Eliminate Allergy Triggers in Your Home
Spring is in the air, which is poetic and evocative, though not always a good thing, especially if you’re one of the millions of Americans who suffer with springtime allergies every year. Fortunately, nobody is defenseless from this common malady. You can take a number of effective steps to eliminate and/or avoid allergy triggers.
Follow these tips to help you and your family enjoy a healthier and more comfortable spring and summer this year.
Check and Change the Filter in Your HVAC System
Make sure your forced-air cooling system, whether an AC or heat pump, has a fresh and effective air filter throughout allergy season. Don’t settle for a $3 flat-panel filter that only removes the largest of airborne particulates – there are highly effective filers on the market (such as HEPA filters) that filter out much smaller airborne matter, including dust, dander, pollen, and other common allergens.
Many allergy-inducing particles will blow right through a low-efficiency air filter. These may include a range of allergens, including:
- mold spores,
- dust mites,
- pollen,
- human and pet dander,
- bacteria
- and more.
Check the air filter for your HVAC system every month, replacing it when it looks dirty or clogged. One good way to check if the filter needs to be changed is to hold the filter up to a light; if the clogged filter mostly blocks the light, it should be replaced.
Reduce Dust and Dirt Throughout Your Home
At the start of the allergy season, clean the blades on your ceiling fans. Fan blades can collect a lot of household dust over the long winter, and when you start running them in the spring, that dust is spread throughout your home and across any exposed surfaces.
Keep your HVAC equipment clean. Dust and dirt that accumulate in your utility room can get sucked in by the AC air handler, and blow from there into the other rooms in your home.
Implement a rule that anyone who enters your home must remove his or her shoes. People can unwittingly bring in a significant amount of pollen and other allergy triggers on their footwear. The same applies to coats and hats –outerwear should stay in the entryway to your home.
During allergy season, change sheets, pillowcases and other bedding at least every week. Dander, dust mites and other contaminants can thrive in dirty bedding, and increase allergy risks for you and your family.
Contain the Mess from Pets
Pets also can serve as transportation for allergens. If you have one or more inside-outside dogs or cats, brush them before they enter the house, make sure they don’t get on furniture, and especially keep them out of beds and off of pillows. Better yet, minimize their harm by keeping them in certain parts of the house and out of bedrooms entirely.
Keep Mold at Bay
Be on guard for the introduction and/or spread of mold in your home. Eliminate sources of dampness and quickly clean any mold that appears on floors, walls, ductwork or other areas.
For serious mold problems, consider calling in a professional. You don’t want to mess around with mold if you’re not confident your efforts will be effective. Mold spores can be a significant health hazard to all members of your household, not only those with allergies.
Get Regular Inspection and Service for Your HVAC System
Remove dust and dirt from around HVAC registers and vents. Schedule a duct inspection with your favorite heating and cooling service every several years to make sure contaminants aren’t collecting inside ductwork, increasing allergy triggers in your home.
Effective ventilation is essential to any attempt to improve indoor air quality. Replacing stale, contaminated air with fresh air multiple times a day will go a long way toward reducing allergens in the home.
To make sure your campaign against allergy triggers will be effective, consider installing a whole-house air-cleaning or purifying system. The best of these systems combines a number of these air-cleaning strategies.
Regular inspection and service for your heating and cooling system ensures the air that moves through your home is as clean and pure as possible. Your local HVAC company knows how to get the best results from your system, year after year. If you’re in the Cincinnati area, call us here at Jansen Heating & Cooling to find out how we can help you keep the air moving safely through your home this spring and throughout the year.