Your Air Quality and Allergies Guide

It’s that time of year again for beautiful, sunny days and warmer weather after a long winter. Everyone knows that April showers bring May flowers here in the land of 10,000 lakes. But for many of us, they also bring sniffling, sneezing, wheezing, red eyes, and a stuffy head.

If springtime allergies have you singing the blues instead of enjoying the blue skies, our team of residential indoor air quality pros at General Heating & Air Conditioning can help. We’re sharing this guide to help you put down the tissues and enjoy this sunny season instead. To get help with your home’s air quality systems, contact us today!

When Hay Fever Strikes

For seasonal allergy sufferers, springtime can be bittersweet. While everyone else is singing praises about the beautiful weather, we’re reaching for allergy pills and nasal spray. If you’re one of those unfortunate souls who suffer through spring allergies, you’re not alone. Millions of Americans suffer from seasonal allergy symptoms.

Hay fever, also known as allergic rhinitis, typically occurs as an allergic response to pollen, that powdery substance you can sometimes see in the air during springtime. These miniature grains are the male genetic material of many types of weeds, grasses, flowers, and trees, and springtime is their time to pollinate.

Unlike the waxy pollen of many brightly colored flowers like roses, which are pollinated by insects like bees, many types of plants rely on wind currents to spread their pollen. That’s why this type of dry, powdery pollen is small enough and light enough that it can pass right into your home through the front door and on your clothing. And it’s not just the plants in your own yard that cause all this trouble. Pollen can travel for many miles.

Common sources of pollen include:

●        Trees like elm, maple, oak, and willow

●        Fescue

●        Bermuda grass

Pollen in Your Home

Have you ever noticed that most weather channels indicate the day’s pollen count? That’s because pollen can vary depending on weather conditions like humidity and wind. Since pollen needs to be dry and light enough to travel on the wind, water and moisture in the air can weigh it down. That’s why pollen and mold allergy sufferers can often experience lighter symptoms on rainy days.

The more pleasant the weather is, on the other hand, the more miserable allergy sufferers are. Since it never rains inside our homes, all of that mold and pollen can circulate inside the indoor air, which means no relief from allergies can be found even on rainy days.

How Hay Fever Works

When the tiny grains of pollen enter an allergy sufferer’s nose, the individual’s body responds by overreacting. Their immune system sees this foreign material as a threat and reacts by doing its job, releasing antibodies to defend the body. In response to those antibodies, the body releases histamines, which can trigger a whole host of allergic symptoms.

These are just a few of the most common pollen allergy symptoms:

●        Watery eyes

●        Red eyes

●        Itchy eyes

●        Dark circles under eyes

●        Coughing

●        Runny nose

●        Itchy nose

●        Sneezing

●        Congestion

If you suffer from seasonal allergies, one of the most important things you can do is talk with your healthcare provider to create a plan to help keep your symptoms in check. Additionally, keep track of times when the pollen count is especially high and try to stay indoors in an environment with good air quality systems.

The Importance of Good Air Quality

In addition to a solid healthcare treatment plan, maintaining healthy air quality in your home can significantly reduce allergy symptoms for many sufferers. These are a few simple steps you can take to improve your home’s air quality:

●        Have an air scrubber installed by a residential indoor air quality specialist.

●        Regularly replace the air filter in your home air conditioning system.

●        Dust any shelves and surfaces in your home more frequently.

●        Keep your windows and doors closed during the springtime when pollen is high.

●        Wear a mask when vacuuming or dusting.

●        After spending time outside, shower and wash your hair right away.

Changing Your Air Filter

It’s a common misconception that air circulating through an air conditioning system is enough to clean out impurities. A HEPA filter is necessary to remove particulates like pollen, dust mites, pet dander, and mold spores. Additionally, that air filter needs to be changed regularly to work efficiently at removing pollutants from the air inside your home.

Regularly changing the air filter in your HVAC system has the added bonus of helping your air conditioner run more efficiently and last longer. Our HVAC technicians at General Heating & Air Conditioning can recommend the right filter and check to make sure your system is working efficiently when you use our maintenance program.

Air Scrubber Installation

For homeowners and family members with seasonal allergy problems or asthma, we recommend air scrubber installation. Our air quality systems will clean and filter up to 99.9% of the harmful contaminants in your HVAC system so you can breathe easier. With models designed specifically to fit into many HVAC systems, it’s easier than ever to enjoy indoor air even on high pollen days.

Minnesota Air Quality Systems

Are you tired of sniffling and sneezing when you should be enjoying the welcome sights of spring flowers through your living room window? Our friendly technicians at General Heating & Air Conditioning are here to help you and your family breathe easier once more. Contact us online or give us a call at 952-445-2820 to connect with a home air conditioning technician. Your nose will thank you!