As we welcome in the month of May, we also usher in the start of allergy season and all of the not so fun symptoms that come along with it. Allergy sufferers understand the struggle of itchy, watering eyes, sneezing, scratchy throats and stuffy noses. Medications to treat allergies fly off the shelves this time of year and it's time to consider taking a good look around your home to eliminate allergens that are the source of this incessant suffering.

First, find out what you're actually allergic to. This Old Home suggests: Visiting an allergist will help you focus your preventative measures. The most common offenders are dust mites, mold, pollens, and pet dander. "There's no point in making changes at home if you don't address your particular allergies," says Laurie Ross, editor of Allergy and Asthma Today. "Who knows, you might be allergic to cats, and here you are keeping your windows closed."

Next, take a good look around each room of your home - beginning with the bedroom. If dust is an issue or allergy trigger for you, schedule a professional cleaning of your mattress before covering your mattress and pillows with covers designed specifically to repel dust mites. A good night's sleep is crucial to combating everything we face in life - including allergy symptoms.

Avoid bringing the problem from the outside in by laying down doormats on both the inside and outside of entryways, and have friends and family remove their shoes as they come in, to avoid spreading the allergens throughout your home.

Schedule a professional floor cleaning service to address the irritants at the source on carpets, tiles, hardwood flooring or travertine surfaces. Following the cleaning, update your vacuum cleaner to one with a HEPA filter to maintain the fight against allergens in your home.

For these and other helpful ways to combat the pesky allergens this season, contact the professionals at Gator Clean today.