Irritant in the house?

Ectophile

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82146967#Comment_82146967

Weather. We have lots of it in this country! It can be hot and dry, hot and humid, cold and dry or cold and damp.

Too dry can lead to tickly coughs. Too damp encourages mould.

You can buy gadgets that are combination thermometer and hygrometer to keep an eye on the humidity.

cpbackhouse

If it makes any difference I have had a dry cough for a couple of weeks too, but healthy otherwise. Chatting with friends at least 2 of them say the same thing.
We just assumed there was something doing the rounds.

FlorayG

Thanks for all the possible diagnoses but what I'm asking for is a way to find out what it is. It's clearly something inside the house

LightFlare

could be our “old friend” from a few years ago

It’s still around

Bigphil1474

Do you have a wood burner? My OH sometimes gets a dry cough if we fire up the wood burner, and it's getting to that time of the year. When you say there's nothing new in the house - no new coats, shoes, wooly jumpers, throw on the sofa, any animals?

If it's affecting you both, then you either are both infected or as you say, something in the house. You should be able to rule out any room you don't share. You can probably rule out the bathroom unless you spend hours in there every day. Similarly the kitchen. Prime suspect would be the living room assuming you share one. Remove any suspect items. Can you lift the carpets? Might be worth checking underneath to make sure there's no burst pipes or signs of anything leaking up from below.

Are you attached to a neighbour? They could be running a meth lab or something (probably not), but worth speaking to them and see if they are having any issues. Are you in a Radon area? Can be an early sign of Radon issues although extremely rare.