You can help to make your home a skin friendly zone in many ways. Here are a few tips:
- Dust mites lurk in many places in the home, and they particularly like beds and carpets. Opening windows and vacuuming regularly helps. To kill dust mites wash bed linen and clothes at temperatures of 60° C or above.
- Damp dusting helps to capture dust rather than spread it to other places.
- If you have sensitive skin protective gloves can help when cleaning and prevent contact with cleaning products (try latex free gloves) and try to avoid aerosol products, liquid cleaners such as Cif Cream may be more suitable.
- Many new clothes have finishes on them (to make them more appealing on the shelf); washing before wearing can help if you have sensitive skin.
- Try not to spend too long in the shower or bath, and don't have the water too hot (water can dry the skin when it evaporates).
- Instead of soap, consider non-soap cleansers such as Dove cream bar.
- Don't smoke or allow people to smoke indoors.
- Avoid extreme temperatures (hot or cold) as these can dry out the skin. Air conditioning also dries the skin, so ensure regular water intake and moisturise your skin regularly with a product such as Vaseline Intensive Care.
