Fall allergies are upon us. Here are a few suggestions to keep your team from sniffling and sneezing this season:

• Wear a mask while raking leaves or working with mulch or hay.
• Use a dehumidifier in your home to avoid mold—and clean it regularly!
• Wash bathroom tiles and shower curtains with mold-killing products.
• Discuss your child’s allergies or asthma with his or her school nurse and teacher.
• While cool fall temperatures are ideal for planting flowers and trees, try to plant things that produce little pollen, such as fir, pine, dogwood, azaleas, tulips, irises and pansies, to avoid irritating allergies.

What causes eye-itching irritants in the first place?

• Late summer allergies and lingering warm weather.
• Raking leaves or mowing the lawn, which can stir pollen and mold in the air.
• Classroom irritants and allergy triggers like chalk, classroom pets and food items in the cafeteria.

Sources: Zywave, American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology