Can you get allergies around fall? You most definitely can! Allergens can strike at any moment. While spring allergies might be more prevalent, allergies in the fall are a serious problem for lots of people. Here, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning will help you understand and better manage fall allergies. Regrettably, the solution isn’t as simple as avoiding the pollen-filled world outside your home. Fall allergy season finds different ways into your home. By identifying what leads to fall allergies, you can recognize the best ways to minimize them.
How to Recognize Fall Allergy Symptoms
Determining your fall allergy symptoms can be trickier than it may seem. The symptoms of seasonal fall allergies are frequently discreet and mistaken for a slight cold. Coughing, sneezing and sinusitis tend to be symptoms that appear in both fall allergies and the common cold. A doctor is always the most reliable source for identifying allergies. However, a few 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 several likely culprits. Dust mites and allergens can build up in different places throughout your home. The majority of these sources of seasonal fall allergies can be minimized with professional air quality services like those provided by Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. Having said that, 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 padded furniture
- Debris accumulation inside your air ducts
Solutions for Seasonal Fall Allergies
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reports that homeowners managing fall allergies can enhance their air quality in three ways. First, you could reduce your exposure to airborne allergens in your home. This requires using a whole-house dehumidifier, ductwork cleaning and stopping your home from getting too hot. Second, you need to ventilate your space, making sure that airborne contaminants don't accumulate in stagnant air. Third, you should look at installing an air cleaner to clear allergens from the air. Learn more about 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 encourages ideal conditions 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 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 microorganisms.
Keep Your Air Clean With Ultraviolet Germicidal Lights
Ultraviolet germicidal lights deactivate microorganisms in the air in your home before it spreads through your ductwork. As the air leaves your HVAC unit and enters your ductwork, it moves through an intense ultraviolet light that kills contaminants before they can multiply. This system resolves the question, “What is the best air purifier for allergies?” This system can quickly make your air significantly cleaner. UV lights have been known to remove half of the concentrated bioaerosols within their initial 45 minutes of use.
Eliminate Contaminants with HEPA Air Filters
When you need a high-efficiency air filter, you should find a HEPA air filter that can capture 99.97% of the impurities in the air. Due to their unique design, these filters pull the most prevalent sources of fall allergies from their air, including ragweed, pollen and dust mites. HEPA air filters also eliminate contaminants like:
- Tobacco smoke
- Dirt particles
- Pollen
- Ragweed
- Dust mites
- Assorted odors and airborne chemicals
Regularly Clean Your HVAC System’s Ductwork
Traditionally, HVAC systems have not always done a thorough job removing contaminants from the air. This means that debris frequently flows through ductwork for a very long time. Over time, some of that debris can pile up inside your air ducts. This is why multiple people recommend Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning and our duct cleaning services before running the heat for the first time in the fall. Doing so can minimize one of the most substantial sources of airborne contaminants in your home.
The 10 Cities in the United States With the Most Difficult Fall Allergy Seasons
In many cases, your location has a significant impact on the severity of your fall allergy symptoms. Fall allergies are identified to be more serious in certain areas of the country compared to others. As an example, ragweed (one of the most extensive sources of allergy-inducing pollen) is concentrated in the country’s eastern region as well as in the Midwest. However, allergies can pose a substantial problem despite where you live. Here are the 10 toughest cities for those with seasonal allergies.
Getting Help From Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning
As you have now seen, the ideal solution for dust mites and fall allergies comprises of an all-out assault on the pollutants and other debris in the air within your home. Every home will require a focused approach structured for that home’s particular makeup and layout. With air quality experts all across 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 eliminate as many allergens as possible, call or fill out a contact form right away.