Spring is finally here! After what seemed to be a never-ending winter, flowers are appearing, trees are blooming and our cars are turning yellow–wait, what’s that last part? Ah yes, the pollen has returned with Spring, dousing everything in its powdery yellow substance. For those of us who suffer with seasonal allergies, springtime can be the worst time of the year. Despite the beauty that’s growing all around us, the allergens are multiplying in the air, making the first few months of spring utterly miserable. Sneezing, sniffing, dry throat, itchy eyes; pollen’s symptoms know no end! If you’ve experienced these allergies, then you know that they can make you so miserable that you’d do just about anything to get away from them! When allergies hit, most of us seek the comfort of our homes to escape the outside air, yet often times, the air INSIDE your home can be just as bad as it is outside. So how can you make your home safe from seasonal allergies? Here are 7 tips to help improve your indoor air quality and clear out that seasonal pollen–because it has no place in your home!

1. Dust and Vacuum Frequently

This may sound obvious, but this is a critical part of keeping allergens at bay! With beautiful springtime weather, windows and doors are opened more frequently, allowing pollen to enter your home and infiltrate the air. By dusting and vacuuming routinely, you can bypass the issue of pollen becoming embedded in your carpets. Also, using a hypo-allergenic vacuum or high filtration bag will help retain allergens better than most regular vacuums and bags that can leak allergens back into the air. Keep up with these simple household chores and you’ll see a decrease in springtime pollen in your home, helping your allergy sufferer to breath easier.

2. Keep Your Pets Clean!

If you’ve got pets, (especially if they are regularly outside of your home) brushing and bathing them regularly will greatly reduce pollen allergens. Pollen can hide in the coat of your animals, and without grooming your pets routinely, dander and pollen can escape into your home and cause irritation for those in your family who are suffering from allergies.

3. Maintain Your Bedding Material

Often times, you can’t escape your allergies, even when you’re trying to sleep. That’s because pollen settles on everything, including your pillow. If you are a sufferer of allergies, it may be wise to purchase allergen impermeable pillowcases for the pollen season. It’s also important to wash your bedding material in hot water every week. This will get rid of any pollen that’s accumulated, or has been brought in, and help you sleep easier this spring!

4. Upgrade Your Air Filter

Most common air filters only eliminate 3-5% of the dust particles and allergens that circulate through them. Upgrading will greatly reduce pollen and allergens that are in your home.

5. Maintain Humidity Levels

A humidifier can be good for the elimination of allergens in the air, and there are lots of options. There are small, one room humidifiers that you can buy for fairly cheap if your allergies only last a month or so, and for those of us who suffer all year long, a Whole House Humidifier will greatly improve the indoor air quality of your home by keeping dry pollen out and the right amount of moisture in.

6. Maintain Your Ductwork

The ductwork in your house disperses air throughout your home, so if your ducts are leaking, or not filtering air properly, you could be sending allergens and dust into the rooms of your home. It’s a good idea to make sure your ductwork is in clean, working shape before that Air Conditioning starts pumping! Protecting your family from harmful allergens and improving your indoor air quality is important.

Try these tips this spring as the pollen count begins to rise! For duct cleaning and whole home humidification, call the experts here at F.H. Furr. Indoor air quality is something that’s important all year around, not only for comfort, but for your health as well. Protect your family, protect your home, call F.H. Furr today!