Heal of Southern Arizona MCS Pages home

Preparing Your Home for the

Chemically Sensitive Visitor

[Sample letter from MCS patient to friend or relative.]

Dear loved one,

Thank you for inviting me to stay in your home. You asked what you should do before I arrive to remove thing that might cause me to have a reaction. When preparing for my arrival, you do not have to buy anything or do anything special, mostly not doing stuff is the key to getting less toxic. Here is a simple list:

1. Do not spray anything at all in the air for 24 hours prior to my arrival (includes all cleaning products and personal products such as deodorant, hair spray, etc even pump sprays.)

2. When cleaning, the simplest thing is to not use anything but the vacuum and water. Specifically, please do not use – furniture polish, floor wax or cleaner, Lysol or Clorox, Windex. For dishes and laundry that must be done while I am there, I will bring soaps.

3. Remove right now any deodorizers –plug-in, oils or potpourri.

4. Stop spraying or using any perfumes or colognes right now. It takes months for those chemicals to wear off your skin.

5. Do not use any dryer sheets or fabric softener (Ever, very bad stuff, implicated in Crib deaths and makes clothes highly flammable (use vinegar instead in the rinse).

6. You could also wash some special clothes in just water or baking soda to wear when we hug.

7. Open a window in the room I will be in, and run the air cleaner.

8. As for baby, if you will tell me what you do use, like diaper wipes, I will bring things I can tolerate to use on the little one, while I am there if that is OK?

9. I am also bringing some hand soap I had made for you, please stow all deodorant soaps etc, including ivory (it is scented), when I get there.

10. If you are going to buy some product, get the kind that says no perfumes added or fragrance free.

Your willingness to do this for me is wonderful and makes me feel very loved. I can’t tell you how I am looking forward to our visit.