More than 50 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies. If you’re one of those people, you know just how difficult it can be to find relief in your daily routine. As the beautiful Northern Virginia trees and flowers start to blossom, you’ll do anything to keep the pollen from following you inside, but keeping the air in your home clean isn’t as easy as it seems. Pollen particles are super small and they are able to slip through cracks in closed doors and windows, right into your home. It also makes its way into your home on your clothing and your pets.
So what can you do to reduce the amount of pollen in your home this season? Let’s find out!
Control the Source
- Keeping your doors and windows shut, especially during peak pollen spreading hours (early morning to mid-day), will help prevent large amounts of pollen from entering your home.
- Making sure that you seal or cover large gaps in your door or window frames to stop the spread of pollen even when your doors are shut
- Wash your hair and clothing after spending a long amount of time outdoors to reduce the amount of pollen that spreads throughout your home.
Proper Ventilation for clean air in your home
- Cleaning your vents throughly and often will reduce the amount of pollen circulating in your home. We suggest that you use a damp rag when doing this in order to avoid stirring up the particles and causing them to circulate throughout your home.
- Consider purchasing HEPA filters for your HVAC unit. Without the right kind of filter, your system will struggle to remove traces of pollen from your home. These filters aren’t just ordinary paper filters. Instead, they’re made from layers of densely-packed glass fibers which are able to trap significantly more pollen and other allergens. (Tip: Be sure to check the MERV rating on your HEPA filter to get the highest quality possible)
- Replace your filters more often. You most likely already replace your air filters every few months, but, if you struggle with allergies, replacing them every month can be the difference between a miserable spring season and finding relief from your allergies.
Get Help from the professionals
- Sometimes the job is bigger than just making sure that your home is clean. Keeping the air in your home healthy involves making sure that your HVAC system is running properly. The way to do this is by scheduling your Spring Maintenance. This ensures that everything in your system is free from dirt and other allergens – from fan blades to cooling coils.
- Having your ducts cleaned is one of the best ways to ensure that your home air is also clean. Dust, pollen, and other particles can collect in your ducts. When you turn on the AC, the air travels through the ducts and into your home. So dirty ducts equals a dirty home. And clean ducts equal cleaner air.
Get the help of experienced professionals to ensure that your home’s air is clean this Spring!