There are ways to sneeze-proof your home

When Faith Prince in "Guys and Dolls" sang "Adelaide's Lament," she finished with a sneeze that brought down the house. But you don't have to sneeze in your house.

If you're typical, you spend 90 percent of your life indoors, where mold, dust mites and pet dander can turn your home into a haunted house. The result: wheezy, sneezy, eye-itching allergies.

So it's important to get clues to what's causing your misery, and eliminate it. A scratch test or a RAST blood test will identify what you are allergic to, but you probably can figure it out if you keep a symptoms diary. Runny nose when you're awake? Most likely due to stuff on the mattress or pillow. Worse after cleaning up after the cat? Yup, the cat's probably the source. You know the drill.

Once you've ID'd the culprit, it's time for a whole-house survey to find and banish it.

* Mold thrives in houseplants, basements, drywall, bathrooms and kitchens. Bleach solves minor problems; big problems call for experts to do the job. Indoor humidity shouldn't go above 50 percent. We believe in dehumidifiers -- but clean them frequently with bleach so they're not a source.

* Eliminate dust. Beware of vacuum cleaners and heating/cooling vents that spew particles into the air.

* Dust-mite-proof bedding keeps the little critters' poop (that's what does it) from contaminating pillows and mattresses.

* Some folks need to pass on pets, but first try to keep them out of your bedroom.