Spring, while absolutely beautiful, can be one of the biggest nightmares to an allergy sufferer like myself. Just the thought of spring, causes me to curl up behind the couch in hopes that it will pass me by. Those that are affected by the loads of dust and pollen in the air understand what I am talking about.

In Alaska, the biggest time of year to get out and clean your house and your garage is during the break up season, when all of the snow begins to melt and you can finally get everything out of your garage and clean it out. Unfortunately, during this process, you are stirring up all of the dirt and dust that was tracked or driven into your garage during the winter months and because you can't use your outside faucets you have no choice but to allow it to build up. This can at times be one of the biggest nightmares of the season for me, even though I know it's something that I absolutely have to take care of.

But luckily, there are ways that can help to lessen the problems associated with the dust and debris in the air. Over the years, I have found that regardless of how bad the dust and debris is, as long as I stay ahead of it, and think on my feet, I am able to avoid major allergy attacks.

The first thing that I always do in the beginning of the season is purchase a substantial amount of medicine. I do this because once the season starts up, you don't want to find yourself without any of the medicine as it flies off of the shelves. This medicine is one of the most important aspects of my cleaning solution. I then take several of these pills prior to beginning the work. I usually do this about an hour before beginning any work and take more of it as designated by the packaging of the product.

Next, I purchase a simple respirator that is used for painting. They are extremely cheap and will block the large majority of dirt and debris from getting into face, your nose, and eventually your lungs.

I then with the medicine in my system and the respirator on my face, take a hose and lightly dampen the dirt in my garage. By doing this, I prevent it from spraying around as I sweep it out. Next, I use a shovel to push out the thick parts of the dirt, then brush it out with a utility broom. By doing this, I can get out most all of the dirt on the ground quickly and easily without must dust flying around.

The next step is eliminating all of the dust on the shelves and around the room. For this I use a simple air compressor with a hose. I spray all over the garage, releasing all of the dust from it's seated location. Most of this dust will then settle on the floor. I give it a good hour or two to do this and I come back to it. I am then able to sweep the rest of this dust out of the garage.

The main thing to remember when dealing with dust and spring allergies is that you have to be smarter than the allergy. If you interpret your needs before you need them, you'll avoid having any major allergy outbreak that will leave you feeling absolutely horrible. The trick is to really think smart and take extra precautions to ensure that you stay healthy this spring.

Learn more about this author, Clacky McSnackins.
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