If you have a mold allergy, avoiding exposure to the allergen is the best way to manage your symptoms. Avoidance tips include:
• Stay indoors on days when mold counts are high. Sign up for the NAB’s email alert to keep tabs on mold and pollen counts in your area.
• Keep away from uncut fields and avoid raking leaves.
• Take a shower after coming indoors. This will wash out mold spores in your hair to keep them from bothering you all night long.
• Eliminate mold from your home by fixing leaking faucets and pipes.
• Reduce the humidity in your home. Be sure your indoor humidity stays below 60 percent.
• Remove basement carpeting and replace with linoleum or concrete flooring that will not retain moisture.
• Clean mold off walls using a vinegar solution.
In addition to managing symptoms by avoidance, your allergist may also recommend treating your symptoms with over-the-counter or prescription antihistamines, eye drops or nasal sprays.
Immunotherapy (allergy shots) are a form of treatment that provides long-term relief of symptoms. Your allergist will give you shots containing small doses of your allergen, allowing your body to build a natural immunity to the trigger.
