A safe, comfortable environment is the least we can expect of our living space. Finding it isn’t all that hard in most cases, but for some of us the task is nothing to sneeze at.
If you’re one of those unfortunates who suffer from allergies, asthma or other respiratory disorders, you’ll need to do some careful checking of your prospective apartment. That’s because a hostile apartment–one that contains a lot of allergens to which you are especially reactive–can quickly turn you into a sneezing, wheezing, sniffling, red-eyed, stuffed-up mess.
The leading offenders, experts say, are dust mites, pollen, mold and animal dander. These are the things most people with allergies want to avoid whenever possible and, to avoid them, there are a number of areas it might be smart for sufferers to investigate before signing a lease.
Linda Bleimehl, spokesperson for the American Academy of Allergies and Immunology in Milwaukee, warns that people with reactions to dust mites and molds should avoid apartments that are carpeted, adding that carpeting is particularly attractive to mold spores when it’s laid on padding over a concrete floor.
Joe Sterner, an environmental consultant and president of JMS Environmental Associates Inc. in Westmont, agrees that carpets can cause problems and notes that they can be particularly attractive to mold spores in lower-level space such as English basement or garden apartments, where seepage may have gotten into the padding. He also notes that new carpet, and some new furnishings as well, emit fumes from adhesives that can contain strong chemicals such as ammonia and/or formaldehyde.
If animal dander is your problem and the space you are considering is carpeted, be sure to find out if the previous tenants kept pets. The building manager may assure you that the carpets have been recently cleaned but that doesn’t always help. A cursory shampooing will not remove all the existing animal dander from the rugs, according to Sterner.
“It’s possible to remove animal dander from carpeting but it has to be done through a very thorough and deep cleaning. Surface shampooing won’t do it,” he says.
Sterner feels the most important factors leading to a relatively allergen-free apartment are the heating, cooling and ventilating systems.
The first thing to check is the heating and cooling system,” he says. “If it’s forced air, check the ducts to be sure they’re clean. Filters also need to be kept clean, both on air conditioners and on the furnace.”
He warns that even clean filters don’t catch all particulates. Some smaller ones always get through. In some instances, he notes, systems can be equipped with special filtering systems to accommodate people who are especially sensitive, but most landlords won’t go to the expense and bother of installing them for just one tenant.
As Sterner stresses, “The quality of indoor air is always related to outdoor air, so people should be aware of what’s going on outside their windows.”
In other words, depending upon your specific reactions, you may want to avoid that apartment with the cottonwood tree just outside your bedroom window, or the building surrounded by weed-filled vacant lots.
If you’re particularly sensitive, you might also want to avoid buildings in or adjacent to industrial areas where you may encounter excessive smoke or fumes and buildings on heavily traveled commercial streets where emissions from automobiles, buses and trucks may add to your woes.
New construction nearby may also add dust and other airborne pollution to your environment and living directly above, below or adjacent to a parking garage isn’t too cool an idea either, if you react to vehicular emissions. In any case, keeping your windows closed and being sure they are tightly fitted will help reduce allergen invaders from the outside.
This would lead one to think that the best possible environment for the allergy-prone is space that is tightly sealed and climatically controlled, but that isn’t always true either. As Bleimehl points out: “A controlled environment is fine but recent studies show that many buildings are too tight so, especially in the winter, outdoor air does not circulate properly and poorly circulated air encourages the growth of mold.”
Tom Marlin, president of RCM Laboratories in Brookfield, also says that a totally closed environment can be too much of a good thing. According to him, one of the problems with sealed buildings may stem from efforts by management to control costs.
“In some high-rises, management will reduce the intake of outside air to reduce the cost of heating and cooling it,” he explains, “so tenants are often breathing `used’ air.”
He suggests that apartment seekers who are specifically reactive to mold should check closely to be sure there are no water leaks or seepage, which might breed mold spores. You should also check the bathroom walls, particularly in the shower and tub area, for mold and the basement walls as well, if your apartment will be located just above or near it or if you plan to spend much time there. Wallpaper can also spawn mold spores, if the adhesive backing hasn’t dried properly or has gotten damp. Paint is better.
If dust bothers you, you’re probably already aware of the fact that your symptoms are traceable to dust mites. These are microscopic, spiderlike insects that live and breed in dust. After they die, they disintegrate and the particles can be even more irritating to your nostrils than the living creature. Dust harbors mold spores and animal dander as well as dust mites.
Practically everything attracts dust, so your best defense against this invasion is to dust well and dust often with a damp cloth. It helps, though, to avoid obvious dust catchers whenever possible. If the apartment has venetian or mini-blinds, you might consider asking the landlord if he will replace them (or let you replace them) with roller shades. Heavy draperies and curtains should also be avoided.
Ideally, living quarters should have a centralized system that heats, humidifies, cools and filters the air, combined with windows that will open whenever you need a quick air change to let out excessive smoke if you burn the roast or to remove that unpleasant odor after you’ve prepared corned beef and cabbage. It’s pretty hard to find that ideal, though, because such buildings are normally sealed.
Bleimehl says dehumidifiers are helpful. “Humidity should be kept below 50 percent to reduce mold effectively,” she says. She notes that air purifiers sometimes help, but warns that “they won’t be too effective, if the environment is filled with allergens.”
Other environmental specialists also suggest that allergy sufferers not accept all the exaggerated claims for these appliances. All by itself, no air purifier, no matter how efficient, can completely clean up your space.
In addition to all of the more common allergens there are dozens of other irritants that can be troubling or, in some cases, even life-threatening, to those who are reactive to them. Marlin notes that a number of people are sensitive to fiberglass insulation. If you are one of them, you’ll probably want to quiz the landlord before you sign on for space.
If you have breathing problems, you may have a negative reaction to any of a variety of chemicals. If pesticides are among them, make sure you check with your landlord to see if he has a contract for periodic spraying of all the units in his building. If so, find out if he will be willing to omit your space from the program.
If you are allergic to paint, paint thinners or specific cleaning products, you’ll want to make sure that the unit you are considering will be well-ventilated and the fumes dispersed before you move in.
If tobacco smoke really, really gets you down, be aware that you can control smoking in your own unit but you can’t always control it in the entire building. If your neighbors are all heavy smokers, you may find some of their second-hand smoke seeping into your space. This is particularly true in sealed buildings where the air is recirculated.
If all of this depresses you, you probably have considered moving to another area to get away from it all. Forget it. According to The Practical Guide to Practically Everything, by Peter Bernstein and Christopher Ma (Random House, 1995): “Though a change of environment may bring temporary relief, repeated exposure to new materials will eventually bring on the same old symptoms.”
Even Phoenix is no longer a mecca for hay fever sufferers, according to the book: “In fact, with a 10-month growing season made possible by irrigation, and ever-increasing pollution triggered by rapid population growth, Phoenix has become a hotbed of sneezing and sniffling.”
