by Tom Sutcliff

Created on: September 18, 2007

Since much of our allergy problems are the result of indoor air pollution, here are some ways to reduce your suffering:

1. Vacuum often. This is something that's easy to forget, but a good vacuum cleaner like a Dyson takes the junk out of your carpets that's tracked in by you, your spouse, your pets and whoever else in coming and going through your home. If you have pets like I do, I suggest vacuuming every other day.

2. Keep your AC filter clean. I strongly suggest buying a reusable air conditioning filter. They are more expensive but the value is much greater in the long run since you won't have to replace the filter every month. Every other week, take the reusable filter out and hose out all of the dirt that has accumulated. Let it dry in the sun for a few hours and you'll be ready to go.

3. Get a Neti Pot. This is an old Indian technique that uses sea salts and warm water to rinse out the nasal passages. The Neti pot is just a small, plastic pot that resembles a tea kettle. You fill it with warm water and deposit an individual packet of sea salt into the pot. You usually find the Neti pot with a package of sea salt at most drug stores.

4. Use wet wipes to capture dust. Instead of traditional feather dusters that just dislocate dust from furniture, use wet wipes capture and remove dust from flat surfaces.

5. Clean fan blades. It is easy to forget about the dirt that accumulates on ceiling fan and box fan blades, but taking a wet wipes to these surfaces - with the fan turned off - will help reduce the dust in your home.

6. Get an ion-style air cleaner. I'm partial to the Sharper Image Ionic Breeze air cleaners that I own because they work so well. Every other week, I'll clean off the cleaning rods with a damp rag and I can see all the dirt that has accumulated. Like the reusable air filter, the initial expense is high but the long term value is excellent.

These are six steps that I've taken to reduce my allergy problems and I'm confident that they'll work for you and your family.

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