Well, none of these answers will be remedies, but they will help you feel better. Colds usually last a week whether you treat them or not.
Go into a small bathroom, close the doors, and steam up the room with the hot water running (you are not in the shower, the water is too hot). I usually do this for a few minutes, take deep breaths, and then turn the water temp down a little to take my shower while still in the steamy room. This will loosen the phlegm you are congested with. Drixoral and Dimetapp are my drugs of choice, need to have both antihistamine and decongestant. These drugs combined usually make people tired, especially hours 2–4 after taking the pill if it is a 12 hour dose. By the way, be sure to check the dosage, many of these drugs are one pill every 12 hours. Also take 2 ibuprofen (400 mg) 3 if you weigh over 150. Do not get a combination pill of cold medicine and pain reliever. If you do, then you have to figure how medicated you are from the pain reliever whether it be ibuprofen or aceitamenophine and add another pill on your own if necessary of the pain relieving drug. I alwas recommend against these combination drugs of pain, congestion and cough, etc.
You should feel significantly better 1 hour after taking the meds, as long as they don’t make you sleepy. You will feel at your best 2 – 4 hours after taking the pills. Remember that your ibuprofen will wear off after 6 hours, so you might need to take more before your next 12 hour dose of Drixoral, although if it were me, for a cold, I would only take the ibuprofen once a day when I had to get my act together and be presentable. I prefer to take the least amount of meds possible.
Good luck.