Make Your Bedroom a Safe Haven from Indoor Allergies

Allergies create a banal sort of misery. You're plagued with a stuffed-up nose, watery and itchy eyes, and sinus pressure and pain. While you're not about to keel over, having trouble breathing is an ever-present distraction. Make your bedroom an allergen-free zone with these six easy steps, and your quality of life will improve dramatically.

The bedroom: your first line of defense

Where do you spend most of the time in your house? Cooking in the kitchen? Relaxing in the family room?

Think again.

We spend one-third of our lives in the bedroom. That's eight hours a day, in bed, sleeping. Reducing allergens in this one room will have a tremendous impact on your quality of life. You'll sleep better and wake up more refreshed. You'll be less congested. Your body will get a more rejuvenating rest when you aren't struggling to breathe in the process.

Bedroom allergen culprits and solutions

The top indoor allergen is dust. Usually this is actually an allergy to dust mites, especially their waste and their deteriorating carcasses. Ick. Want to know what else is in dust? Are you sure? All right, pet dander is in dust. That wasn't so bad, was it? Oh, don't forget-if you live in an urban area or warm parts of the country, dead cockroaches and their waste are also being incorporated into that innocuous dust, and you are likely allergic to those too. Eww.

1. Dust regularly.
Use a damp cloth, not a feather duster. You want to catch and remove the dust, not swish it around.

2. Reduce or eliminate carpeting and rugs in the bedroom.
Bare floor is best, both because it's harder for allergens to cling to and accumulate, and also because it's easy to clean. If you have or can get bare floors in your bedroom, simply mop the floor once a week. Avoid dry methods of cleaning, such as sweeping, as this will stir up dust. An electric broom, or even a dustbuster in the corners will help between wet-downs.

Can't ditch the carpeting? Don't worry. You'll have a harder time keeping the allergens down, but you can help by having the carpet shampooed. If you're sensitive to perfumes, do it early in the day. Regular vacuuming will also help keep the dust down.

3. No pets allowed in the bedroom, ever.
Why? That darn pet dander. Keep the door shut and never allow your pets in there. It will pain you, but the bedroom must become a pet-free zone. Console yourself by picturing the extra energy you will have to play with your pets once you begin sleeping better.

4. Reduce clutter.
Fewer items in your bedroom, and fewer items sitting out, means less dust collecting on surfaces. Keeping surfaces dusted, with a damp cloth, not a dry one, is, of course, a must.

5. Try allergen-blocking bedding coverings.
A major dust culprit is the dust that accumulates in your mattress over the years, as well as the dust that accumulates inside (yes, inside) your pillows. Allergen-blocking bedding coverings are tightly-woven pillowcases and mattress covers that zip closed. They keep the dust mites out of your pillows and mattress and are a great weapon in your anti-allergen arsenal.

6. Wash your bedding weekly, in hot water.
Cold or warm water won't cut it; only hot water will kill those dust mites. Throw in the comforter too! That's right, every thing that goes on your bed, should go in the wash. Comforters stand up pretty well to the hot water treatment, but become worn a little more quickly than they would have otherwise. Don't forget to give your pillows the hot water treatment once in a while as well-every week isn't necessary now that you have them encased in the allergy-blocking pillowcases, but every month or two is a good idea.

Even if the rest of the house is carpeted, with pets running around, and a bit of dust collecting here and there, use these steps to turn your bedroom into a safe haven from allergies. Your nose will thank you for it.