Managing Indoor Nasal Allergies

Allergies to pets and other animals are difficult to accept because a pet is often a loved member of the family and parting with him is often not an option. Although most people think it is hair, feathers, or shed skin that causes reactions, it is actually the saliva and proteins in animals' dander. Urine from guinea pigs, gerbils, mice, and rats can also cause allergy problems. Even pet birds can provoke allergies. If you choose not to remove your pet from the household, try to confine him to one or two rooms or, better yet, outdoors.

Dust and dust mites are everywhere, regardless of how meticulous a housekeeper you are. Dust mites feed on skin flakes shed by humans. They hide under furniture, on shelves, and in rugs, mattresses, pillows, blinds, and curtains. Their waste products, when inhaled, can trigger an allergic reaction. They can survive all year long in warm and humid homes.

Thorough, frequent house cleanings and using a portable high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter will help reduce these airborne allergens. Keeping indoor humidity low and using hypoallergenic covers to encase pillows, mattresses and box springs can reduce exposure.

There are thousands of types of molds, but only a few types trigger allergic reactions. Indoors, molds thrive in dark, damp places such as closets, basements, bathrooms (especially shower stalls and under sinks), houseplants, air conditioners, mattresses, upholstered furniture, old foam rubber pillows, and on wallpaper and window ledges. These areas make perfect breeding grounds for molds, which emit spores when they're disturbed. Millions of microscopic mold spores can become airborne and enter the nasal lining easily when they are inhaled.

Regular cleaning with a weak bleach solution will help eliminate mold and minimize future growth.

Cockroaches often live and die out of sight in urban homes. Their eggs and waste products, as well as the powdery residue of their decomposing bodies, can trigger allergies.

Avoid cockroaches by keeping food in tight-lidded containers, vacuum and sweep the floor after meals, and take out garbage and recyclables frequently. Use lidded garbage containers and wash dishes immediately after use in hot, soapy water.