Is it simple allergies or dreaded sick house syndrome?

When I started college, my parents built a new house two hours away from where I went to college. Trying to stay within their budget, they chose cheaper materials whenever possible, from flooring to cabinets. That meant lots of synthetic fibers and particle board. In addition, they also owned a lot of furniture made from particle board. What’s so bad about particle board? Well, the glue off gasses fumes. So does new carpet. So does new paint. You can imagine all the toxic fumes floating around in that place. As a result, when I stayed there during my first summer home from college, I developed sick house syndrome and did my best to stay at school during every summer thereafter.

Because of this experience, all of the apartments I have lived in and my current home were built more than fifty years ago. That pretty much guarantees that there is no off gassing going on anymore in the home. And, so that I don’t suffer a relapse of sick house syndrome, we have hardwood floors, natural fiber carpets, and as much solid wood furniture and cabinetry as possible. We also run air cleaners regularly.

How do you know if you have sick building syndrome? What is it, anyway?

What is sick house syndrome?

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health says that sick building syndrome is marked by irritated mucus membranes, headache, unusual tiredness or fatigue, and sometimes itchy skin. You can see how these symptoms can be confused with allergic reactions. However, an allergy doesn’t clear up when you leave the building. In fact, an environmental allergy, such as hay fever, will often get worse. If you find that you feel sick when inside your house, but you feel better when you are at someone else’s house, out shopping, or just outside, it’s time to investigate!

Causes of sick house syndrome

Well, one source that’s easy to address is household toxins from cleaning agents. That’s why I never use toxic cleaners. But, the biggest culprits are those things that are not so easy to address. They are all the things that my parents included in their new home and are the reason why I always seek out older homes. These culprits (which release formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds(VOCs)) are:

• laminate tile
• cabinets
• synthetic carpet
• shelving
• furniture, including sofas, dressers, and mattresses/bed frames
• paint
• treated wood
• and anything that is made of particle board or includes glue

In addition, plaster and lath walls versus drywall demonstrates that old homes with plaster and lath are often more sound and fireproof, in addition to avoiding any potential problems with drywall dust. (Burning drywall releases poisonous fumes, much like the VOCs). A home full of particle board furniture and covered with drywall will burn a lot faster than one with solid wood furniture and covered in plaster and lath. So, old construction actually provides other nice benefits, too.

Now, when any of the above listed home construction or furnishings are new, they off gas, releasing toxic fumes into your home for years, especially in colder climates because the windows are closed a lot. The toxic fumes linger and everyone in the home breathes them, causing irritated noses, throats, and lungs, lethargy, and headaches. Add in dust, a gas stove, mold, possible radon gas, and other airborne allergens and you have a recipe for sick house syndrome. In fact, for many homes, the indoor air is more polluted than the outdoor air, even in cities!

Is it allergies or sick house syndrome?

How can you tell if it’s allergies or sick house syndrome? Well, ask yourself these questions:

• Do I feel better when I’m not at home?
• Do I have symptoms when I’m outdoors?
• Do I have symptoms when I’m indoors, whether I’m at home or not?
• Are my symptoms worse or better if I’m by an open window when I am at home?
• Do my symptoms improve if I’m at home and run an air cleaner?
• Did I suddenly develop symptoms after moving into a new home?
• Did I suddenly develop symptoms after purchasing new furniture, painting, or installing new carpet?

These questions will help you narrow down the root of your symptoms and know whether you have mold and/or dust allergies, hay fever/pollen allergies, or if you are suffering from sick house syndrome.

What do you do now?

So, what do you do when you discover you’re suffering from sick house syndrome? Well, you could move into a different, older house, but that’s usually not an option. It also brings with it it’s own problems, like mold or lead, and may still need new flooring or paint. What else could you do? Here are some options, many of which I have personally done to alleviate my own reaction to off gassing, aside from living in old houses.

Choose low pile, natural fiber carpets or area rugs.

If you can avoid carpet altogether, great. Then you have better control over your floor coverings and can choose natural fiber carpets that don’t off gas as much as synthetic ones. You can choose rugs that don’t use glue, too. Here are some great examples and they look beautiful, too. If you don’t have the option of avoiding carpet, installing low pile wool or cotton fiber carpet offers less off gassing.

Choose low-VOC paint.

Many paint companies now produce a line that off gasses less. I would also recommend painting in months when you can leave the windows open most of the time for several months. Usually, paint stops off gassing much sooner than other sources. Some companies that offer low VOC paint include:

Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams also each have a line of low VOC paint. Look into milk paint as well.

Choose solid wood that’s untreated whenever possible (except for outdoor projects, of course!).

From cabinetry to bed frames, choose solid wood. More than paint, cabinets and furniture off gas for a longer time period and who wants to sleep in a bed that’s off gassing all night?

The night before my wedding, my parents made me sleep in a bed made of treated wood. They didn’t know how it would affect me and I didn’t want to offend them. But, the next morning, my face was all red, my nose ran non-stop, and I had to go to my wedding like that. Can you imagine? Don’t do that to yourself.

Stone over vinyl

Lastly, whenever you are considering tiling a bathroom or other room, use real stone tiles, not sheet vinyl. The sheet vinyl will off gas for a relatively long time (not as long as particle board, but…) and doesn’t last very long, anyway. It is a bigger upfront investment, but you will probably never have to tile again! And, it increases the resale value on your home.

Use air cleaners

To clear any fumes (and even clean the air of allergens), you can also install air cleaners. You can either put one in each main traffic area, such as the living room and family room, or install a whole house air cleaner. A whole house one is integrated with your furnace and central air conditioning. That way, all the air in your home is regularly filtered of toxins and allergens. It is more expensive, but compared to buying an air filter for each room, maybe it’s worth it.

The biggest and easiest thing to remember when it comes to sick house syndrome is that the reason the house is sick is because of all the fake, man-made materials in it that release toxic chemicals into the air. If you invest in natural building materials and furnishings, your body will be happier.