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Health & Wellness Articles  ›  Surviving Seasonal Allergies

Avoiding Outdoor Allergens

Tips for Your Home, Car, Yard and More

-- By Leanne Beattie, Health & Fitness Writer
  • Remove weeds from your yard before they can pollinate and spread.

  • Change your clothes immediately and take a shower after you have been outdoors. This helps to remove any pollen that may be trapped on your clothing or in your hair. Keep a new set of clothes in the garage to change into instead of tracking pollen throughout your home.

  • Use a clothes dryer to dry your laundry instead of hanging items out to dry. Pollens and mold spores can collect on line-drying laundry, making your symptoms worse when you bring the items inside again.

  • Keep all windows and doors closed during the allergy season to prevent allergens from coming in with the breeze; use an air conditioner to cool your home instead of a fan, which can pull more pollen inside.

  • Keep you car windows closed to prevent contact with airborne allergens; use the air conditioner to cool the interior.

  • Plan your vacation time carefully. Take a holiday near the beach or ocean during the height of the pollen season to reduce your amount of exposure. Time your other outdoor activities (hiking, cycling, etc.) for times when pollen counts are lower.

  • Rinse your nasal passages with saline spray after being outdoors to remove any pollen you may have inhaled.

  • Don't wash your cat or dog yourself. Ask a friend or family member to wash your pets regularly to remove any pollens they may have collected while outside.

  • Place washable area rugs at all entrances to your home to help trap allergens before they are carried throughout the house. Wash rugs each week in hot water.
    • The best way to avoid outdoor allergens is to plan ahead and work your life around your sensitivities. Knowing your area’s pollen count is a good place to start. The National Allergy Bureau gathers pollen and mold counts from across the country and reports them to the media several times each week; check your local newspaper or radio station for details. These results are also posted on the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology’s website.
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    About The Author

    Leanne Beattie Leanne Beattie
    A freelance writer, marketing consultant and life coach, Leanne often writes about health and nutrition. See all of Leanne's articles.

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