Coughing, wheezing and blowing my nose: The doctor says it is an allergy. She gives me several types of natural remedies that should help. They help a little.
Shall I go back to pharmacy stuff? How about finding out what is causing this stuffy, drippy nose? The doctor puts me through allergy testing. I am told what I already know, but the testing makes it official. I am allergic to dust, dander, cat, dairy...who knows what else.
At home, per doctor's orders, I encase my mattress and pillows with covers that keep the dust mites out of my nose. Two hepa filters, one humidifier and an ultra violet light to kill mold still doesn't cut down on allergic reactions. All rugs except one in the livingroom are discarded. I have the ducts in the walls cleaned out.
Nose problem continues. Darn it.
Sitting myself down, I decide that my next and best course of action is to remove what is probably the main source of my allergy. I am living in a house that was built about 1920. A house standing that long attracts a lot of dirt in cracks and crevases. While doing the laundry down in the basement, on a rainy day, I observe moisture coming through the masonry walls. The foundation of the house, after all these years, has lost some ability to withstand the weather. It comes right through the foundation. Next sunny day finds me outside, putting a water repellent on the masonry block foundation. The product is excellent, containing 3% silicone that is carried into the blocks, where it dries and makes a barrier. I like the company that makes this product. On line, I see that they make several products I could use. Inside, in the basement, I use DriLoc to patch the surface of the walls. Over that goes a sealer and over that, goes white paint.
Before I can begin this project, I must relocate all the junk that has collected in the basement over three generations. Those thrify Puritans didn't throw anything out. I do it for them. Then, I have to clean up the flaking that has fallen off the walls and is being carried through out the house by the forced air furnace. This is no easy task. I have swept up and vacuumed up at least three garbage bags full of flakes, dirt and bacteria. My allergies are receding. Hurrah. I found the prime source.
It takes me a week to do one section of the basement: one day for sweeping and moving stuff away from the walls, one day for filling holes and rough places with DriLoc. One day for the sealer. One or two days for painting. Another day for sorting through the stuff and putting it in the correct catagory. Tools go here. Car parts needed to restore my 63 Chevy go in this box. Separate catagories are for electrical and plumbing. Another place is for household stuff, another for cleaning supplies and a big box for stuff I don't know what it is for. A huge pile of metal is set aside for recycling. I am tempted to put the metal outside until spring when Public Works will take it to the recycle center, but I do not do this. My 85 year old neighbor will come snooping through the pile and drag it over to his house.
When that section is done, I start another section. The last and hardest to address is my father-in-law's workbench. The dirt beneath the bench is so old, I should save it for its antique qualities....what am I thinking? The trouble is, the work bench is fastened to the ceiling . Wood verticals hold wiring and boxes that hold little stuff like nails. The work bench has a hutch top for holding tools and stuff. I can't move it without taking it apart...no small job.
At least I can clean up the dirt. It takes me a day and a half to clear the top of the bench, to sweep the wall, window and joists around the bench. Dirt falls every where! I clear out a full garbage bag of bits of wood, rusty nails, filings, dried bottles of mysterious stuff...and dirt.
The mess gives up to me, treasures: drill bits, micrometers, antique wood clamps, marbles, gulf tees, several little antique bottles and odd shaped pieces of metal that I don't know what they are for. Since they could be car parts, they go into the "I don't know what this is for" box.
The sealer goes on today.