4 tips to help manage your allergies at home

1. Clean your home regularly

Ensure sheets, throws, tea towels, and upholstery are washed more often than usual to get rid of settled dust and pollen particles.

“Bedding is vital [because if] these have particles sitting on them, [they] will be able to attach themselves to you and you could inhale them throughout the night,” Abelovska said.

Cleanliness carries over to your pets, too. Make sure they’re cleaned and groomed to ensure that loose animal hair isn’t being left around your home and causing further irritation.

2. Keep doors and windows closed

As hard as it is during quarantine, keeping the windows and doors closed will keep pollen from traveling inside.

“I would advise opening the window for a few hours in the morning and then try to close them or at least only have them open a crack to try and stop pollen particles from coming in,” said Abelovska.

3. Wash your face

In addition to washing your hands frequently, Abelovska suggests washing your face twice a day.

“If you are suffering quite bad with itchy eyes and a running nose, [washing your face throughout the day can help] get rid of any irritants from the eyes and nose passages. [You can also] try clearing your nasal passage with a salt water solution once to twice a day. This should help to clear any irritants from your nose that have been able to attach themselves to nose hairs,” she said.

4. Put Vaseline on your nose

Abelovska said applying a little bit of Vaseline or another type of balm on your nostrils can help catch and trap pollen particles and keep them from entering your nasal passage.

“You may find you want to do this a few times a day to ensure that the particles stick to the balm, especially if you are sneezing a lot and wiping your nose with a tissue,” she said.