Guests with nut allergies

Ok, we have a guest coming tomorrow evening who I am told has strong nut allergies, and also is allergic to chickpeas. I have the meal sorted, but I'm concerned about the ambient allergens. I do a great deal of baking with almond flour. Right now said flour is in sealed bags in a cupboard, and I've wiped down and vacuumed the kitchen a few times since the bags have been out or opened. There is also an open bowl of in-shell nuts that's been in the livingroom and one of pistachios on the pantry shelf.   

The guest should realistically only be in the hallway, front loo, livingroom, and kitchen while here.   I've wiped down all the surfaces with detol wipes, but we have a lot of knick-knacks, jars, books, etc., that can only be dusted. We are using disposable plates and cutlery (were planning to do that anyway as I don't have enough china unpacked and it's an informal gathering). I've already sanitized the cookware, and I'm going to be dusting and vacuuming (with a hepa filter) in all the rooms again later today. I have removed any removable textiles (throws, pillows, etc.) and have vacuumed the upholstered furniture and rugs. 

We have warned the guest that there are nut products in the house.  For those people who deal with serious allergies, is there ~anything~ else that I can be doing to minimize any possible problems our guest might have?  We want them to be able to have a nice time with the group.

I would tell them what you've done and ask if they need any other precautions taken. It will depend on the person how bad their airborne allergies are, and they'll be happy you care enough to ask!

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I would tell them what you've done and ask if they need any other precautions taken. It will depend on the person how bad their airborne allergies are, and they'll be happy you care enough to ask!

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Yeah, unfortunately, that's not possible. It's someone the Daughter knows and she's out of pocket today. The only information I was given was "strongly allergic." And that the person has asked others to not eat nuts while they were in the same room. The person was invited by her face-to-face and said they would be here, but I'm not sure if she even has contact info for them. It's not someone she knows well. I can't think of much else I can do, really. She did warn them we bake with almond flour and that we are not a "nut-free" house by any stretch.  I guess "worst case" we can ask them what nibbles they want (they'll be on the counter in the kitchen) and bring them out to them in the living room so they don't have to go in what is probably the most contaminated room.

I do worry a bit much, perhaps, as I am deathly allergic to bird dander (from a few specific species of birds). Another exposure could cause what's left of my lungs to scar up to the point that it would be life-threatening, so not the usual epi-pen situation. The docs told me that there would be no way to know how much exposure was "too much" - if I could safely go in a pet store that had birds for sale or if a flock of pigeons flying overhead or if just being, say, in an airplane three seats back from someone who owns a budgie would trigger the reaction again. So far I've been really lucky, but it does make me aware of the whole "hidden allergies" thing and what a bummer it can be.

If the person shows up, let them know at the door, before they enter.  Apologize for not letting them know in advance, but you were not able to contact them.  But don't let the person enter the flat without being made aware of the situation.  They will then know how safe it is to enter, based on their experience with their condition.

Yeah, I'll remind the Daughter to do that. The person is an adult, so they should both know and decide what kind of risk they want to take.

I can't think of anything else I can pro-actively do at this point. (?)  The house gets dusty and I do my best to keep up, but I can't say that none of that dust doesn't come from the kitchen or crumbs of food that might be eaten in front of the TV in the living room. No matter how many times I vacuum in a row in that darned room, I get to clean the filter afters as there is dust in it! The hallway is worse, with tracking in dirt and stuff from outside. We both shed badly, so there's always a bout of "cut the hair off the beater bar" every week, too!

Darn it, I just found an open bag of peanuts on a shelf right by the kitchen door in the "snack" bin, so they're now up with the almond flour. The Daughter plans to be baking tomorrow, so I'll end up having to mop the floor and wipe down the surfaces afterwards (or rather, I will be "encouraging" her do do so, as she gets flour everywhere!) so hopefully that will take care of anything left of the peanuts. 

Probably better that they just stay out of the kitchen, really, but I'll leave that up to them. They go out to restaurants and shops, where I assume there would be even more contamination, so hopefully they'll just have a nice evening here with us.

That's really great Nan, as I am not sure most folks would be so helpful or understanding for allergies.  I agree with all the advice, tell them as they get to the house what you've done and they can hopefully decide what is an acceptable risk for them. 
Must be quite scary to be in worry of life threatening allergies at any time. 

I would imagine that the guest would not be willing to show up at a place that they were unsure about if their allergies were so severe that the extensive precautions you have already taken were not enough.  The silence / lack of concern shown by your future guest is an indicator of how much concern you should show as well.  Without hearing from them, I'd say you've done a fine job of being hospitable. 

  she's out of pocket today.

 

You've genuinely done everything you can Nan, be proud you're being so inclusive. They will be familiar with their condition and able to judge the safety.

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https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/68729/where-did-the-unavailable-meaning-of-out-of-pocket-come-from   

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/68729/where-did-the-unavailable-meaning-of-out-of-pocket-come-from   

Oh. Wow.  That's a new one on me... every day's a school day!
I've only ever known 'out of pocket' to mean that you've lost money in a transaction, and i was trying to work out how that related to you having someone over for their tea!! 

Oh. Wow.  That's a new one on me... every day's a school day!
I've only ever known 'out of pocket' to mean that you've lost money in a transaction, and i was trying to work out how that related to you having someone over for their tea!! 

Ah, the differences between American and British English. 

I've heard it used since at least the '70s, but that was in Texas so I don't know how wide-spread the use was. Since O'Henry used it in his work around the turn of the 20th century, I assume it is probably of Southern origin.

Ah, the differences between American and British English. 

I've heard it used since at least the '70s, but that was in Texas so I don't know how wide-spread the use was. Since O'Henry used it in his work around the turn of the 20th century, I assume it is probably of Southern origin.

Out of pocket isn't a British saying exclusively, if at all. I've never even heard it used here.

However, I figured out your meaning through context clues.

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However, I figured out your meaning through context clues.

In that context I thought it was a typo!

Out of pocket isn't a British saying exclusively, if at all. I've never even heard it used here.

I hear it a lot, possibly every day... maybe because I work in banking?