One fifth of all Americans suffer from allergies affecting the sinuses and lungs. During the winter, everyone is trying hard to keep the house warm and closed off from the outside air. Unfortunately, that also seals up the indoor atmosphere where certain pollutants can irritate allergies. These pollutants include dust mites, pets and mold. The way to eliminate the irritation caused by these things is usually as simple as removing the source. The room you most need to focus on is the room you sleep in. Here are a few tips to help keep the sneezing and sniffing to a minimum this winter.

• Keep your house properly ventilated and get fresh air on a regular basis.
• Keep upholstered furniture to a minimum in your bedroom and vacuum it frequently.
• Cover you mattress, pillows and box springs with an impermeable covering. Dust mites thrive in bedding.
• Unclutter the room as much as possible to keep down dust and dust mites.
• Vacuum and dust as frequently as you possibly can. Have someone who is NOT allergy-prone do this, since these activities can really aggravate allergies.
• Try to keep your bedroom uncarpeted. Dust mites love carpeting, and even vacuuming twice a week can’t combat them.
• If you can’t keep your pet outdoors, at least keep them out of the bedroom, and for heaven’s sake, don’t let your pet sleep with you!
• Avoid high humidity. Run humidifiers only when the heater is running.
• Don’t run humidifiers in the room with the door closed.
• Use super-fine furnace filters and change them frequently (at least once a month).