The Northwest Asthma & Allergy Center at the Mayo Clinic offers the following tips to keep allergens at bay:

• On dry, windy days when pollen counts are especially high, stay inside and close windows and doors. Tree pollens that give people the most trouble in this area are alder, birch and cottonwood, and, to a lesser degree, elm, ash, juniper and oak. Many kinds of grasses, including Kentucky bluegrass and velvet, send out pollen that cause reactions. Weeds aren't usually as big a problem, but English plantain is one that sets some people off.

• Use a dehumidifier in the house to decrease dust mites. And a high-efficiency particulate (HEPA) air filter in the bedroom reduces pet dander and pollen at night.

• Get someone else to do yard work, which stirs up the grass pollens and molds.

• Encase pillows, mattresses and box springs with allergy-proof covers.

• Wash sheets, blankets, pillowcases, mattress pads and other bedding in water heated to at least 130 F, the temperature needed to neutralize proteins from dust mites that cause a reaction.

• If you're allergic to dust mites, consider living without carpeting, especially in the bedroom. If you keep carpeting, clean it at least weekly with a vacuum that has a HEPA filter.

Source: Dr. Leonard Altman