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 cookies and pies baked in preparation of the arrival of out-of-town guests. Thoughtful hosts and hostesses will plan seating arrangements well in advance to make sure that dining partners get along. No arguments this year.

But what do you do if Aunt Sally is allergic to the dog or Uncle Bill can’t be anywhere near Fluffy the cat?  What about the guest that has environmental allergies like dust mites, pollen or molds?  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 clean themselves or empty their bladder. The protein dries to the fur or skin (dander) and is shed when the dander is shed. Because the problem 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 formulas.  While they mak one for all pets, we recommed the 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 cleans them self. You can read more about Allerpet here.

Now 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 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 do just fine.  The surface should dry within 15 minutes.  If not you put on too much. 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 denaturing agents and you can read more about ADS, ADMS, and the other products they make at Allersearch Labs.

The day before your guests arrive, put clean sheets on the bed, vacuum the room, and don’t forget to close the door again to keep out the pets. Lightly mist all the fabric chairs, sofas and other 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. I know, cat’s go where cats want to go. After you handle your furred family member, be sure to wash your hands before giving hugs or handshakes 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. Happy Holiday…