Can you have allergies during the fall? You absolutely can! Allergens can hit at any moment. While spring allergies may be more prevalent, allergies in the fall are a substantial problem for millions of people. Here, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning strives to help you recognize and overcome fall allergies. Regrettably, the solution isn’t as easy as staying away from the pollen-filled world surrounding your home. Fall allergy season finds several ways into your home. By determining what leads to fall allergies, you can also identify the best ways to reduce them.
How to Learn More About Your Fall Allergy Symptoms
Identifying your fall allergy symptoms can be more difficult 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 medical professional is always the best source for recognizing allergies. However, some 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 leads to fall allergies in your specific case, there are plenty of potential culprits. Dust mites and allergens can build up in countless places throughout your home. Most of these sources of seasonal fall allergies can be controlled with professional air quality services including those offered by Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. That said, the most common 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 within your air ducts
Solutions for Seasonal Fall Allergies
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says that homeowners dealing with fall allergies should enhance their air quality in three ways. First, you should limit your exposure to airborne allergens inside your home. This requires installing a whole-house dehumidifier, ductwork cleaning and preventing your home from getting too hot. Second, you need to ventilate your space, ensuring 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 deviates from the EPA’s ideal humidity levels (30%-40% humidity), it encourages ideal conditions for mold, dust mites and many other sources of allergic attacks. With a whole-house dehumidifier, you have accurate control over the humidity levels throughout your entire home. These innovative dehumidifiers enable you to control the humidity of your home within 1% of the preferred levels, erasing the conditions for excess mold, dust mites, fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms.
Keep Your Air Clear With Ultraviolet Germicidal Lights
Ultraviolet germicidal lights clean the air in your home before it spreads from room to room. As the air flows out of your HVAC unit and enters the air ducts, it goes through a strong ultraviolet light that kills contaminants before they can multiply. This system addresses 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 eradicate half of the concentrated bioaerosols within their initial 45 minutes of use.
Eliminate Contaminants with HEPA Air Filters
When you need a top-of-the-line air filter, you should find a HEPA air filter that can trap 99.97% of the contaminants in the air. Thanks to their specific design, these filters snatch the most prevalent sources of fall allergies from their air, such as ragweed, pollen and dust mites. HEPA air filters also capture contaminants like:
- Tobacco smoke
- Dirt particles
- Pollen
- Ragweed
- Dust mites
- Assorted odors and airborne chemicals
Consistently Clean Your HVAC System’s Air Ducts
Historically, HVAC systems have not always done well with eliminating pollutants from the air. This means that debris often circulates through ductwork for many years. Over time, some of that debris can build 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 resolve one of the most significant sources of airborne debris in your home.
The 10 Cities in the United States With the Most Severe Fall Allergy Seasons
Most of the time, your location has a big impact on the extent of your fall allergy symptoms. Fall allergies are identified to be more serious in specific areas of the country versus others. As an example, ragweed (one of the most extensive sources of allergy-inducing pollen) is mostly found in the country’s eastern region along with the Midwest. That said, allergies can become a considerable problem regardless of where you live. Here are the 10 most challenging cities for those managing seasonal allergies.
Getting Assistance From Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning
As you have now seen, the most comprehensive strategy for dust mites and fall allergies entails an all-out assault on the pollutants and allergens in the air throughout your home. Every home will need a specialized approach suited for that home’s individual makeup and layout. With air quality experts all across the United States, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning can help in almost any part 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.