Can you get allergies in the fall? You most certainly can! Allergens can appear at any moment. Although spring allergies can be more common, allergies in the fall are a substantial problem for lots of people. Here, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning strives to help you learn more about and overcome fall allergies. Regrettably, the solution isn’t as easy as staying clear of the pollen-filled world outside your home. Fall allergy season finds several ways into your home. By determining what triggers fall allergies, you can also identify the best ways to reduce them.
How to Identify Fall Allergy Symptoms
Identifying your fall allergy symptoms can be trickier than it might seem. The symptoms of seasonal fall allergies are frequently subtle and mistaken for a minor cold. Coughing, sneezing and sinusitis tend to be symptoms that show up in both fall allergies and the common cold. A medical professional is always the best source for confirming allergies. However, some common symptoms of fall allergies and sinusitis include:
- Itchy or watery eyes
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Headache
- Fatigue or tiredness
What Causes Fall Allergies?
When investigating what causes fall allergies in your particular case, there are plenty of likely culprits. Dust mites and allergens can build up in difficult-to-reach places within your home. Many of these sources of seasonal fall allergies can be minimized with professional air quality services including those provided 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 soft furniture
- Debris accumulation inside your air ducts
Work-Arounds for Seasonal Fall Allergies
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America states that homeowners with fall allergies can boost their air quality in three ways. First, you can limit your contact with airborne allergens in your home. This entails installing a whole-house dehumidifier, ductwork cleaning and preventing your home from getting too warm. Second, you must ventilate your house, making sure that airborne contaminants don't accumulate in stagnant air. Third, you might think about installing an air cleaner to eliminate allergens from the air. Learn more about each of these solutions below.
Manage 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 fine-tuned control over the humidity levels throughout your entire home. These modern dehumidifiers enable you to dictate the humidity inside your home within 1% of the desired levels, removing the conditions for excess mold, dust mites, fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms.
Keep Your Air Healthy With Ultraviolet Germicidal Lights
Ultraviolet germicidal lights purify the air in your home before it circulates through your ductwork. As the air exits your HVAC unit and enters the air ducts, it goes through an intense ultraviolet light that eliminates contaminants before they can multiply. This system resolves the question, “What is the best air purifier for allergies?” This system will quickly make your air noticeably 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 favor a high-efficiency air filter, you should find a HEPA air filter that can trap 99.97% of the pollutants in the air. Due to their unique design, these filters snatch the most frequent causes of fall allergies from their air, including ragweed, pollen and dust mites. HEPA air filters also eliminate contaminants including:
- Tobacco smoke
- Dirt particles
- Pollen
- Ragweed
- Dust mites
- Assorted odors and airborne chemicals
Consistently Clean Your HVAC System’s Ductwork
Historically, HVAC systems have not always done a great job of getting rid of pollutants from the air. This means that debris routinely circulates through ductwork for decades. Over time, a portion of that debris may accumulate inside your ductwork. This is why many 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 resolve one of the most substantial sources of airborne debris inside your home.
The 10 Cities in the United States With the Most Difficult Fall Allergy Seasons
Often, your location has a significant impact on the severity of your fall allergy symptoms. Fall allergies are understood to be worse in some areas of the country than others. For example, ragweed (one of the most prevalent sources of allergy-inducing pollen) is concentrated in the country’s eastern region and in the Midwest. Nonetheless, allergies can remain a substantial problem regardless of where you live. Here are the 10 most challenging cities for those managing seasonal allergies.
Getting Help From Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning
As you have now seen, the most comprehensive strategy for dust mites and fall allergies comprises of an all-out assault on the pollutants and contaminants in the air within your home. Your home will enjoy better results with a specialized approach structured for that home’s particular makeup and layout. With air quality specialists all across the United States, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning can help out 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.