Allergies can provoke a range of symptoms. Sometimes they're merely bothersome and other times they can be life-threatening. Whether you've battled allergies all your life or developed them as an adult, getting proper treatment from an allergist can help you manage your symptoms and make allergy season easier to endure. Besides being tested for allergens and taking medical treatments as recommended by your allergist, here are some other things you can do around the home to keep your symptoms in check.

Keep Allergens Outdoors

If you're allergic to pollen and things outdoors or in the air, then keep your windows closed and use your HVAC system instead. You can add a purifier to your HVAC or set up air purifiers around your home to keep the air as clean as possible in your house. When allergy season is at its peak, you may need to enter through the garage and take off your clothes and shake out your hair so you don't carry pollen inside. Remember your dogs and cats can carry pollen inside too, so you may want to give them a brush or rub down before you let them back into your living area.

Keep Dust To A Minimum

Besides pollen, dust is a big trigger for allergy symptoms. It's actually the dust mites that live in dust, but by keeping dust cleaned up, you'll reduce the amount of dust mites in your home too. You might need to get rid of your carpet since carpet fibers hold on to dust and dust mites. At the very least, consider getting rid of the carpet in your bedroom and install hard flooring that's easy to clean every day. Also, keep the filter in your HVAC changed regularly, dust often, and keep stuffed animals and other dust collectors out of your bedroom.

Avoid What Triggers Your Symptoms

Various foods can cause allergic reactions, and sometimes the reactions can be serious. If you have a food allergy, then keep the foods that trigger your symptoms out of your house so your home is a safe place. You'll need to avoid those foods when you eat out as well, and that can be difficult to do when you're not preparing your meals. So, by cooking at home more and keeping your home free of offending foods, you can reduce the risk of exposure to your food allergens.

Your allergist can give you other tips for living with allergies so you can keep your flare ups to a minimum. However, you may also need to have allergy shots or take allergy medication since you'll have to leave your house daily to work and have a social life. While you may not be able to avoid your allergens completely, you can turn your home into a safe zone where you can sleep and relax without being triggered to cough and sneeze all the time.

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