What not to wear: kafunsho edition

We're a family of allergy sufferers. My daughter and I are probably the least affected, but my husband deals with seasonal allergies quite badly, and my son does too. I still end up getting the sniffles and scratchy eyes from time to time when spring arrives, and we've all tried a few different remedies to get the symptoms to stop. Wearing masks, taking over the counter meds, and even adjusting what we eat to incorporate foods said to assist allergies like yogurt are just some of what we've attempted.

One thing we hadn't really considered though was what to wear – or perhaps it's better to say what not to wear – when kafunsho season rolls around. A variety of research has been conducted about how different fabrics attract and retain pollen, and some fabric types are better to wear than others. 

Have you ever thought about the type of clothes you wear during kafunsho season? They can definitely have an impact with regards to the amount of pollen being brought into your home or workplace!

This piece of research from the International Journal of Aerobiology looked at pollen transportation on clothes, which can be a significant factor in bringing allergens into the home. A variety of different clothing fabrics were tested, including cotton, polyester, and wool to name a few. Wool and fleece sweaters were found to have pollen loads almost three times higher than flatter fabrics, so if you're susceptible to pollen allergies, that's something to consider! Ditch the fuzzy, fluffy stuff for something with less space for pollen to attach to.

One bonus that the research found was that shaking clothes before bringing them inside helped to dislodge over half of the pollen accumulated on them. If you are wearing something fuzzy or fleecy (because let's be honest, spring's arrival doesn't always mean the weather warms right up), give it a good shake before you bring it back into your house. You'll be doing yourself a massive favor just by taking that quick step.

This research on how pollen attaches to different fabrics also brought up another important point – wet or moist fabrics attracted more pollen than dry ones, so consequently, drying your clothes outdoors during kafunsho season probably isn't a great idea. If you can dry your clothes indoors during this time of year, it would be highly advisable to do so.

I hope if you (or your family) are also allergy sufferers, that this research helps you consider your clothing choices during kafunsho season. Obviously sometimes it's unavoidable and something fleecy/woolly has to be worn, but if that's the case just be sure to give it a good brush off before it comes inside. It's also a great reason to utilize your genkan area, and keep woolly/fleecy coats or outer garments hung up there when possible.

Had you ever considered your clothing choices could be affecting your allergies? Perhaps you had already noticed a correlation between certain fabrics you wear attracting more or less pollen.