[jane_river]

Greetings, first thread + a question here.
My stepbrother is going to visit us this year. The problem is that he's allergic to dogs, I mean he could spend a day with any dog without itching and breathing issues, but this time he's going to stay for a while (about four days) at our house as a guest. He knows that we have a husky and already got his antihistamines from the doc.
What would you recommend? We are keeping our house pretty clean (with Roomba - working almost regularly - and Dyson - vacuuming twice a week), and I'm planning to store my rugs in a garage until stepbrother leaves, still I would like to make his visit as painless as it could be. A piece of advice? Anyone with allergic family members on this forum who was in a similar situation? What else should I consider?

 

[Knute]

Hotel

 

[Shell]

Really depends on how allergic he is, if he can spend a whole day around a dog then he is probably mild to moderate allergic rather than severe.
So its probably manageable for him to stay with you but might want to look up a local hotel or BnB just in case after his first night he is in a bad way.

Designate a dog-free bedroom for him to sleep in. Start before he arrives by a few weeks. Wash all the bedding including mattress pad, put hypoallergenic pillow protectors on the bed pillows and then clean cases ovee them. Wipe down all the hard surfaces of the room with damp cloth, don't forget vent covers and window blinds. Then keep the dog out of this room the entire visit.

If you have forced air heat/AC, change the filter before his arrival.

Dust and vaccum and few days before his visit but don't use a regular vaccum during his visit as they will stir up dander and dust and get it into the air which is worse then just being on the floor.

Have the dog professionally groomed and fur blown out in the week before his visit.

If he is also allergic to environmental stuff like pollen, starting his antihistamines before the visit may be a good idea to knock back his body's overreaction to lower impact of the dog allergy.
He should also ask his doctor about using Nasal Crom starting a week or two prior to visit and throughout his stay (or just read up on it himself and try it, its over the counter and very safe) as it stops histamine reactions in the nasal passages before they occur rather than trying to fight them after basically

 

[jane_river]

Thank you Knute and Shell for your replies!

Really depends on how allergic he is, if he can spend a whole day around a dog then he is probably mild to moderate allergic rather than severe.
So its probably manageable for him to stay with you but might want to look up a local hotel or BnB just in case after his first night he is in a bad way.

Designate a dog-free bedroom for him to sleep in. Start before he arrives by a few weeks. Wash all the bedding including mattress pad, put hypoallergenic pillow protectors on the bed pillows and then clean cases ovee them. Wipe down all the hard surfaces of the room with damp cloth, don't forget vent covers and window blinds. Then keep the dog out of this room the entire visit.

If you have forced air heat/AC, change the filter before his arrival.

Dust and vaccum and few days before his visit but don't use a regular vaccum during his visit as they will stir up dander and dust and get it into the air which is worse then just being on the floor.

Have the dog professionally groomed and fur blown out in the week before his visit.

If he is also allergic to environmental stuff like pollen, starting his antihistamines before the visit may be a good idea to knock back his body's overreaction to lower impact of the dog allergy.
He should also ask his doctor about using Nasal Crom starting a week or two prior to visit and throughout his stay (or just read up on it himself and try it, its over the counter and very safe) as it stops histamine reactions in the nasal passages before they occur rather than trying to fight them after basically

Thank you! From what I know he can keep it under control, and that's why decided to stay with us this season. Though I'm not him and as a person who doesn't have allergies I can only hope that he knows what he's doing. I wrote him about Nasal Crom and he's waiting for a reply from his doc.
I've never heard about pillow protectors, but now I'm going to buy some. Dusk is not allowed to enter guest bedroom (it's been a week or so already, though I believe it's not enough so wet cleaning is a must). Almost forgot about A/C filters, so extra thanks for reminding this! Also wanted to know - what about putting a humidifier to brother's room, will it help?
Ofc, we've been thinking about hotel, it's kind of a plan B for us.

 

[Lillith]

Everything that Shell said is great advice. Definitely have the dog groomed and bathed before your brother's visit! That often helps people with allergies.

Not sure about the humidifier, but I sometimes run a diffuser with essential oils like Chamomile, Lavender, Niaouli, or Fir Needle to help with some of the symptoms of allergies. It isn't a cure all, but it helps.

 

[Shell]

Everything that Shell said is great advice. Definitely have the dog groomed and bathed before your brother's visit! That often helps people with allergies.

Not sure about the humidifier, but I sometimes run a diffuser with essential oils like Chamomile, Lavender, Niaouli, or Fir Needle to help with some of the symptoms of allergies. It isn't a cure all, but it helps.

A humidifier can keep the nasal passages and lungs less irritated from dry air but won't actually stop allergic reaction from occuring. It may help lessen symptoms though. Probably only worth trying during cold weather when the heat is running a lot or if you live in a desert climate and he does not.

Definitely do NOT use any essential oils unless your brother says they help him. You don't want to add another potential allergen to the air. Fir/pine for example is a common environmental allergy (and a good reason never to burn evergreen branches in your campfire)

 

[Lillith]

A humidifier can keep the nasal passages and lungs less irritated from dry air but won't actually stop allergic reaction from occuring. It may help lessen symptoms though. Probably only worth trying during cold weather when the heat is running a lot or if you live in a desert climate and he does not.

Definitely do NOT use any essential oils unless your brother says they help him. You don't want to add another potential allergen to the air. Fir/pine for example is a common environmental allergy (and a good reason never to burn evergreen branches in your campfire)

Lol, yeah, don't run essential oils if he is allergic to those! I am speaking from personal experience with different, occasional mild environmental allergies, which the essential oils help combat the congestion and other symptoms.

You can, however, use the diffuser without the oils (clean if with vinegar if you have run oils before) as a little humidifier in his guest room. It is much quieter than the big humidifier units, and you can buy them for $20-$30. They're easier to store, too, if you don't need it all the time.