Tips for Managing Indoor Triggers for COPD Patients

Smoke, cooking fumes, mold, dust and use of aerosol products all may irritate you and cause you to have increased breathing difficulty. Use the tips below to make your home more comfortable.

Smoke & Fumes

People can encounter smoke and fumes in many places, both at home and out in public places. For people with COPD, exposure to smoke or fumes can cause coughing episodes and other breathing difficulties.

If you cannot control the source of the smoke or fumes, the only tactic for protecting yourself may be to leave the area. At home, however, people with COPD and their families can take steps to keep the air clear of smoke and reduce unnecessary exposure to fumes. Tobacco smoke is a large contributor to unhealthy home air. But fumes also can build up in the kitchen, bathroom or any work area.

¨ Make your home a non-smoking area. Remove all ashtrays and ask family members and guests to step outside if they must smoke.

¨ Open a window or turn on an exhaust fan anytime that fumes may build up. If you don't have exhaust fans, install them.

¨ Open the garage door completely, if you're working with paint, car care products, or other materials that create fumes.

¨ Use a paint brush rather than a sprayer.

¨ Use the auto-fill feature at the gas pump, so you can step away from the fumes.

¨ Do not overfill the gasoline tank when filling your car or your lawn mower.

¨ Keep the doors of all rooms open to promote air circulation.

¨ Open a window for a few minutes several times a day during the winter months and leave a window slightly open during the summer.

¨ Install ceiling fans to increase circulation, but be sure to keep them clean.

Dust & Dirt

When you have COPD, you may be more sensitive than usual to dust and dirt in your environment. Even if your home is kept immaculately clean, there may be unseen sources of dust, such as bedding, draperies or carpets.

¨ Regularly clean your home, or get someone else to do it.

¨ Make sure you clean those out-of-sight areas where dust may collect, such as the coils on refrigerators, dryer filters, water pans under refrigerators, ceiling fan blades, and furnace ducts.

¨ Replace air conditioner and heater filters regularly.

¨ Consider wearing a mask if you know you will be exposed to dust or dirt. Make sure to use a mask that filters out the type of particles you will encounter.

Aerosol Products

Aerosol canisters propel a fine mist into the air that can be irritating for people with breathing problems. Often this mist also includes chemicals that are harmful to people, especially those with COPD. Limiting your exposure to aerosolized products can help avoid episodes of coughing, breathlessness, and other breathing difficulties.

¨ Use roll-on deodorants and non-aerosol pump sprays, rather than aerosol canisters.

¨ Avoid using perfumes, colognes, and hairsprays. Leave the room if someone else is using one of these products.

¨ Use baking soda or vinegar and water as a substitute for chemical cleaners.

Mold & Mildew

Mold and mildew can grow anywhere that there is moisture, whether indoors or out. Airborne spores from molds and mildews can trigger breathing problems for susceptible people with COPD. You can minimize unnecessary problems by taking measures to remove sources of mold and mildew from your environment and prevent them from re-growing.

In the bathroom...

¨ Clean tiles regularly.

¨ Use an exhaust fan or open a window to remove moisture after bathing or showering.

¨ Wipe down wet surfaces after bathing.

In basements and garages...

¨ Consider waterproofing the cement floors and foundation walls.

In the whole house...

¨ Use air conditioners and dehumidifiers to maintain indoor humidity below 60 percent.

¨ Empty air conditioner, refrigerator, and dehumidifier drip pans regularly.

¨ Consider using a terrarium to enclose your houseplants, which can be a source of mold.