Saltwater

• Irrigating your nasal passages with saltwater can greatly reduce pollen allergy symptoms, and can provide immediate relief. Pour a commercial or home-prepared saline solution into a syringe, squeeze bottle or neti pot. Tilting your head over the sink, pour or gently squirt a small amount of the liquid into one of your nostrils. Let the water drain, and repeat in the other nostril.
  
  

Welcome Mat

• Put a welcome mat at your front door to help keep irritants out of your home. Pollen, mold, dust mites, pesticides, wood smoke and other irritants get carried into your home on people's shoes. A welcome mat encourages people to wipe their shoes. The best option, of course, is for people to leave their shoes at the door.
  
  

Air Filter

• You may find that your pollen allergies disappear---along with the sinus congestion they bring---soon after setting up a HEPA air filter. HEPA stands for "high-efficiency particulate air." HEPA filters can remove up to 98 percent of all allergens in the area they cover. To make sure you get the right size filter, check the filter's clean air delivery rate (CADR); if the number is at least two-thirds of the room's square footage, the filter should be adequate. Many vacuum cleaners also have HEPA filters.
  
  

Stinging Nettle

• Stinging nettle, available at herb and health food stores, is one natural remedy for pollen allergies. This perennial plant with small green flowers has long been used for its tonic, astringent and diuretic properties. You can purchase capsules of freeze-dried extracts of stinging nettle, or cut and dried leaves.