Spring has officially sprung, and with it, allergy season has hit in full force this year. This year’s pollen has been off the charts, and it leads to a variety of unpleasant symptoms like itchy eyes, sneezing, or sinus headaches. While we love seeing the flowers blooming and the trees gearing up for warmer weather, allergies are certainly no fun, and could leave you feeling trapped inside your home. What if, though, your home was actually making your allergies worse?
Pollen, pet dander, and dust can all accumulate within your house due to the opening and closing of doors or windows, household pets, people coming and going, and other aspects of daily life. While your home may appear clean, hidden allergens can lurk in the air, causing your symptoms to persist even behind closed doors. Unfortunately, allergies can render you incapable of participating in your daily activities, leaving you groggy from medications, or miserable from symptoms.
We have some tips to help you return your home to a place of rest, removing as many of the allergens as possible and letting you breathe comfortably and easily when you walk through your own front door. Remember:
- Your home is equipped with an HVAC system that warms/cools the air flowing through your home, and when the air passes through the ducts, it’s cleaned using a standard filter, usually located at an easy-to-access point in your house. Forgetting to change this filter can allow dust, dirt, and allergens to build up, and in turn, this will allow them to recirculate throughout your home. Your AC filter needs to be changed monthly. Use higher-grade allergy filters targeting your specific needs. Filters that specifically tackle pet dander is great if you have dogs and/or cats in the home!
- Vacuum often, using a HEPA filter. Many vacuum cleaners now use a HEPA filter to clean the air circulating through the machine. Using a vacuum with this type of filter frequently can help remove allergens from your carpets, furniture, and rugs, and that means cleaner air.
- Invest in an air filter. This can be a freestanding unit used on a room-by-room basis, or a filtration system that is installed within your HVAC unit and filters air throughout the entire house.
- Keep your windows closed. We know it’s nice to enjoy a spring breeze, but leaving your windows open for long periods of time works against the air filtration and cleaning tips mentioned above, and can actually make your allergies worse. Keep the pollen outside where it belongs, and count on us to keep your home cool and comfortable.
Ridge Energy Savers is proud to service Polk and Highlands counties with top quality AC repair and replacement services. We are your local comfort specialists, and our 24-hour emergency number makes sure you’re never left stranded on a hot summer night or on a weekend. As a family owned and operated business, we take pride in offering the very best in customer care and quality work. When the temps go up, call Ridge to the Rescue!
