Spring cleaning may very helpful for allergy sufferers, according to an allergist.
Dr. Rebecca Gruchalla, an allergist and immunologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, says cockroach allergens have one of the largest impacts on asthma in children.
"Children who are allergic to cockroaches have more asthma symptoms and generally miss more school because of their asthma," Gruchalla says in a statement. "Inner city kids who live in apartments are most likely to be exposed to cockroaches, but they're everywhere."
Keeping a home and area clean is necessary to prevent allergy and asthma symptoms. The primary means of destroying roaches are contact sprays, and residual sprays. There are also "roach motels" that can be placed in your cupboards. Sometimes it may take a combination of several methods, such as an immediate contact kill substance, and then roach motels in places where you have evidence of previous inhabitants. Once your immediate problem is eliminated, you can also take preventative measures, such as sprinkling powdered boric acid in between walls and around foundations where they may have entered the house.
"Some cockroach preventive tactics include: fixing leaky faucets, caulking cracks, eating only in the kitchen and dining room, keeping food sealed in plastic containers and taking out the trash daily," Gruchalla says.
