Did you know that 1 in 9 Australian kids have asthma? More alarmingly, it’s the number one reason for visits to hospital and for school days missed amongst young children.
Caring for children with asthma can be challenging; but while there is no cure, it can be managed. By understanding the different types of triggers lurking in your home and how to target them, you can definitely help your kids lead a healthier, happier, wheeze-free life.
Asthma attacks can be triggered by many things found in and around the family home. One of the most common household allergens is dust, but luckily cleaning can go a long way to avoid it building up and aggravating your child’s asthma symptoms.
Regularly vacuuming floors, rugs, upholstered furniture and mattresses when your child is out of the house can help drastically reduce dust exposures. Don’t forget to launder curtains, bed covers and soft toys too.
Dust all hard surfaces including pictures and vent covers with a damp cloth rather than a feather duster - they simply move dust from one place to another.
The right vacuum cleaner can help manage asthma and allergy triggers in the home. If you have an asthmatic child, make sure you have a vacuum that doesn’t lose suction and has superior filtration. Using a high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, vacuum can reduce exposure to dust that may make your child’s asthma worse.
The National Asthma Council Sensitive Choice Program recommends Dyson vacuum cleaners for families who have children with asthma. This is because Dyson’s patented cyclone technology picks up 99.999% of allergens, trapping them in the machine, before the air even reaches the HEPA filter. By the time the air is expelled from a Dyson, it has up to 150 times less mould and bacteria than the air you breathe.
If you have children with asthma, or know a family that has children with asthma, the 2010 Kids Breathe Better Donate a Dyson campaign, an initiative run by Asthma Foundation Australia & Dyson, has just kicked off.
Kids Breathe Better is looking for Australian families to share their stories for the opportunity to win a brand new Dyson vacuum cleaner. With up to $500,000 worth of Dyson DC23 Turbine Plus vacuum cleaners to give away, Kids Breathe Better hopes to provide Australian families with a helping hand to remove triggers from their homes.
With the right knowledge, skills and tools, your children can do just about anything - asthma shouldn’t get in their way!
To enter and find out more, visit www.kidsbreathebetter.com.au
Let’s work together to help Aussie kids breathe better.
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