Spring cleaning should feel good, right? Skipping spring cleaning can make allergies and asthma much worse. Any process that ushers out of the ‘gunk” that builds up in our homes over the winter ought to inspire us to start daydreaming about warm springtime weather. But in reality, spring cleaning can feel pretty darn daunting. Instead you just might start a netflix binge instead of picking up a broom. As it turns out, if you suffer from allergies and asthma, overlooking spring cleaning isn’t so great for your body. In fact, all that dust and pet dander can impact your respiratory and immune systems in a big way!
“Skipping is not a good idea for people with allergies or asthma,” says Christine Franzese, M.D., Director of Allergy at University of Missouri Health Care. “Skipping it only leads to further buildup of dust and dander, which in the end will only make things worse.”
If you need motivation to dig out your dustpan, read on to find out what happens to our bodies when we skip a substantial cleaning.
How Post-Winter Grime Affects the Body
In addition to all the pollen outside that can trigger allergies, you also have to consider what’s going on inside your house too, explains Clifford Bassett, M.D., an allergist and immunologist at NYU Langone Health.
MORE SPRING CLEANING BENEFITS
Want to Sleep Better? Try Cleaning Your Room
How Cleaning Can Help Manage Your Stress
“With year-round allergies, you are exposed to a variety of indoor allergens, such as house dust mites and pet dander,” he says. “I like the analogy that your glass is already more than half-full. Naturally when spring comes around, the glass is now overflowing with the impact of pollen trigger symptoms as well as coping with indoor and wintertime allergy exposures.”
Pulmonologist Alan Mensch, M.D., Medical Director of Plainview Hospital, lays out the biological process that takes place when we’re exposed to allergens.
“The immune system in the human body produces antibodies to protect us from bacteria, viruses, and other antigens which could potentially cause harm,” he says. “One class of antibody is the IgE antibody, which is useful in protecting us against parasites. In some individuals, IgE mistakenly attacks foreign substances that are actually harmless, such as foods, pollen, and animal dander. IgE then binds with other cells in the body, which release a number of inflammatory mediators, such as histamine-causing allergic reactions including asthma.” Since that doesn’t sound too fun, we’re thinking it’s best to break out your vacuum — like, right now.
However, if you like to catch up on Netflix “Outlander” instead, there is always the next best option by calling us at LBI Cleaning and let us do the heavy dusting and the removal of grime. Sometimes choosing a professional cleaning service might give you a much better result as you might be missing the little details. At LBI Cleaning we understand the the devils in the details and have our checklists to make sure every crack and crevice has been cleaned and canvased thoroughly.
