Reduce Allergens this Spring to Help Keep Your Family Healthy

Inside a typical American home, the air is dirtier – often a good deal dirtier – than air outside the house. As our homes have become better insulated and sealed against outside contaminants, those same improvements have unfortunately also worked to keep pollutants trapped inside our homes. Many unwholesome contaminants pose a threat to family members who suffer from allergies and other respiratory issues.

During allergy season, including in the spring, the situation is exacerbated by the onslaught of pollen. The good news is, you can minimize your exposure to allergens by recognizing common allergy triggers and knowing what to do about them.

Common Allergy Triggers and How to Handle Them

• Pets. Unfortunately, your dog and/or cats are efficient carriers of pollen, dander and other potential allergens. If you or family members have pet allergies, use common sense and keep your direct contact to a minimum.

Close doors to bedrooms and don’t let Fido and Mittens get on the furniture, and take special care to keep pets off of bedding and pillows. Carefully consider whether you want to adopt that cute kitten your neighbors are trying to give away.

• Dust mites. This common allergy trigger thrives in the same climate conditions we humans love to live in. Dust mites consume the tiny flakes of skin that shed from human bodies. Consequently, your bedding and furniture provide an attractive habitat for them.

You can take steps to minimize exposure to dust mites.

1. Cover sheets, box springs and pillowcases with allergy-proof casings, and
2. routinely wash blankets and sheets in very hot water (in excess of 130 degrees F.).

• Mold. Your indoor air also may be contaminated by mold spores, originating from mold colonies in damp, dark parts of your home.

Inspect your house, and when you spot particularly damp areas, take steps to clean and remove the moisture, as well as whatever might be causing it (foundation leaks, defective plumbing, etc.).

Use a portable dehumidifier to remove excess moisture from a specific problem area during the humid season. Carefully clean up visible mold immediately with a mixture of water, detergent and 5% bleach.

Make sure you don an effective face covering (surely you have some of those lying around after COVID) before starting this clean-up. For big infestations of mold, don’t hesitate to call in a professional. Some types of mold can be quite dangerous to people.

• Pollen. This allergy trigger may originate outside, but it has many ways of entering your home, including hitching a ride on family members’ jackets, shoes and caps, and as mentioned before, indoor-outdoor pets.

You can tackle this seasonal challenge by:

1. Removing outerwear and shoes and brushing pets upon entering the home,
2. During high allergy season, keeping doors and windows closed as much as possible,
3. Maintaining an effective ventilation system, reducing the presence of allergens in your home, plus ensuring better overall air quality indoors.

Other tactics for eliminating allergens in your home? Clean and dust as often as possible, and consider installing a high-efficiency air purification or cleaning system that works hand in hand with your forced-air cooling and heating system.

Use air filters for your AC, heat pump or furnace that are rated for removal of pollen and other tiny allergens, such as HEPA filters (though don’t choose a filter that’s so efficient that it also will impede system airflow).

Professional HVAC Maintenance for the Win

Twice-yearly professional maintenance on your cooling and heating systems – performed by a trusted and experienced heating and AC repair company like Jansen Heating & Cooling – also will help keep indoor air clean, reducing allergens.