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Natural fir tree
Artificial Christmas tree
How to avoid a fir tree allergy
So, the holidays are just around the corner. For an allergy sufferer, a nose is a delicate organ, so let’s not joke with it. In general, New Year’s holidays are coming soon. For some, the spruce smell will add a good mood, and for others, extra tears.
A reminder of childhood – a fluffy beauty, a Christmas tree can become a Trojan horse in our apartment.
If your dad, husband or Santa Claus brought a live fragrant spruce and you seem to be happy, but tears are flowing, your nose is stuffed up, your eyes turn red, maybe her this tree, toys can be hung on the chandelier.
A stuffy nose and tears are nothing, but more dangerous symptoms may appear: urticaria, fever, bronchospasm.
Do you think it’s easier with an artificial tree? No matter how it is.
Natural fir tree
The tree does not bloom in winter, which means there is no pollen, what does the allergic person react to?
Mold spores
More than 50 types of mold can be found in the needles and bark of spruce, which can cause exacerbation of bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis.
The concentration of spores in the air increases if you keep the tree in a bucket of water or sand.
Wood pollen, essential oils
In the warmth of our apartments, the tree begins to release essential oils – the reason for the unforgettable pine smell.
Allergy sufferers need to be very careful with essential oils, otherwise they can change their home sofa for a hospital bed.
Allergens
Pollen, dust, animal hair are well preserved in tree bark.
Insects
You probably know from your school botany course that in the fall, forest insects find their winter quarters in the bark of trees.
In the apartment, the inhabitants of the forest wake up and provoke allergies among the inhabitants of the apartment.
Chemicals
The ubiquitous chemicals used by caring vendors to treat Christmas trees. Without beauty-prolonging sprays, spruce will quickly lose all its needles.
What is good for trade, bad for an allergic person – fumes provoke a reaction.
Animals
And here is my New Year’s story. In December, Christmas trees are sold on our street. Dog breeders walk along the same street. I was standing, looking at the trees and suddenly I saw – a cute little dog raised its paw on the tree. The dog is not shy, and the owner is not shy either. What can you do, pulls the animal to nature. In general, beware.
Needles
Especially dangerous for small allergy sufferers – they can get into the respiratory tract and eyes.
Artificial Christmas tree
Yes, artificial trees have no drawbacks of natural wood: there is no smell, they do not crumble, they serve for a long time, they preserve nature. However, they also contain something dangerous for an allergic person.
Dust
Where do you keep your artificial tree for a whole year? That’s right, out of sight, on a balcony, in a closet or garage.
Even if you store the tree in a vacuum bag, when you put it in the room, the branches and toys will attract dust.
Substandard materials
Like many other things, the Chinese brothers now make the trees. They do not always know how wood looks and hardly care about the environmental friendliness of materials.
Low-quality PVC Christmas trees retain a specific smell for a long time and emit phenols, formaldehydes, phthalates.
When you buy an artificial tree, keep in mind that it should not smell already in the store. Sniff and check the quality certificate.
Flavors
Do you like the smell of pine needles, you can’t live without it? Then take a walk in the coniferous forest or go to the Christmas tree market. At home, you cannot water an artificial tree with a flavoring agent!
What to do
Advice to those for whom a holiday without a tree is not a holiday. I will say right away, no matter what you do, it is almost impossible to clean the tree from allergens.
| Natural fir tree | Artificial trees |
| Do not leave at home for more than a week. | Unpack and hold for a couple of days in the garage, on the street, or on the balcony. |
| Do not put in the bedroom and children’s room. | Before installing, thoroughly shower the tree or steam it. Especially if it is stored on the balcony, which is open during the bloom of your allergens. |
| Before bringing the tree into the house, wash it, shake it well and dry it. | Replace your spruce every 10 years. |
| Ask the seller for a certificate of quality and be sure to take a check. | |
| Ventilate the room where the tree is located as often as possible. |
And if on these holidays, next to the tree, you first noticed unpleasant sensations in yourself, it is better to take the tree out of the apartment and consult an allergist.