Can you suffer from allergies around fall? You most definitely can! Allergens can appear at any moment. While spring allergies can be more prevalent, allergies in the fall are a serious problem for lots of people. Here, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning can help you recognize and overcome fall allergies. Unfortunately, the solution isn’t as straightforward as staying clear of the pollen-filled world outside your home. Fall allergy season finds various ways into your home. By pinpointing what causes fall allergies, you can also identify the best ways to minimize them.
How to Identify Fall Allergy Symptoms
Figuring out your fall allergy symptoms can be more difficult than it might seem. The symptoms of seasonal fall allergies are frequently subtle and mistaken for a slight cold. Coughing, sneezing and sinusitis tend to be symptoms that develop in both fall allergies and the common cold. A medical professional is always the most reliable source for identifying 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 researching what causes fall allergies in your specific case, there are several potential culprits. Dust mites and allergens can build up in countless places inside your home. The majority of these sources of seasonal fall allergies can be controlled with professional air quality services such as those provided by Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. That said, the most likely 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 buildup inside your air ducts
Work-Arounds for Seasonal Fall Allergies
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says that homeowners with fall allergies could enhance their air quality in three ways. First, you could limit your contact with airborne allergens within your home. This involves having a whole-house dehumidifier, cleaning ducts and preventing your home from getting too hot. Second, you must ventilate your house, ensuring that airborne debris does not amass in stagnant air. Third, you might consider installing an air cleaner to eliminate allergens from the air. Learn more about each of these solutions below.
Reduce Your Home’s Humidity with a Whole-House Dehumidifier
When the air in your home is different from the EPA’s ideal humidity levels (30%-40% humidity), it provides a petri dish for mold, dust mites and various other sources of allergy symptoms. With a whole-house dehumidifier, you have precise control over the humidity levels in your entire home. These modern dehumidifiers permit you to dictate the humidity inside your home within 1% of the desired levels, erasing the conditions for excessive mold, dust mites, fungi, bacteria and other microbes.
Keep Your Air Healthy With Ultraviolet Germicidal Lights
Ultraviolet germicidal lights purify the air in your home before it spreads through your ductwork. As the air exits your HVAC unit and enters the air ducts, it passes through a strong ultraviolet light that eliminates contaminants before they can spread. This system addresses the question, “What is the best air purifier for allergies?” This system will quickly make your air significantly cleaner. UV lights have been shown to eradicate half of the concentrated bioaerosols within their first 45 minutes of use.
Eliminate Contaminants with HEPA Air Filters
When you want a top-of-the-line air filter, you want a HEPA air filter that can capture 99.97% of the pollutants in the air. Because of their unique design, these filters collect the most prevalent sources of fall allergies from their air, like ragweed, pollen and dust mites. HEPA air filters also capture contaminants including:
- Tobacco smoke
- Dirt particles
- Pollen
- Ragweed
- Dust mites
- Various odors and airborne chemicals
Routinely Clean Your HVAC System’s Ductwork
Traditionally, HVAC systems have not always done a great job of removing impurities from the air. This means that debris routinely flows through ductwork for a very long time. Over time, large quantities of that debris may build up in your ventilation. This is why many people advocate for Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning and our duct cleaning services before running the heat for the first time in the fall. Doing so can resolve one of the most common sources of airborne pollutants within your home.
The 10 Cities in the United States With the Worst Fall Allergy Seasons
Often, your location has a big impact on the extent of your fall allergy symptoms. Fall allergies are known to be more serious in specific areas of the country compared to others. For instance, ragweed (one of the most widespread sources of allergy-inducing pollen) is concentrated in the country’s eastern region and in the Midwest. However, allergies can pose a considerable problem despite where you live. Here are the 10 most difficult cities for those dealing with seasonal allergies.
Getting Help From Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning
As you have now seen, the best remedy for dust mites and fall allergies involves an all-out assault on the pollutants and contaminants in the air inside your home. Every home will need a specialized approach suited for that home’s individual makeup and layout. With air quality specialists all over the United States, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning can offer support in almost every corner of the country. If you want one of our indoor air quality pros to help make your air as allergen-free as possible, call or fill out a contact form today.