Minimalist Living: My Key to Living Comfortably With Allergies

About 3 years ago, I moved into my apartment. I was going through a tough time in my personal life, and control of my allergies was at an all-time low. My skin was raw, with lesions all over my body. To help deal with these issues, I was on a shed load of medications.

My asthma and eczema were horrible. I needed to move to a calmer section of town, so I settled into a leafy village. The situation probably was not helped by my new place being "out in the sticks." Many trees, grass, and plants surround my apartment.

Addressing the dampness in the apartment

Once I moved in, the first mission I needed to do was get rid of the apparent dampness in the apartment. I knew that the moisture could contribute to flaring up my allergies.

I invested in damp-proof paint and a dehumidifier. I put on the dehumidifier for an entire week. I stayed around the corner with my parents in the meantime, so I could come back every morning and empty the water tank. The water the dehumidifier sucked up was unbelievable! It proved to be a good investment.

After this was completed, a friend and I painted the apartment with damp-proof paint. Then I arranged for all the carpets to be removed and installed wooden flooring. Again, I was lucky that I had a buddy to do this job for me. I got rid of all the heavy, dusty curtains, and the place started to feel better the moment I trashed the dusty curtains.

Creating a minimalistic living space

I am not really a fan of the minimalistic design/style in my place. I prefer a cozy and cluttered interior, with lots of warm fabrics and dimly lit lights. But, being a major allergy sufferer, I made a conscious decision to create an immaculate and tidy home without clutter or things that typically could collect dust easily.

My second mission was to keep disciplined with cleaning. The floors are easy to keep clean and tidy since they are wood. I mop and vacuum once a week, so the place never has a chance to collect dust. Having atopic dermatitis means that my body can shed a lot of skin. This is another reason why it was necessary to have wooden flooring.

In addition, I make sure I vent the apartment properly too. Keeping windows open when I'm inside is a must! The air needs to circulate nicely. If you do not vent your living space correctly, mold and dampness can start to appear. It goes without saying that this is terrible for any allergy sufferer, especially asthma and eczema patients.

My allergies have benefitted

As a result of my apartment being prepped to be dust-free, this has meant that my asthma has benefitted. On the whole, my asthma symptoms have improved. Of course, I still get allergies, especially from the surrounding landscape, but my minimalist home has helped minimize the impact.

If I were to give any person with allergies a piece of advice, it would be to declutter your living space. Optimizing your home to lessen your allergy symptoms makes a considerable difference to your standard of living.