Tell us about your symptoms and treatment experience. Take our survey here.

caret icon Back to all discussions

Daily Life Accomodations

So many of us have eliminated lots of products and situations to avoid or triggers, and I see plenty of recommendations for things to eliminate. What about the things we replace them with? For example, I've had to eliminate fragranced body and cleaning products. I had no problem finding a fragrance-free laundry detergent (I like Bio-kleen, but there are tons of others), but I'm struggling to find a fragrance-free bar soap that isn't ridiculously expensive. I've also tried whenever possible to swap out greetings of hugs and kisses with handshakes.
(Moderators, I know the site doesn't allow advertising, but with so many people in the community facing the need to avoid large numbers of products, I think it might be helpful for us to pool our experiences to find and share the few things that do work for us.)

  1. Cleaning products are a big trigger for me, so we have started using distilled white vinegar and water for the kitchen and bathroom. It works really well, and it doesn't trigger my asthma.

    1. Igooden - Cleaning products can be a really big issue! I've had problems with them my whole life, but like you finally started making my own with natural ingredients. They work very well and don't exacerbate symptoms. For dusting I just put water in a spray bottle and add a few drops of an essential oil; whatever I happen to be in the mood for. My favorites are peppermint, rosemary, and lavender. I use only a few drops in a whole spray bottle, but it's just enough to add a nice scent to my dusting cloth.

      Regards,
      Lyn (site moderator)

  2. Hi lgooden and thanks for letting us know what works for you as far as cleaning products go. It's great to hear you've been so successful in this regard.
    All the best,
    Leon (site moderator)

    1. GardenStateVariety, This is a great idea. I am working with our team to get this question asked in our community so we can provide you with some support and information on fragrance free products. I'll keep you posted.
      Thanks for being here. Best, Lauren (Asthma.net Team)

      1. Hi GardenStateVariety for your concern and great idea (as Lauren termed it!). You will note that Lauren is currently working on requesting input from our community to answer the question. You can see the post here: https://asthma.net/topic/daily-life-accomodations/#post-13391.
        Hopefully, we'll get a good response from the community and be able to put a list of sorts together for all to see.
        Thanks for your input!
        Leon (site moderator)

        Please read our rules before posting.