Why is it that everytime I dust, I end up with a cold?

Is it a real cold . . . or is it just allergies!?

Psst – it’s allergies. You are allergic to dust.

I don’t think it’s allergies because it usually lasts a week or longer, so that’s what makes me think it’s a cold.

@janbb : :)

probably allergies! try some over the counter allergy meds… I am allergic to dust too but my allergies are always horrendous. what if you dust a little every day or two? i use the swiffer dusters and love them.

or, if you don’t think it’s allergies, try drinking some emergen-c or taking extra vitamin c daily… plus dust more often!

Sure sounds like an allergy to me. If you stir up dust and it hangs in the air for a while, and you have a long reaction time, wouldn’t that explain it?

How about if you (a) put on a mask before you dust and (b) take some Benadryl? If you really have a cold, those won’t help. Then you’ll know.

This happens to me as well and I haven’t been able to figure it out either.

I suffer from allergies but I often get a real-live cold (and on a couple of memorable occasions I got strep throat) after dusting my house, plant shelves and all.

I don’t know why it is so, I just know that it is.

I’ve wondered if I get the “urge” to dust because I’m feeling a sniffle coming on.

Every time you dust, you stir up all kinds of bacteria and other microbes. One of them is probably something your body doesn’t like and hence responds with a histamine reaction.

Don’t dust then. Get somebody else to do it, then they’ll end up with the cold. hehe sike jk. no really…

@fightfightfight my dad usually does the dusting, because like I said it only happens when I dust.

@shego oh. well at least you won’t have to worry about getting colds anymore

I love how people always tell me I have allergies when I am actually sick with a cold. Seriously, I know the difference (:
I used to try to avoid things that I thought were making me sick, but it did not work. I can never determine what makes me sick. Sometimes I get home from Wal-Mart and I do not wash my hands, yet I do not get sick, but when I wash my hands consistently as well as maintain other hygiene skills, I become ill! Oh well.

As I understand, allergies lead to colds for some reason. You should use wet cloths to clean to avoid the least amount of dust in the air. You should also use the sturdy cloth mask that Jeruba recommended. If you have someone else dust, then you shouldn´t walk into the room until four hours later (when the dust has settled). There are a lot of recommendations related to this (you shouldn´t keep carpets, cloth curtains, etc. etc.)

I understand. I own a cleaning company and in my experience some people are just not cut out for cleaning. Especially when there have regular allergies. I recommend a thorough cleaning with a someone who can do that for you every 3 or 6 months. It will definitely help you with your health. And if you like, once you hire them, have a look on what they use and how they do it so that you can do it yourself next time and save, they will be happy to assist you with any questions you might have.