Starting Over Talk - Peer Coaching Support Site

IMO ...... There is such a thing as "too clean". My mother was a perfectionist and had a phobia of germs. She never understood why I got real sick when I did get expose to things. The doctor had to explain to her that by sterilizing my living enviroment that she was not allowing my body to develop the immunities it needed. A body can't fight what it doesn't know. It takes time for it to figure out how to beat a virus or bacteria. The body can learn and defeat small amounts of germs than it can with sudden exposure to large amounts of the germ. I don't believe in moldy dirty households but this over-sterilization that is sometimes suggested is not healthy either.


There is a lot of controversy even in the scientific world about the use of disinfectants. There are also talk about germs that are becoming resistant to the constant sterilization. Afterall viruses and bacteria are living organism wanting to survive. There's even new drug resistant TB out there. Companies have a way to promote "being a good mother is killing all germs".. hey they get to make money from the products we buy to kill these evil germs.


It seems the best thing is to error on the side of caution which is the middle road... I agree with mistyblu Unless you have a problem, best thing to do is just keep things clean and dry. Use hot soapy water. Dont' get obsessed with it.

(just my 2 cents-)

The big thing we have to be careful of is meat before cooking. Do not clean with a dishrag--use bleach and throw away towels. The reason our bathrooms are cleaner than the kitchen is the bleach and we do not use anything to clean the toliet and then go throught the rest of the house with the same rag.

But the rest of this nonsense of mites and stuff--unless your allergist says your allergic then they educate you on what you need to do but this is not for people who are not allergic to them. I am--the rest of my family is not.

Enyoy your life people cause its hell to be allergic to these things and gasping for air knowing full well you can die and have to have the meds handy so you don't or dialing 911 one cause your going into anyphalatic shock cause you ate food that carry mold and your allergic to that type of mold while the rest of your family can eat it and don't affect them but it can kill you.

Oprahs show was far to misleading.

I appreciate all the tips from you ladies. I have decided to use common sense on most of the cleaning, like using bleach at least once per week on all kitchen surfaces, replacing sponges, etc. but not going overboard. I'm not that concerned with bacteria and viruses. I will concentrate mainly on dust, which is the breeding ground of the mites. I'm not going to go crazy, just use a little more diligence on a weekly basis. I also have more mold in my bathroom than I used to have. That says the house is too humid I think. I may try a dehumidifier to see if that helps.

If I then see a big difference, I'll know it's worth it. If not, then, I'll try something different. I'm like Grizz, I don't have the time or energy to get too overboard with house chores. I just want to stop the runny nose, sinus congestion, and sneezing.

I'm glad I'm not the only one to notice Oprah's prima dona attitude as of late. I hope Gayle can convince her to tone it down a little.

Hi Debby, I meant to add a comment about the suggestion that was made to wash the curtains every 10 days. That is way unrealistic in my books.. They'd wear out really quickly! And if they aren't machine washable? I think running a vacuum over them occasionally, especially on the tops of them where dust tends to settle. I notice in my dining room where I have a fan that I get alot more dust particles in there and I think it's because of the attic insulation being drawn down into the motor of the fan.. I think if people wash their curtains once a year (the washable ones) they'd be doing good.

Try bleach in your shower too... It helps with the mildew.. I was wondering about that new 360 degree shower cleaner that is automatic. I wonder how well it really works.

Noone has mentioned the air purifiers that are made to help clean some of the airborne particles in the air. I wonder if that would be helpful for those with more severe allergies. My father has COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and we had considered getting one for the house. I think it was actually suggested on one site that I saw. I know some of them are better than others. I usually check Consumer Reports before I make major purchases..

I sure can see how people can develop OCD issues. One of my daughters was going that direction in her early teen years. She became very phobic.. and got into excessive washing of her hands..

Fortunately it wound up being a phase..but I bought it to her attention that I was watching her.. and even talked to the pediatrician about it.. Between my experience with my daughter and seeing the reaction about the dust mites... I can see how people get overly cautious and sometimes obsessive.

Hope you can get a handle on your environment to at least improve your health issues Debbie. Some people do have to be more diligent than others unfortunately.

Thanks for more tips, KPW. Where did you hear about a hot water shower cleaner? I have not heard of it. Do you have a brand name? I have seen the steam cleaners that they advertise will clean almost anything...inside your fridge, the crevices of your toliet, etc. Is it like that?

Debby,

I saw a commercial for one. It's a little device t hat hangs in your shower and at a touch of a button when you are finished with your shower, you push it and it circles all the way around with a cleaner fluid and rinse. Wouldn't work with my set-up.

RE: mold

We did pull out our old, old shower and tile, hubby replaced it this summer. I am allergic to mold.........although not severely. It's one of the major sinus infection triggers for me, though. Keep in mind the house is old and the previous owners did a lot of very bad "work" and add-ons when they lived here!!

I have felt much better since that.......but battling dust up on this windy ridge is a losing battle!!! I just keep waaaaaaaaaaay less knick knacks now!!!

We have an ionizer in our bedroom for some of the dust control, and it does help. Hubby has one at the office as he does have more allergies to pollution and it does make a difference big time!!

Yep..........balance and just doing what works for you is the key!!!