Multi chemical sensitiviy holiday home

One owner, Juliet, suffers from Multi Chemical Sensitivity. She can stay in the house without becoming ill and believes this property would be suitable for the majority of people with this condition (possibly not the most severely affected).

The house is far from public roads. Half of the surrounding fields are owned by us. They are farmed organically. The other fields are permanent grazing land rarely/never treated with chemicals.
The conversion has been done using the minimum possible amount of synthetic chemicals and the furnishing and fittings are similar.
The floors are wooden, treated with Fiddes oil (vegetable based), which did not give off any odour detectable by an MCS sufferer a week after treatment.

There are no carpets and only 2 small rugs (in the sitting areas). These have no odour detectable by an MCS sufferer but can easily be removed.
Four of the mattresses are organic, made from natural materials.
The curtains and cushions have been treated with water-based, non-toxic and odour free fire retardant.
Sofas are faux leather and real leather but not new and have no detectable odour (to MCS sufferer)

Cleaning products are environmentally friendly and non-fragranced.
Fabric conditioner is not used. The laundry is in a separate building.
Air fresheners and pesticides are not used.
Non-fragranced soap is available.

The garden and herbs/fruit are organic. 

There is wireless broadband but this can be switched off for people with electrical sensitivity.
The hobs are fuelled by bottled gas but a small electric hob can be provided instead, on request.
Currently the majority of our guests do not suffer from MCS, so there may have been previous guests with perfume etc, but the air exchange heating system constantly provides fresh air to all rooms and quickly removes smells. We request that all guests minimise the use of chemicals and we do our best to remove anything, e.g. pillows, cushions, which retain any perfume smells. If an MCS sufferer arrives and detects a problem smell from any furniture etc, we can remove it from the house (unlikely to be necessary as the owner is very sensitive to fire retardants, leather preservative etc). Organic mattress/pillows which have not been used by anyone with fragrance are stored in our home and can be put into house for MCS sufferer.
There are logburners (no coal burnt). These are well sealed so little/no smoke comes into house.  We provide logs to burn rather than wood with preservative, paint etc. There is a good underfloor heating system (air heat exchange system) so it is not necessary to light the woodburners unless wanted.

We avoid the use of pesticides and other chemicals on our animals next door (llamas, hens and cats) wherever possible so they are safe to cuddle by people without allergies to animals. When the rest of the world is too noisy and smelly, the owner finds it very therapeutic to sit peacefully in the shed in the evening and listen to the llamas humming to each other and the hens quietly chattering. Guests are welcome to do this.

The extension has a wildflower meadow roof and the house is surrounded by grassland so there is some pollen in summer. Two cats come into the garden and, very occasionally, the house.

Don't be beaten by your fatigue - For people with limited mobility/fatigue we offer various enjoyable methods of exploring the Galloway countryside, such as so sidecar trips (the drivers avoid following vehicles with exhaust fumes - roads are very quiet anyway) or electric bike hire to keep up with, and even overtake, your fit bicycle-peddling friends and relatives.

Residential courses - the artists use non-toxic and environmentally friendly products where possible.
If a participant has MCS, Juliet is happy to make the tutor and other residents aware of the problem. If staying in the shared holiday accommodation was problematic due to fragrances, the MCS sufferer would be welcome to stay in a room in our mostly chemical-free home next door (if not allergic to cats).
Courses may be arranged in the future solely for MCS sufferers if there is a demand for this - please let us know if interested.

Please would anyone suffering from MCS please call, beforehand, to discuss their needs and ensure that the environment will be suitable for them.

People with any other ilnesses/disabilities - please call us beforehand to see if we can make the place suitable for you. We know how difficult it is for MCS sufferers to feel well outwith their home environment and are prepared to make the effort to help people with any problem to have a good holiday.