back over the
fiber surfaces with a denaturing spray such
as the
ADS or ADMS
anti-allergen sprays made by Alkaline
Laboratories. These sprays use organic and
inorganic agents to neutralize the protein
from animals, dust mites, mold, and pollens.
It is not necessary to saturate the fiber. A
light misting will suffice. The surface
should dry within 15 minutes.
The ADS is the
stronger solution, as it contains tannic
acid. Tannic acid is one of the most
effective denaturing agents on the market.
However, you must be careful in its use. It
is not appropriate for water sensitive
fabrics such as silks, wools, and Haitian
cotton and can discolor white fabrics. If
you have any of these fabrics or are
concerned about the tannic acid, then use
the ADMS spray. It does not contain tannic
acid.
The Alkaline
labs produce a wide range of allergen
control and denaturing agents and you can
read more about ADS, ADMS, and the other
allergy control products here.
The day before your guests arrive, put clean
sheets on the bed, vacuum the room, and
close the door again to keep out the pet.
Lightly mist all fabric surfaces once again
with the ADS or ADMS spray and wipe the pet
down again with Allerpet.
When guests
arrive, keep the pets and guests separated
as much as possible. After you handle or pet
your furred family member, be sure to wash
your hands before interacting with the
allergic family member.
Lastly, sit
back and relax knowing that you have made
your home as safe as possible and enjoy the
company of your pet-sensitive guests.
Wishing you the best of health
The Allergy Store+
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