Do your allergy symptoms become worse when fall hits? Chances are, your increase in symptoms is due to spending an increased amount of time indoors, where allergens like dust mites, mold spores, and pet dander abound. To keep your allergy symptoms under control as fall rolls in, follow these tips.  

Vacuum daily.

How often do you vacuum your home? Once a week? Whenever company is coming over? If you switch to vacuuming once per day, you'll capture a lot more allergens. You don't have to be exceedingly thorough every time you vacuum. Hit the large sections of carpet each day, and move the furniture to do a deeper vacuuming once a week or so.

Have your carpet professionally cleaned.

A professional steam cleaning session can remove the dust and mold spores that have become more ground-in and are hard for your vacuum to suck up. Make sure you tell your carpet cleaner (such as one from Pro-Steam Plus Carpet Cleaning) that you have allergy issues. Some may use a special shampoo that is less likely to cause sneezing and itching in sensitive individuals.

Clean your door mats.

Door mats are great for ensuring allergens don't get tracked onto your carpet. But, they themselves can be to blame for your symptoms if you don't clean them often. Take your mat outside, and beat it with a broom or stick to get off as much dirt as possible. Then, hose it down to remove any allergens that remain. Try to keep up with completing this task once a week or so.

Buy the right furnace filter.

A standard, $2 furnace filter may do the trick for someone without allergies, but as an allergy sufferer, you'll want to buy a high-efficiency one that promises to trap smaller particles, like pet dander and mold spores. Remember to change your furnace filter every month during the fall and winter, too.

Take your outer layers off before coming indoors.

When you spend time outside raking leaves or trimming bushes, your clothing becomes covered with pollen. Take your outer layer of clothing off before you come inside, so that pollen does not end up in your home. Bag the clothes up and take them straight to the washing machine.

Vacuum your bed.

Your bed can hold onto allergens, too, and if you're like most people, the mattress and box spring rarely get cleaned. Strip the bedding off of your bed (and give it a wash), and then vacuum the mattress and box spring thoroughly with your vacuum's nozzle attachment. You'll rest a lot easier now that the dust and dander are gone!

Allergies are a pain to deal with, but if you follow the tips above, you should find that your symptoms are a lot less noticeable throughout the fall season.