The Wheaton Blog
How to Avoid Getting Sick After Moving into a New Apartment or House
With so much that goes into moving, the last thing you need is to come down with a sickness. Whether you get allergies from cleaning dusty attics or stress headaches from all the to-dos of moving, there are many health problems that can arise when you relocate.
Luckily, you can avoid getting sick when you move by being aware of the most common risk factors and their preventions. By understanding these illnesses and how they happen, you can avoid them during your next move.
How to Avoid Getting Sick After Moving into a New Apartment or House
Have you ever noticed that you get the sniffles after a move? If you’re wondering, why do we get sick after moving to a new place? We’re here to give you some answers.
Whether you experience sinus infections or a sore throat after moving into a new house, you can do your best to avoid it. Below you’ll find common causes for moving-based illnesses and how to avoid them:
1. Strengthen your immune system
At any given time, environmental factors contribute to your health. When you relocate, your surroundings change—that’s unavoidable. You’ll face exposure to new places, people and microbes; this is often a huge reason for getting sick after moving into a new house.
New air, new dust, new everything. Your body will take time to adjust to the changed environment. In the meantime, there’s a high likelihood you’ll catch a cold of some sort[JS1] .
How to Strengthen Your Immune System:
- Stay up to date on your vaccinations
- Take your vitamins
- Drink plenty of fluids
- Get the proper amount of rest
- Eat a healthy diet packed with plenty of fiber and nutrients
COVID-19 Prevention Tips:
With COVID-19 and its variants still present throughout the country, it’s important to take preventative measures during your move. According to the CDC, here are a few ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19:
- Wear a mask
- Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arm lengths) from others who don’t live with you
- If you can, get fully vaccinated before your move
- Wash your hands often
- Monitor your health daily
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
2. Clear the air
When you take items out of the attic and other areas of your home that are less trafficked, you stir up dust and other allergens. These irritants may already exist in your home, but they remained dormant until the move.
Additionally, when you enter a new place, there will be unfamiliar dust, pollen and more residue to deal with. Allergies irritate the sinuses and eyes. This irritation can easily lead to sinus infections. Sinus infections lead to redness, swelling, itchiness and other problems no one wants during a move.
Prevention:
- Change air filters in your home ahead of the move to improve indoor air quality
- Dust and vacuum before you begin to pack your home
- Take allergy medication as needed
3. Avoid cuts & keep your hands clean
When moving cardboard around, it’s easy to accidentally cut your hands and fingers on rough edges. Even if you have a fairly shallow cut, there is still the possibility for infection.
Amid the rush to pack items, many people forget something as simple as washing their hands. Clean hands are far less likely to invite infection than dirty ones!
How to avoid cuts and keep your hands clean during your move:
- Wear work gloves during your move
- Wash your hands
- Use hand sanitizer during the moving process
- Seek antiseptic treatment and bandages for any cuts, scrapes or lacerations
4. Have your new space examined
Much like dust from your attic, other elements in a building can cause illnesses, which can lead to something known as Sick Building Syndrome. Sick Building Syndrome refers to poorly maintained structures that expose occupants to various irritants and toxins.
Chemicals, asbestos, radon, water damage and mold all pose risks to occupants of old buildings. Those risk factors increase every time you move. Each jostle could create a leak, cause a pipe to break or reveal a mold pocket. Symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome include throat irritation, dizziness, fatigue, headaches and nausea.
How to Prevent Sick Building Syndrome:
- Get your new living space appraised and inspected before making a purchase
- Check the basement and attic for signs of mold, rot or decay
- Use a free radon test kit from your local government
5. Take time for yourself
Although not the result of a microbial infection, depression and anxiety impact people during and after a move as well. Teens especially experience difficulty adjusting to new surroundings. Some may struggle without a familiar support system nearby.
How to Take Care of Your Mental Health During and After a Move:
- Maintain old friendships via video chat, phone calls and email. Parents, keep in mind that this screen time for your children with their old friends is important; don’t punish bad behavior by taking away this time.
- Meet new people through community activities and social events and encourage your family to do the same.
- Work together to create a new support group.
- Take time to explore your new neighborhood or city.
- Keep in mind that it takes time to adjust. Give yourself and your loved ones that time.
Make Your Move as Easy as Possible by Getting Help from the Relocation Experts
Whether you’re trying to avoid getting sick after moving to a new city or getting sick after moving to a new country, taking care of yourself during relocation will help you avoid sickness and fatigue. Along with using these prevention tips to stay healthy, you can enlist help from a professional moving company like Wheaton World Wide.
We can do the heavy lifting (literally) during your move to keep you happy, safe and healthy when you arrive at your new space. Get in touch with Wheaton today to get started!