TIP #1: Avoid Triggers Seasonal allergies are driven by the higher than usual concentration of allergens like pollens, grasses, and spores in the air. The bad news is these irritants are all around us; the good news is you can take steps to minimize your exposure. For example, on particularly bad air quality days you should stay indoors and keep your windows closed during the daytime hours (pollen counts tend to drop at night).   “Pollen tends to be highest on sunny, windy days, so when that kind of weather appears you should do indoor things like go to the mall or take in a movie,” says Dr. Steven Machtinger, an allergist with Mills-Peninsula Medical Group. Dr. Machtinger also recommends keeping your car windows rolled up and using your vehicle’s air-conditioner to filter out allergens.   To find out about air quality in your area, visit www.weather.com, which provides an “allergy index” by zip code.

TIP #2: Maintain a Safe Haven

Many people don’t’ realize that if you’ve been outdoors during a peak allergen day, pollens and other airborne triggers can settle on your clothing, skin and hair. Without realizing it you can bring this allergy-inducing detritus into your home. To keep your house a sanctuary from such triggers, remove your shoes, change your clothes, and take a shower when you get home. It’s especially important to keep pollen and spores from making their way onto your bed linens – otherwise the sneezing and congestion could continue all night. As an extra precaution, wash your sheets, pajamas, and clothes as often as possible to rid your home of these persistent allergens.

TIP #3. Rinse and spray.

Rinsing your nose with a saline solution can provide fast-acting and medication-free relief from the symptoms of allergies. The currently in-vogue “neti pot” – an ancient teapot-like tool that helps irrigate your nasal passages – is a good way to clear allergens out of your nose (a squirt bottle will also work just as well). You can make your own saline solution by mixing 8 ounces of water with half a teaspoon of table salt or pick up a saline-solution nose spray at your local drugstore. Be sure to mix the proportions correctly as overly salty solutions can irritate rather than soothe the nose. “The nice thing about the neti pot or nose spray is you get immediate relief and you can repeat the treatment as often as you like,” says Dr. Machtinger. If those options just seem too messy, “a hot shower also provides a similar benefit,” he adds.

TIP #4 Manage with over-the-counters.

When your allergies are particularly vexing, look to your local drugstore for inexpensive solutions. “We now have excellent over-the-counter options for managing seasonal allergies,” says Dr. Machtinger. Two inexpensive generic drugs in particular provide long-lasting relief without causing drowsiness in most people: loratadine and cetirizine “These drugs can provide up to 24 hours of relief and they tend not to interact with other medications patients might be taking,” he notes. If these suggestions don’t clear up your allergy symptoms, consult your doctor about other treatment options – including a corticosteroid nose spray – which might be a better fit for you.

Nagging allergy symptoms – running nose, itchy eyes, and incessant sneezing – can interfere with your work, social life and sleep during the height of allergy season. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Incorporating these simple tips into your allergy management routine can help change your relationship with the outdoors – and with your Kleenex box -- during the growing and blooming season.