Tricks & Tips to Manage Dorm Room Allergies

The fall season is fast approaching, and with it, back to school. For some students, this is the beginning of an exciting new chapter in their lives – dorm life! With everything going on in our lives, especially at the start of college, it’s easy to forget about allergies. Nevertheless, do yourself or the student in your life a favor and be prepared for the onslaught of allergens new spaces tend to offer. Dorm rooms can be breeding grounds for dust mites, bed bugs, and polluted indoor air. Continue reading on for helpful tricks and tips to prepare for dorm life this season!

It’s easy to forget about allergies when you’re so excited about starting college or returning for your next year! You may think allergies aren’t a problem for you, but have you thought about dust mites, bed bugs, or your roommate’s pet dander? All of these issues can sneak up on you, and before you know it, your knee deep in homework and miserably popping Claritin. We’ll help you take the necessary precautions ahead of time so you can focus on your future and forget about allergies!

Common Dorm Room Allergens:

1.) Dust Mites –

Maybe you’ve had experience with these microscopic invaders, or maybe you’ve never heard of them before. They live in your bedding, mattress, pillow, clothing, and carpeting. What’s worse is they feed off of our dead skin cells, and they can cause a range of unwanted side effects. Everything from coughing, wheezing, itching, sneezing, watery eyes, and more could be attributed to dust mites and their allergens. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to minimize contact with them.

Tip: To start, you should highly consider investing in both a protective Pillow Cover and Mattress Cover. These fully encase your mattress and pillow, keeping these nasty little invisible bugs away from your skin. They usually feature a durable, waterproof, and virtually impenetrable barrier fabric with a zipper making laundry day a breeze! Next, it might be a good idea to purchase an All-Natural De-Mite Laundry Detergent & Additive to help continually sanitize your clothes and bedding.

2.) Mold –

You might not think of mold when you think of dorm life, but beware, mold can lurk anywhere that conditions are right. This includes dorm bathrooms, shower stalls, windows, windowsills, or anywhere moisture is high. The worst part about mold issues is the fact that they so significantly affect our breathing and can oftentimes cause serious respiratory issues. It’s always important to notify building staff about any mold or mildew concerns you might have. But there are a few things you can do yourself to help keep mold & mildew at bay.

If you happen to find yourself in a situation where you need to clean up mold & mildew yourself, we offer a very handy Mold & Mildew Clean-Up Kit with everything you may need to nip your pesky mold issues in the bud. It comes with its own No More Mildew Solution & Mold Barrier Solution, as well as Goggles, a KN95 Mask, and Gloves. Together these solutions work to eliminate and prevent further mold & mildew problems.

3.) Poor Air Quality –

Living with someone else can be an exciting new thing, but it can also introduce you to many new potential allergens. Shared spaces and common areas will often end up being polluted by irritants, including perfumes, colognes, fragrance sprays, candles, hair spray, aerosols, essential oils, and many other airborne odors and contaminants. These substances can sometimes cause serious issues for those with allergies and asthma but especially those with MCS (multiple chemical sensitivities). They can exacerbate existing respiratory problems or lead to further ones down the road. Keeping your air clear and clean is the safest way to protect yourself, your roommate, and anyone invited into your dorm.

Tip: A surefire way to keep the air inside your dorm room clean is with a device like an Air Purifier. This handy tool will not only continually replace the air in your dorm room but will also clean it thoroughly at the same time! It’s best to look for one with a HEPA filtration system like the Compact GermGuardian AC5000 HEPA Air Purifier. Another thing you can do is to contact an ac repair or ac installation expert like 7 Services, Inc to repair your unit, change your HVAC filters or provide a new air conditioning installation if needed. These innovative inventions will let you keep your windows open and pollen out!

4.) Pet Dander –

Even though pets are prohibited in many, if not all, campus dorm rooms, they can still be a source of aggravation for those with pet allergies. If your roommate or dorm mates have pets, then their dander and fur are still likely to be on their clothes and belongings even after being washed. If you are someone who suffers from a severe pet allergy, you may want to speak with someone well before moving day to make prior arrangements or switch with someone who doesn’t have any pets. However, if pet dander is a minor concern, there are things you can do yourself.

Tip: Many schools offer options for students with documented allergies. In this case, they’ll usually up cleaning protocols or switch you to another dorm room entirely. For those that want to handle the problem on their own, we recommend using HEPA cleaning tools like the Compact Honeywell HEPA Tower Air Purifier and the Miele Triflex HX1 HEPA Cat & Dog Cordless Stick Vacuum. In addition to these, you can clean surfaces with an Anti-Allergen Spray to help keep dust and dander at bay.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to make this new life transition everything you dreamed it would be. Working with staff and your fellow students/roommates can make dorm life much easier. Conversation and working things out person to person can make a real difference in how your next years play out. Additionally, taking the time to ask about your school’s protocols and requirements will save you a lot of time in the long run and help you avoid issues beforehand. No matter what your allergy situation is, you’re sure to expose yourself to new environments, new things, and, therefore, new allergies at school. We hope these tips and tricks to help minimize dorm allergies will have you studying instead of sneezing all year long!