I am so allergic to something this summer. I’m conked out on Benadryl even as I type, but being blurry headed is better than constant sneezing, dripping nose, swollen eyes, and face that feels like about a dozen of Gulliver’s little people are jumping on my cheekbones.

It wasn’t so bad until I showed a house yesterday.  The house was amazing with original hardwood floors, gorgeous trim throughout, and a fantastic floor plan.  But when we looked up - room to room - there were little patches of black here and there.  I squinted hard, but it sure looked like mold to me.  And now my nose has confirmed it less than 24 hours later.

Is your house making you sick?

If you have a constant case of the sniffles, get sick often with a fever, and feel a general sense of malaise, then you should investigate the possibility that you might have lead-based paint, mold, mites, toxins, radon, or other potential problems.  Medicine.net has an interesting article about what can go wrong inside, over, and under your house.

Though we may be at higher risk for environmental-related conditions and illnesses than ever before, the good news, says [Robert] McLellan, is that from a preventive standpoint, much can be done. "If we build, design, and operate our homes in a healthy manner, we can keep a lot of these problems from getting out of hand."

There are cures for a sick house… one is cleaning it for problems related to stacked up dishes and not enough dusting and vacuuming.  Moms Newz outlines some spring cleaning tips, but my vote is it doesn’t have to be spring to do some cleaning.  I’ve seen this happen, too:

As a frequent mover, and a consultant to Realtors, I have seen terrible cases of Seller’s Remorse. This occurs when homeowners put their home for sale. They go to great lengths to get it in shape to sell with thorough cleanings, needed repairs, paint touch-ups, even landscaping. Then they see how with a little polish their chunk of coal turns into a real diamond, and they begin to regret that they didn’t put more attention into it all along. Some even take their house off the market.

Come on folks.  Spend some time doing a deep clean on your home.  You’ll be glad you did!

Photo from right here.