• Dust-proof your rooms. Eliminate wall-to-wall carpets and any other dust catchers. Use window shades instead of Venetian blinds, which can trap dust. (You can leave curtains in place, provided you wash them regularly in hot water to kill dust mites.) Dust your furniture regularly with a damp cloth, and clean the floors with an oiled mop. In your bedroom, eliminate down-filled blankets and feather pillows, and encase your mattress in an airtight, dust-proof plastic cover.
• If you have a pet, ask someone who isn’t allergic to the animal to brush it frequently. Bathing your pet frequently will also help, and try to keep your pet out of your bedroom.
• Consider buying a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter, which removes particles in the air by forcing it through screens containing microscopic pores. These devices work well and aren’t too expensive. Get one for the main rooms in your house, or move one from room to room regularly. Avoid air filtering equipment that generates ozone (HEPA filters don’t).
• Upgrade your vacuum cleaner: Many vacuum cleaners on the market today incorporate HEPA filters, which means you can clean the air as you clean your floors and upholstery. Older vacuums with less effective filters can actually kick up more dust into the air than was there before.
• Keep your furnace filters clean: This can not only help clear the air, but save money, as the furnace blowers now operate more efficiently.

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• Chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite): If mixed with ammonia, vinegar or other acid-based cleaners, it will release toxic chloramine gas; short-term exposure to this gas can cause mild asthmatic symptoms or more serious respiratory problems. Never mix bleach with these other substances.
• Petroleum distillates: Found in metal polishes, these chemicals can irritate the eyes and lungs; longer-term exposure can damage the nervous system, kidneys, eyes and skin.
• Ammonia: Can irritate eyes and lungs and cause headaches.
• Phenol and cresol: Found in disinfectants, and if ingested can cause diarrhea, fainting, dizziness, and kidney and liver damage.
• Nitrobenzene: Found in furniture and floor polishes, and if inhaled can cause shallow breathing; if ingested can cause poisoning and death. This substance has also been linked to cancer and birth defects.
• Formaldehyde: Used as a preservative in many household products, formaldehyde is a suspected human carcinogen that can irritate your eyes, throat, skin and lungs.
• Naphthalene: Found in mothballs, this suspected carcinogen may damage the eyes, blood cells, liver, kidneys, skin and the central nervous system.
• Paradichlorbenzene: Another chemical in mothballs, can harm the central nervous system, liver and kidneys.
• Hydrochloric acid or sodium acid sulfate: Found in toilet bowl cleaners, these chemicals can burn the skin and cause blindness if splashed in the eyes, or can burn the stomach if ingested.

To learn more about the hazards of chemicals in common household products, I suggest visiting www.epa.gov, the Web site of the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA advises buying only nontoxic, unscented cleaning products such as those that can be found from mail-order sources or in health-food stores. Another possibility is to substitute gentler products such as baking soda, vinegar, salt and vegetable oil-based liquid soap for most household cleaning.

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