How do you rid your home of illness?

[ame]

We have been sick since before Thanksgiving...I've had antibiotics and that did nothing, so more than one dr is certain now it's viral. Just as we thought we finally were getting better and were functioning again...yet another round hit me on Tuesday night and I spent Wed on in bed, watching CNN with DH and we were barely with it. I have called in to work sick like 5 times in my entire LIFE, and Friday was one of them, I called in at 2AM when I had coughed myself to the point of puking (TMI). DH had slept on the couch trying to avoid me, but to no avail and Saturday he came down with it. Yesterday I finally made the guest room up and moved myself in there since DH started with what I now have and keeping him in the bedroom seemed like a good idea (try to lock all the germs in there). I washed sheets and tried to wipe some stuff down with a bleachy sponge (brand new) around the house, keyboards, etc. Lysol and wipes galore. Our drier is sounding like it is about to die for some reason (it's not that old, I don't know what the hell is wrong with it) so I was SO glad the sheets for the guest bed got clean and dry...whew.

We are both coughing up organs and it's making sleep hard to come by. This is getting ridiculous.

It's only about 10 degrees outside so throwing open any doors to clear it out isn't likely. And we can't open any windows (if we do, they'll never close, original wood windows...)

 

[packrat]

I hate to say it but I and Trapper got sick the end of September, coughing and coughing and gagging and dry heaving...and it's just ohhhh the last three weeks or so that we've been well. I had two rounds of antibiotics, one round really strong that made me sick, and a round of steroids, and an inhaler. I went to the Dr. about five times. They said they've been seeing coughs like cuuhhhhraaaayzee. There's been a couple kids here at preschool that have had the cough as well. I've seen a lot on FB as well, about people w/coughs. Getting away from the kids at school for Christmas break helped me and the kids I think. It's nasty, whatever it is. Viral of course. It's always viral.

 

[iLander]

When we get sick, the sick person gets assigned a particular glass, plate and set of cutlery. They cannot use anything else.

Also, we have hand sanitizers all over the house, everyone uses it.

Lysol sprayed on the toilets, counters, sinks, etc. I also will rub straight rubbing alcohol on kitchen counters.

If you have a humidifier going, turn it off, it's creating a warm, moisture environment for all the airborne germs you're coughing out.

Gobs of Puffs with lotion, cover for every cough.

Bleach in the bathtub, on the shower handles, sink handles.

Get a multi-pack of toothbrushes and new contacts. You can reinfect yourself with those.

DH kept coming down with infections the last 6 months. Little stuff that he should have kicked off went into his lungs and caused bronchitis. Turns out he had diabetes, and the docs all the excess sugar in his bloodstream was feeding the bacteria and it was multiplying like crazy. So, cut down your sugar and starch as much as possible until you're better. Eat nothing with more than 5 grams of sugar, and no more than 50 grams of carbs (carbs become sugar in the bloodstream) per meal. To figure carbs, subtract # of fiber from # of carbs. The bacteria will get a LOT less traction in your system without all the sugar to feed it. So, no pasta or white bread for a while, those are just sugar in a different shape.

I hope you feel better soon, it's a bitch, and it's everywhere the last couple of months.

 

[TooPatient]

We have a great filter on our heating/cooling system. I think it is from 3M? I buy at Lowe's but other places have too. Claims to catch bacteria and viruses. With all of our animals, we change once per month.
I turn the house fan to "on" so it runs all day to catch as much as possible.

We also run a dehumidifier with another filter so the air gets drier and filtered again.

Chestal to clear crud fro throat.
Hot tea.
Clean obsessively.

 

[momhappy]

Colloidal silver! It has many uses, but we use mainly as a sanitizer. I keep a small spray bottle in each of my children's lunch container because unlike alcohol-based sanitizers that are useless after they dry, silver particles stay on your hands (and other surfaces) and continue to offer protection against germs. You can use it as a cleaning product on all of the hard surfaces in your home. It's odor free and non-toxic. You can Google it and find all kinds of info on it. I prefer a brand called MesoSilver that can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/MesoSilver-Colloidal-Silver-500-16-9/dp/B001064XCY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420484007&sr=8-2&keywords=mesosilver

 

[ame]

Colloidal silver! It has many uses, but we use mainly as a sanitizer. I keep a small spray bottle in each of my children's lunch container because unlike alcohol-based sanitizers that are useless after they dry, silver particles stay on your hands (and other surfaces) and continue to offer protection against germs. You can use it as a cleaning product on all of the hard surfaces in your home. It's odor free and non-toxic. You can Google it and find all kinds of info on it. I prefer a brand called MesoSilver that can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/MesoSilver-Colloidal-Silver-500-16-9/dp/B001064XCY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420484007&sr=8-2&keywords=mesosilver

People are saying they ingest it or spray it in their noses?

 

[momhappy]

Yes, you can do those things too. We spray it in our mouths before boarding an airplane. I have sprayed it in my nose for respiratory/sinus issues. Some people even say that it can clear up pink eye when sprayed in the eye. My sister uses it frequently on her dog, who gets frequent ear infections.
Here are some basics:
http://www.familyhealthnews.com/alternative-health-information/minerals-vitamins-proteins/colloidal-silver-fabulous-facts.html

 

[ame]

Just in my reading, there seems to be a lot of mixed info on its efficacy, and whether it will give you argyria or not. Not necessarily this brand, but silver in general. Interesting.

Does anyone else use Colloidal Silver?

 

[CRYSTAL24K]

Pray to God for healing and clean, clean, clean the home!

In addition to the great tips that are already on this thread-

If you can swing it, it might be worth it to have a cleaning service come in since you are both so run down. Check for services that clean homes for cancer patients or people who are ill, they will know how to properly disinfect a home.

This always helps me and hubby feel better: Pot of water, tons of fresh garlic (4-5 cloves minimum roughly chopped), tons of fresh ginger, juice from 2 or 3 lemons. Let everything boil until the water has reduced by half. Add honey and drink. It is super strong, but super effective.

Chicken noodle soup with lemon juice and garlic is helpful also.

Feel better!

 

[House Cat]

If you are coughing to the point of vomiting, you probably need steroids, at the very least. Any time coughing has gotten that bad in my home, the dr wanted to know about it. Maybe it is time for another call/visit? You don't want this to get more serious.

 

[kenny]

I eat healthy, drink lots of water, exercise, get plenty of rest, and seriously try to avoid things that would add stress to my life.
I always try to keep my hands away from my face, and wash my hands thoroughly right when I get home and before eating or flossing teeth.

Seems to work, as I rarely get a cold or flu.

 

[chemgirl]

Colloidal silver! It has many uses, but we use mainly as a sanitizer. I keep a small spray bottle in each of my children's lunch container because unlike alcohol-based sanitizers that are useless after they dry, silver particles stay on your hands (and other surfaces) and continue to offer protection against germs. You can use it as a cleaning product on all of the hard surfaces in your home. It's odor free and non-toxic. You can Google it and find all kinds of info on it. I prefer a brand called MesoSilver that can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/MesoSilver-Colloidal-Silver-500-16-9/dp/B001064XCY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420484007&sr=8-2&keywords=mesosilver

People are saying they ingest it or spray it in their noses?

Ummm, my workplace uses this stuff to manufacture antibacterial fabrics for hospitals. While it does kills bacteria, it can really mess with your normal flora.

So while it does disinfect, I wouldn't go nuts with it and certainly wouldn't spray it in my nose!

 

[VRBeauty]

I'm sorry you and your hubby have been fighting bugs for so long. I've heard that the strain of the flu going around in the east and middle of the country tends to hang around for a very long time. That said, if you've both had whatever you had before, and whatever you have now (whether or not they're different strains), I'm not sure that hyper-cleanliness is going to help you much. It's my understanding that once you've caught a particular virus and fought it off, your body has developed an immunity to that bug and won't be susceptible to it again anytime soon. The problem is that when your immune system has been strained like that, you're likely to be more susceptible to other bugs for awhile. You're not going to be re-infected by the bugs that are already in your home, but until your immune system regains its strength, you could catch something else out there more easily. So... follow Kenny's advice so other stuff going around out there can't get to you, and save the hyper-cleaning until after you've fully recovered.

 

[PattyCo]

We have been sick since before Thanksgiving...I've had antibiotics and that did nothing, so more than one dr is certain now it's viral. Just as we thought we finally were getting better and were functioning again...yet another round hit me on Tuesday night and I spent Wed on in bed, watching CNN with DH and we were barely with it. I have called in to work sick like 5 times in my entire LIFE, and Friday was one of them, I called in at 2AM when I had coughed myself to the point of puking (TMI). DH had slept on the couch trying to avoid me, but to no avail and Saturday he came down with it. Yesterday I finally made the guest room up and moved myself in there since DH started with what I now have and keeping him in the bedroom seemed like a good idea (try to lock all the germs in there). I washed sheets and tried to wipe some stuff down with a bleachy sponge (brand new) around the house, keyboards, etc. Lysol and wipes galore. Our drier is sounding like it is about to die for some reason (it's not that old, I don't know what the hell is wrong with it) so I was SO glad the sheets for the guest bed got clean and dry...whew.

We are both coughing up organs and it's making sleep hard to come by. This is getting ridiculous.

It's only about 10 degrees outside so throwing open any doors to clear it out isn't likely. And we can't open any windows (if we do, they'll never close, original wood windows...)

I am sorry you and your hubby are so sick. When I was sick like this, coughing so much that I couldn't even speak a sentence without starting a coughing fit, a Dr. prescribed an inhaler and it was such a life saver. And I think he prescribed an antiviral since I was getting my butt whooped by a "bug", lol! And frankly when I am sick cleaning is the last thing on my mind. I just get lots of rest, take Dayquill and Nyquill, and tackle that "bug" when I am feeling better.

And I hope that you and your husband get well real soon .

 

[momhappy]

Colloidal silver! It has many uses, but we use mainly as a sanitizer. I keep a small spray bottle in each of my children's lunch container because unlike alcohol-based sanitizers that are useless after they dry, silver particles stay on your hands (and other surfaces) and continue to offer protection against germs. You can use it as a cleaning product on all of the hard surfaces in your home. It's odor free and non-toxic. You can Google it and find all kinds of info on it. I prefer a brand called MesoSilver that can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/MesoSilver-Colloidal-Silver-500-16-9/dp/B001064XCY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420484007&sr=8-2&keywords=mesosilver

People are saying they ingest it or spray it in their noses?

Ummm, my workplace uses this stuff to manufacture antibacterial fabrics for hospitals. While it does kills bacteria, it can really mess with your normal flora.

So while it does disinfect, I wouldn't go nuts with it and certainly wouldn't spray it in my nose!

Silver has been used as a natural antibiotic for centuries. More recent research suggests that it can even eradicate antibiotic-resistant microbes like MRSA, Bird flu, and SARS.
Not all silver is created equal, so just because you work with some form of silver on a professional level, does not mean that it's the same as the colloidal silver that people can use in their personal lives. There are 3 main types of colloidal silver: Ionic (which has a low percentage of silver particles. It is a strong anti-microbial, but it is not effective when chloride is present), Silver Protein (which combines silver particles and protein binders. This silver should be avoided because it is known to cause argyria), and True Colloidal Silver (the majority of the silver content is in silver particles and it carries no risk/danger).
I don't "go nuts" with silver - it's just like everything else in life and should be used in moderation. It can be ingested, sprayed in the nose, sprayed in the eyes, put in the ears, etc. and after doing my own research, I wouldn't be uncomfortable doing any of those things with a true colloidal silver. As I said before, my family uses it primarily for hand sanitizer because it offers more protection than alcohol-based sanitizers that are ineffective once they evaporate. I have also used it to clean/sanitize hard surfaces in my home after an illness in the family.

 

[Sparklelu]

Sorry you guys are sick. It's miserable when it seems to not want to leave.
We are healthy here despite a trip to Disney with all those germs folks. And teaching in a middle school.
I have cleaned every available surface in my house with THIEVES. It's a cleaner made with young living essential oils. I use it in my laundry too.
We use thieves hand sanitizer and I add a drop or two of Thieves oil( not the cleaner!) in my drinking water. So does hubby. We also diffuse purification and/thieves to clean the air. Smells great and seems to work.
I wipe down desks at school with it too.

 

[momhappy]

We have been sick since before Thanksgiving...I've had antibiotics and that did nothing, so more than one dr is certain now it's viral. Just as we thought we finally were getting better and were functioning again...yet another round hit me on Tuesday night and I spent Wed on in bed, watching CNN with DH and we were barely with it. I have called in to work sick like 5 times in my entire LIFE, and Friday was one of them, I called in at 2AM when I had coughed myself to the point of puking (TMI). DH had slept on the couch trying to avoid me, but to no avail and Saturday he came down with it. Yesterday I finally made the guest room up and moved myself in there since DH started with what I now have and keeping him in the bedroom seemed like a good idea (try to lock all the germs in there). I washed sheets and tried to wipe some stuff down with a bleachy sponge (brand new) around the house, keyboards, etc. Lysol and wipes galore. Our drier is sounding like it is about to die for some reason (it's not that old, I don't know what the hell is wrong with it) so I was SO glad the sheets for the guest bed got clean and dry...whew.

We are both coughing up organs and it's making sleep hard to come by. This is getting ridiculous.

It's only about 10 degrees outside so throwing open any doors to clear it out isn't likely. And we can't open any windows (if we do, they'll never close, original wood windows...)

I am sorry you and your hubby are so sick. When I was sick like this, coughing so much that I couldn't even speak a sentence without starting a coughing fit, a Dr. prescribed an inhaler and it was such a life saver. And I think he prescribed an antiviral since I was getting my butt whooped by a "bug", lol! And frankly when I am sick cleaning is the last thing on my mind. I just get lots of rest, take Dayquill and Nyquill, and tackle that "bug" when I am feeling better.

And I hope that you and your husband get well real soon .

2 years ago I suffered from a sever cough for weeks. I coughed so much that I actually ended up cracking two ribs. After multiple visits to the doctor, one of them finally prescribed me an inhaler too and bingo! my cough was gone in a few short days.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Ame ...Hope you feel better soon.

 

[chemgirl]

Colloidal silver! It has many uses, but we use mainly as a sanitizer. I keep a small spray bottle in each of my children's lunch container because unlike alcohol-based sanitizers that are useless after they dry, silver particles stay on your hands (and other surfaces) and continue to offer protection against germs. You can use it as a cleaning product on all of the hard surfaces in your home. It's odor free and non-toxic. You can Google it and find all kinds of info on it. I prefer a brand called MesoSilver that can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/MesoSilver-Colloidal-Silver-500-16-9/dp/B001064XCY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420484007&sr=8-2&keywords=mesosilver

People are saying they ingest it or spray it in their noses?

Ummm, my workplace uses this stuff to manufacture antibacterial fabrics for hospitals. While it does kills bacteria, it can really mess with your normal flora.

So while it does disinfect, I wouldn't go nuts with it and certainly wouldn't spray it in my nose!

Silver has been used as a natural antibiotic for centuries. More recent research suggests that it can even eradicate antibiotic-resistant microbes like MRSA, Bird flu, and SARS.
Not all silver is created equal, so just because you work with some form of silver on a professional level, does not mean that it's the same as the colloidal silver that people can use in their personal lives. There are 3 main types of colloidal silver: Ionic (which has a low percentage of silver particles. It is a strong anti-microbial, but it is not effective when chloride is present), Silver Protein (which combines silver particles and protein binders. This silver should be avoided because it is known to cause argyria), and True Colloidal Silver (the majority of the silver content is in silver particles and it carries no risk/danger).
I don't "go nuts" with silver - it's just like everything else in life and should be used in moderation. It can be ingested, sprayed in the nose, sprayed in the eyes, put in the ears, etc. and after doing my own research, I wouldn't be uncomfortable doing any of those things with a true colloidal silver. As I said before, my family uses it primarily for hand sanitizer because it offers more protection than alcohol-based sanitizers that are ineffective once they evaporate. I have also used it to clean/sanitize hard surfaces in my home after an illness in the family.

I agree, it does kill bacteria. I have lab reports on my desk that state our silver fabric is mrsa resistant. It definitely has its place. My issue is with injesting it. There is a significant impact on commensual bacteria.

 

[momhappy]

I don't ingest it on a regular basis. In fact, I rarely ingest it, but my research has demonstrated that there are people who do with no adverse effects.
Anyways, this thread was not about colloidal silver, so I apologize to ame if we've gone too far off-topic.
I really hope you feel better ame - it sucks to be sick and it's even worse when you can't seem to make it go away.

 

[PattyCo]

Momhappy, I was shocked when he prescribed the inhaler for me. I always get bronchitis every year and just thought it was just more stubborn. After about 4 days of not being able to speak without it sending me into coughing spasm hubby sent me to stat-care and I left with that inhaler and it was the best thing E-VER. I was so glad that the Dr. treated me in a manner that fit my symptoms and not just sickness, even if it was unconventional treatment for bronchitis.

Ame, I hope you and hubby go back to your Dr. because this sickness seems really bad and you need relief from your coughing even if the source is viral. Even then Tamiflu might help in addition to something strong for your coughs. You don't need to suffer like this. {{{hugs}}}

 

[distracts]

Lysol sprayed on the toilets, counters, sinks, etc. I also will rub straight rubbing alcohol on kitchen counters.

I hope that is 70% isopropyl alcohol, as 100% evaporates off too quickly to penetrate cell barriers. You need around 30% water to penetrate the cell barrier. I am sure you mean straight 70% isopropyl alcohol buuuuut. 99.9% is also easily available - I keep that on hand too for reforming broken makeup powders, but it is ineffective at sterilizing things.

 

[zoebartlett]

Ame, I hope you and your husband feel better soon. I had a bad cold for 2 weeks and my husband's had a horrible cough for about 2 weeks as well. He hasn't gone to the doctor's yet, although I wish he would. He's been going through Nyquil, Dayquil, and cough drops like crazy.

We use Lysol wipes to clean counter tops, sinks, faucets, toilets, the stove, basically most surfaces. I can't remember what I use to clean the shower/tub at the moment (maybe Scrubbing Bubbles or something with bleach in it, ...? I know I've used straight bleach before, but I don't think that's great for the drain or the pipes -- doesn't it corode them?). I'm not sure what we use to wipe down our phones, maybe lens wipes with rubbing alcohol?

My husband loves to run a fan in whatever room he's in, so there's usually a fan going in his office, our bedroom when he's there, and the living room. Those things are dust magnets, so we use Lysol wipes to clean those thoroughly.

I sweep the hardwood floors regularly and mop them with Bona wood floor products usually twice a month. The only other thing we do is wash our hands constantly, and not always with anti-bacterial soap. It's a lot to keep up with, and I'm not sure it's working, but at least our house is pretty darn clean these days! Oh, and we sanitize our electric toothbrush heads in boiling water for about 10 minutes, hoping it kills bacteria. We could and maybe should replace the heads after being sick, but we're hoping this works. When we used regular toothbrushes it wasn't a big deal to replace them but these are a lot of more expensive to replace.

 

[missy]

Hi ame, I have nothing else to add info wise than what is already posted here but I wanted to chime in to say I hope you and your dh feel all better very soon! Sending healthy dust and good vibes your way!!! And of course big (((hugs)))!

 

[ame]

Thank you!

I had my allergy shot today (regular day for it) and my dr had checked me out at my appt last month and given me a zpak for what he determined was likely a sinus infection. He heard me today and I asked if he could check me out to see if I really am fighting a new bug or what is going on and he is trying a different antibiotic bec of the amount of snot I'm dealing with in the cough. DH is improving rapidly bec he can sleep, I cannot sleep bec I'm choking. If I so much as lean it starts! So let's hope!

 

[packrat]

ugh-I hope the new abx work for you Ame. It's horrible, that feeling like you're choking/smothering b/c of all the nasty gunk going down the back of your throat at night. I had many many nights of sitting bolt upright w/my hand on my chest trying to keep myself calm and not freak out over that feeling of not being able to breathe.

 

[lknvrb4]

We always go the natural route and it takes care of things. As soon as we have the feeling of something coming on we start taking three drops of Oregano Oil diluted in something three times a day. I do a couple drops for my kids. I also start drinking this:

http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Double-E-Immune-Booster-Organically-Grown

My newest thing in my arsenal is boiling water and adding a few drops of tea tree oil and then putting a towel over my head and steaming for 10-15 minutes. Apparently tea tree oil is antibacterial/antiviral and breathing it in gets up in the sinuses. I tried this last weekend after feeling like something was coming on and I was back to 100% the very next day.

 

[momhappy]

Thank you!

I had my allergy shot today (regular day for it) and my dr had checked me out at my appt last month and given me a zpak for what he determined was likely a sinus infection. He heard me today and I asked if he could check me out to see if I really am fighting a new bug or what is going on and he is trying a different antibiotic bec of the amount of snot I'm dealing with in the cough. DH is improving rapidly bec he can sleep, I cannot sleep bec I'm choking. If I so much as lean it starts! So let's hope!

When I had my on-going cough around Christmas, I was prescribed a night time cough medicine with hydrocodone. Like you, if I so much as moved slightly in the middle of the night, it would throw me into a coughing fit. Obviously, the hydrocodone allowed me to sleep.

 

[soocool]

Hope you are starting to feel better today. A couple of years ago I was battling numerous sinus infections that left me miserable and unable to sleep. I did not want to keep taking antibiotics so I bought a pillow wedge through Sharper Image that elevates my head and lets everything drain so my sinuses aren't clogged. I bought a Vick's personal humidifier at CVS that I used several times a day. But what truly helped and I use it year round is an ultrasonic diffuser that I also got at Sharper Image (called Jasmine) in which I use essential oils, like eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary, peppermint ( not all at the same time of course). My husband said he has never slept better since using the essential oils and as well as helping me breathe better, it has greatly reduced his snoring. It also helped me get rid of an upper respiratory infection in much less than the 10 days it usually took.

 

[rainydaze]

Hi ame,

Glad to hear your DH is feeling better, and hope the new antibiotics help you!

One winter my family kept getting mildly to moderately sick over and over again until finally I went nuts and disinfected everything like crazy. A day later we all got massively sick at the same time, so I have since been shy of doing that. I keep the house clean, but don't disinfect beyond the usual (toilets, counters, etc.). Since that time, I have started cleaning counters with water and vinegar solution, drinking a glass of water with lemon squeezed in every morning, and taking a spoonful of local or raw honey in the morning and evening whenever anyone shows signs of sickness. Local or raw honey is key, as anything from the store, even organic, is processed to the point of removing what is beneficial in honey. I use it for allergy season too, and those of us who had to take allergy meds no longer need them! We haven't had a problem, or even much sickness, since adopting this approach. The honey has been the most significant and consistent factor, I believe, in us staying healthy these past years. Your sickness is severe and probably past the point of this stuff helping you get better, but maybe going forward these things could help prevent it.

Good luck, I hope you are able to get better and ward it off finally!!