Can you have allergies around fall? You most certainly can! Allergens can strike at any moment. Although spring allergies can be more common, allergies in the fall are a serious problem for millions of people. Here, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning can help you understand and better manage fall allergies. Unfortunately, the solution isn’t as straightforward as staying clear of the pollen-filled world around your home. Fall allergy season finds several ways into your home. By determining what triggers fall allergies, you can fully understand the best ways to minimize them.
How to Identify Fall Allergy Symptoms
Identifying your fall allergy symptoms can be more difficult than it might seem. The symptoms of seasonal fall allergies are commonly discreet and mistaken for a minor cold. Coughing, sneezing and sinusitis are all symptoms that show up in both fall allergies and the common cold. A healthcare professional is always the best source for recognizing allergies. However, several common symptoms of fall allergies and sinusitis include:
- Itchy or watery eyes
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Headache
- Fatigue or tiredness
What Produces Fall Allergies?
When investigating what leads to fall allergies in your particular case, there are various possible culprits. Dust mites and allergens can collect in countless places throughout your home. Many of these sources of seasonal fall allergies can be controlled with professional air quality services like those supplied by Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. However, the most prevalent sources of indoor fall allergies include:
- Airborne pollen
- Mold
- Dust mites
- Pets
- Wall-to-wall carpet
- Damp areas
- Indoor plants
- Stuffed toys
- Mattresses and other cushioned furniture
- Debris accumulation inside your ducts
Remedies for Seasonal Fall Allergies
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says that homeowners managing fall allergies can boost their air quality in three ways. First, you could restrict your contact with airborne allergens in your home. This involves having a whole-house dehumidifier, cleaning ducts and stopping your home from getting too warm. Second, you must ventilate your space, ensuring that airborne debris does not accumulate in stagnant air. Third, you could look at installing an air cleaner to clear allergens from the air. Learn more about each solution below.
Control Your Home’s Humidity with a Whole-House Dehumidifier
When the air in your home deviates from the EPA’s ideal humidity levels (30%-40% humidity), it provides ideal conditions for mold, dust mites and many other sources of allergic reactions. With a whole-house dehumidifier, you have fine-tuned control over the humidity levels throughout your entire home. These state-of-the-art dehumidifiers enable you to control the humidity of your home within 1% of the set levels, eliminating the conditions for excess mold, dust mites, fungi, bacteria and other contaminants.
Keep Your Air Clean With Ultraviolet Germicidal Lights
Ultraviolet germicidal lights clean the air in your home before it moves from room to room. As the air exits your HVAC unit and enters the air ducts, it passes through a strong ultraviolet light that kills contaminants before they can spread. This system addresses the question, “What is the best air purifier for allergies?” This system should quickly make your air considerably cleaner. UV lights have been known to eliminate half of the concentrated bioaerosols within their first 45 minutes of use.
Eliminate Contaminants with HEPA Air Filters
When you need a high-efficiency air filter, you want a HEPA air filter that can trap 99.97% of the contaminants in the air. Because of their unique design, these filters collect the most prevalent sources of fall allergies from their air, such as ragweed, pollen and dust mites. HEPA air filters also capture contaminants such as:
- Tobacco smoke
- Dirt particles
- Pollen
- Ragweed
- Dust mites
- Numerous odors and airborne chemicals
Consistently Clean Your HVAC System’s Ducts
Traditionally, HVAC systems have not always done well with eliminating pollutants from the air. This means that debris often flows through ductwork for a very long time. Over time, some of that debris will build up in your ventilation. This is why multiple people suggest Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning and our duct cleaning services before running the heat for the first time in the fall. Taking care of this early in the season can eliminate one of the most common sources of airborne pollutants inside your home.
The 10 Cities in the United States With the Most Severe Fall Allergy Seasons
Most of the time, your location has a major impact on the extent of your fall allergy symptoms. Fall allergies are understood to be more serious in some areas of the country compared to others. For example, ragweed (one of the most prevalent sources of allergy-inducing pollen) is more common in the country’s eastern region and in the Midwest. However, allergies can be a significant problem despite where you live. Here are the 10 most challenging cities for those dealing with seasonal allergies.
Getting Assistance From Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning
As you have now seen, the best solution for dust mites and fall allergies involves an all-out assault on the pollutants and allergens in the air inside your home. Every home will require a focused approach structured for that home’s unique makeup and layout. With air quality professionals throughout the United States, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning can help in almost every part of the country. If you want one of our indoor air quality specialists to help eliminate as many allergens as possible, call or fill out a contact form when you're ready to start.