Unfortunately, no matter how meticulous you are, it is impossible to totally remove all dust from your house. Nevertheless, every attempt should be made to reduce the dust content as much as possible. And the room that should receive your most intense efforts is the bedroom, where you spend an average of eight hours out of twenty-four nearly one-third of your life. For most of us, the family room or den would be next on the list. If you feel unusually energetic, you can continue on, possibly attempting to reduce dust throughout the entire house.

Doing the job right is no small task. First you must remove all the furnishings from the room. Everything! Clear out the furniture, the beds, the draperies, and the curtains. Empty out the closets and remove the books, bookcases, knickknacks, and bric-a-brac. Remove any area rugs and, if possible, get rid of all carpeting. Recent evidence suggests that this is probably the single most important step for reducing house mites because these items are their main nesting areas.

Next, if possible, have a nonallergic relative or friend clean all the removed items outside the room. The last thing you want is to have all that dust spewed into the air by cleaning things in the room. Since dry-dusting and sweeping only make things worse by whipping the dust into the air where it can remain suspended for hours, the walls and ceiling of the room should be damp-dusted and the floors damp-mopped.

Afterward, look over all the furnishings and select only the items that are absolutely essential to you. In general, you would do well to restrict your bedroom to a bed, chair, night table, and chest of drawers. The fewer the pieces, the better. Dust collectors such as books, knickknacks, picture frames, and lamp shades should be removed, and storage items should be placed elsewhere. And because they are more easily cared for and cleaned, choose wooden, plastic, or metal pieces rather than use upholstered fabrics. Replace all feather pillows and comforters with those made from Dacron or polyester. Store all regularly used clothing in vinyl zippered clothing bags. Use easily washable 100 percent cotton or plastic curtains, avoid draperies and Venetian blinds, and opt for a plain wooden or linoleum-covered floor rather than carpets or rugs.

If you simply must have some kind of flooring, purchase short-nap, washable synthetics or 100 percent cotton rugs and use only synthetic underpadding or, better, none at all. But if you cannot bear to part with your carpet, you may try treating it with Allergy Control Solution, which contains 3 percent tannic acid. Tannic acid, the main ingredient in tea, has been found to inactivate the allergy-provoking effects of mite allergens. One treatment may be effective for up to two months. Alternatively, the carpet may be periodically sprayed with Acarosan, which contains the antimite chemical benzyl benzoate, or with RID spray, which contains pyrethrin. The effects of these agents may also remain for several months.

Cleaning your allergy-proofed room once a week should become routine. More frequent cleaning is not suggested, however, because it is likely to stir up dust; it is generally better to do fewer, more thorough cleanings than more frequent, less diligent ones. Be sure to clean the furniture and wall surfaces with a damp cloth, and the floors and ceilings with a damp mop. Curtains should also be washed weekly and are best left either open or closed all the time so as not to scatter dust when moving them. Although convenient, vacuum cleaners are actually ill-advised since they are often responsible for scattering millions of microscopic dust particles, either through the exhaust or by escape through the bag itself.

Finally, don't forget the bedding in your once-a-week cleaning. Use hot water when laundering since house mites generally survive cold water washing. Finally, as in the case of reducing mold exposure, the use of air filters can be extremely helpful.

Medical Treatments
As in the case of seasonal allergic rhinitis, antihistamines and decongestants are the mainstays of therapy for all forms of perennial allergic rhinitis. For some people allergy shots (desensitization) may also be effective, especially when combined with the preventive measures described above.