Can you get allergies during the fall? You absolutely can! Allergens can strike at any moment. Even though spring allergies may be more common, allergies in the fall are a serious problem for countless people. Here, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning will help you understand and overcome fall allergies. Sadly, the solution isn’t as straightforward as staying away from the pollen-filled world surrounding your home. Fall allergy season finds various ways into your home. By identifying what causes fall allergies, you can recognize the best ways to minimize them.
How to Learn More About Your Fall Allergy Symptoms
Recognizing your fall allergy symptoms can be harder than it can seem. The symptoms of seasonal fall allergies are often subtle and mistaken for a minor cold. Coughing, sneezing and sinusitis are typical symptoms that appear in both fall allergies and the common cold. A healthcare provider is always the most dependable 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 Triggers Fall Allergies?
When researching what triggers fall allergies in your particular case, there are several possible culprits. Dust mites and allergens can collect in different places inside your home. Many of these sources of seasonal fall allergies can be managed with professional air quality services including those offered by Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. That said, 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 in your ducts
Work-Arounds for Seasonal Fall Allergies
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says that homeowners dealing with fall allergies can boost their air quality in three ways. First, you should limit your contact with airborne allergens inside your home. This involves having a whole-house dehumidifier, air duct cleaning and preventing your home from getting too hot. Second, you should ventilate your house, making sure that airborne debris does not accumulate in stagnant air. Third, you might think about installing an air cleaner to remove allergens from the air. Learn more about these solutions below.
Control Your Home’s Humidity with a Whole-House Dehumidifier
When the air in your home strays from the EPA’s suggested humidity levels (30%-40% humidity), it creates a petri dish for mold, dust mites and various other sources of allergic attacks. With a whole-house dehumidifier, you have precise control over the humidity levels in your entire home. These modern dehumidifiers allow you to adjust the humidity of your home within 1% of the desired levels, eliminating the conditions for excessive mold, dust mites, fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms.
Keep Your Air Healthy With Ultraviolet Germicidal Lights
Ultraviolet germicidal lights clean the air in your home before it circulates from room to room. As the air leaves your HVAC unit and enters the air ducts, it passes through an intense ultraviolet light that kills contaminants before they can disperse. This system answers the question, “What is the best air purifier for allergies?” This system will quickly make your air significantly cleaner. UV lights have been found to remove half of the concentrated bioaerosols within their initial 45 minutes of use.
Get Rid of Contaminants with HEPA Air Filters
When you favor a top-of-the-line air filter, you should find a HEPA air filter that can capture 99.97% of the impurities in the air. Because of their specific design, these filters pull the most prevalent sources of fall allergies from their air, like ragweed, pollen and dust mites. HEPA air filters also remove contaminants like:
- Tobacco smoke
- Dirt particles
- Pollen
- Ragweed
- Dust mites
- Various odors and airborne chemicals
Regularly Clean Your HVAC System’s Ductwork
Historically, HVAC systems have not always done a thorough job eliminating contaminants from the air. This means that debris routinely flows through ductwork for many years. Over time, large quantities of that debris will build up within your air ducts. 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. This can eliminate one of the most significant sources of airborne pollutants in your home.
The 10 Cities in the United States With the Most Severe Fall Allergy Seasons
Often, your location has a significant impact on the intensity of your fall allergy symptoms. Fall allergies are identified to be more serious in some areas of the country than others. For example, ragweed (one of the most prevalent sources of allergy-inducing pollen) is mostly found in the country’s eastern region and in the Midwest. Nonetheless, allergies can be a substantial problem regardless of where you live. Here are the 10 toughest cities for those managing seasonal allergies.
Getting Assistance From Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning
As you have now seen, the best strategy 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 precise approach appropriate for that home’s particular makeup and layout. With air quality specialists throughout the United States, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning can help out in almost every part of the country. If you'd like one of our indoor air quality experts to help address as many sources of allergens as possible, call or fill out a contact form when you're ready to start.