Inside allergies nothing to sniff about

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) - Cooler weather means more of us spend time indoors instead of outdoors.

Unfortunately, allergens inside your home increase as the temperatures drop.

We're changing from a season of outdoor allergies into a season of indoor allergies causing you to itch, sneeze and sniffle.

"Dust, dust mites and mold, which is in the house all the time, really gets concentrated because the windows are closed. You try and seal the house and make it as airtight as possible and when you do that the concentration rises. For people with dust and mold allergies, their worst time is in the winter months," said Dr. Joseph Keenan an Ear, Nose, Throat and Allergy specialist at Holyoke Medical Center.

The moisture in the air can play a big role in your discomfort.

As you may know the air is usually drier in the winter than it is in the summer. That drier air, those drier conditions, can actually lead to an increase in allergens around your home.

The dry air causes mold spores to become airborne and once they're in the air, you can breathe them in.

"I get up in the morning and the sneezing starts. It'll be like ten in a row. I can't stop," said Leon Henry of Pittsfield.

Leaving the house isn't the only remedy. Adding a humidifier and air purifier to your bedroom can help clean the air you breathe.

And don't forget your air filter.

"The biggest thing that people run into is leaving that furnace filter in there for 6 months, 8 months or even a year. What that does is at some point it's so clogged up it actually spreads the dust and mold and everything throughout the house," said Seth Dihlmann, Store Manager of Rocky’s Ace Hardware in East Longmeadow.

Mold can also live in your pillows, allergen preventing pillow cases can fix that.