My House Is Killing Me!: The Home Guide for Families with Allergies and Asthma

by Jeffrey C. May

It's a world we barely see, but it is teeming with life. In the dust of a typical house, carpet beetles, mites, silverfish, and other creatures live and die, producing new generations every few months. Mold, bacteria, and yeast lurk undetected in heating and cooling systems. Debris dispersed into the air from these organisms can cause runny noses, itchy eyes, coughing, headaches, and breathing difficulties. Some people, especially those made highly sensitive by allergies, suffer from devastating health problems and the worry that, as one such sufferer lamented, "My house is killing me!" Scrutinizing house dust and air samples with a microscope, indoor air quality expert Jeffrey C. May has spent his career helping people identify what's causing their chronic health problems. In My House Is Killing Me! he draws on the dramatic personal stories of his clients' suffering and relief to help readers understand the links between environmental factors and problems like allergies and asthma. Explaining how air conditioning, finished basements, and other home features affect air quality, he offers a step-by-step approach to identifying, controlling, and often eliminating the sources of indoor pollutants and allergens. If we could see this contamination, May observes, the air would look as murky as stagnant water, and we would know not to breathe it. Reading My House Is Killing Me! lets you see your house the way an expert would. Just as he looks at spaces and systems during an indoor air quality investigation, May focuses first on the areas of daily life (bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen), then looks into attics and basements (including heating and air conditioning), and finally moves outside to the garage and the exterior of a home. Along with offering a wealth of practical advice and proven solutions for various problems, he includes a glossary of terms and a list of valuable resources.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Design

352 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2001

About the author

Jeffrey C. May, M.A., CIAQP (Certified Indoor Air Quality Professional) is a building consultant, indoor air quality expert, and the principal scientist of May Indoor Air Investigations LLC in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has conducted indoor environmental investigations in thousands of buildings, including offices, schools, and homes; and he has personally analyzed over 20,000 air and dust samples. Widely published, May frequently lectures nationally about indoor air quality.

Reviews

[Jodyishappy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book and was setup well. Each chapter addressed a different area of the home and problems that often happen there. Reading the chapter will let you enjoy several funny little stories which will really make you think. At the end of the chapter there was something like a bullet check off list. I liked the organization. I like how the author used they technical terms, but always defined them for you as well. I will warn you, this book is NOT A FAST READ. I would read about something, need to stop to investigate my own home, before I could go on with the next subject. I really helped me find a number of areas we could improve our own home. However, I think my husband wanted to burn the book. Every time I picked it up, he had 10 more things on his "honey-do list." But, if your family has breathing problems, I really recommend this one.

[Jessica Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives the reader insight on environmental allergies. Animals like dogs, cats and birds can spur allergies. A cat litter box in particular has litter that often contains corn starch granules that aerosolize. When the cats pee in the box the aerosolized granules that contain cat saliva and urine cause allergies. Water-based vacuums also aerosolize cat allergens and make allergies worse after cleaning.

Using a vacuum that prevents aerosolization is important when you own a cat. One way to prevent the aerosolization into the room is to have a top on the litter box to prevent the spread of allergens in the air. Another way is to look for a hypoallergenic litter. Books that smell musty contain allergens from microscopic arthropods whose feces create mold and allergens.

Old pillows, wool, and feathers can cause allergies as well. Microscopic organisms ingest these fibers and the fecal material cause allergies. Cockroach and other insect infestations cause allergies because thier fecal matter are allergens. If you eat the food that roaches were on you can get food poisoning, or suffer from allergies from the consumed cockroach stool. Take notice of the mattresses that you sleep on, and the air conditioning. Non-enzyme laundry detergent is best for hypoallergenic washes. I am grateful for the insight I have gained from this health-saving guide.

[Elise]

Every time I visit there is something at my parent's house that bugs me and tickles my allergies so I thought I'd pick this up to see if this shed light on anything. But this book is primarily about house problems on the East Coast USA, where I do not live, so not much of it was applicable. No problems with fungal growths in my attic or crawl space here!
Despite it not applying to me, I did listen to the whole book and it was very interesting to hear about a plethora of issues I never would have thought about, and how in some people, like those more sensitive to chemicals, odors, or mold allergies, they can create huge health problems. Kinda scary, but good to know that there are various ways to mitigate or prevent them from happening.

[Bec · Rating 2 out of 5]

It could have been a lot shorter. It felt like there was a lot of rambling about examples of when someone had a problem with their house. Probably a good book if you've never looked at this stuff before.

[Darlene M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must Read for Allergy Prone People

This book is so informative and well written. It’s a treasure for anyone sensitive to allergens who wants to have a healthy home air environment or who wants to buy the right type of home for their sensitivities.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good case for both cleaning thoroughly, and leaving the commercial cleaning products at the store. Helps us think about whether we should bring that Target plastic-smell home with us...

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm very glad to have read this before buying a house.

[E Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t finish the book. He did a good job illustrating his points with real life examples. Once I a decent way in though it came across as being redundant.

[ManOfLaBook.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been used as a refrence guide once we found we had mold in the house. When we called up several companies to get quotes we knew what to ask, which equipment they should use, how they should go about cleaning etc.

It helped us make a better choice, make sure we weren't wasting our money and get informed about the subject.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so helpful. Some of my family has allergies, and also gets migraines from environmental toxins or allergens. The book helped me to identify things that needed to be changed in the house or removed, and I can already see a difference in our health and fewer migraines. There were some things mentioned in here that I never would have thought of myself.

[Michelle Coutu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this book is a solid guide for families with allergies and asthma issues. It addressed a lot of seemingly common sense scenarios in an antidotal format making it an easy ready for those without a strong science background. I personally found it lacking but can see where it would be a useful resource for those who have never had to manage moisture and biological growth in buildings before.

[Andres · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be an overkill on staying clean and allergen free, but wow, so much valuable information. I absolutely loved it. It made me do a serious clean up in my apartment, get rid of the old blanket, clean every corner, Clorox spray all the moldy parts in the bathroom, and much more. Will be either re-reading this book again before I buy a house or will hire an IAQ inspector.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want to be totally grossed out by your house, read this. Or, for a positive spin, if you want to find out ways to make your house as clean as possible, read this. There's interesting stuff living in our walls, attics, basements... gack!!!

[Jody Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is so much to learn when you have allergy issues. This book is well documented.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

From basement to attic, great tips for identifying and controlling sources of allergins and indoor pollutants. No wonder we are all having health issues.

[Edy Gies · Rating 3 out of 5]

I see the necessity and I did learn some things, but it was really, really, gross.

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good information in this book but I was definitely not the target audience. The author seems very knowledgeable.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too overwhelming to read all of it but I did read the parts applicable to me!

[Melissa]

My boys have asthma & I will do anything to help them.

[Carol Collins]

softcover
2001