The Teays Valley Service Experts Guide to Fall Allergy Season

Can you have allergies during the fall? You most definitely can! Allergens can hit at any moment. While spring allergies may be more common, allergies in the fall are a significant problem for lots of people. Here, Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing will help you learn more about and better manage fall allergies. Unfortunately, the solution isn’t as easy as staying away from the pollen-filled world outside your home. Fall allergy season finds various ways into your home. By identifying what leads to fall allergies, you can fully understand the best ways to limit them.

How to Learn More About Your Fall Allergy Symptoms

Determining your fall allergy symptoms can be more difficult than it may seem. The symptoms of seasonal fall allergies are commonly 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 healthcare professional is always the best source for recognizing allergies. However, several common symptoms of fall allergies and sinusitis include:

• • Itchy or watery eyes

• • Sneezing

• • Coughing

• • Headache

• • Fatigue or tiredness

What Causes Fall Allergies?

When researching what causes fall allergies in your particular case, there are several potential culprits. Dust mites and allergens can accumulate in different places throughout your home. The majority of these sources of seasonal fall allergies can be managed with professional air quality services such as those offered by Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. That said, 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 buildup inside your ducts

Work-Arounds for Seasonal Fall Allergies

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says that homeowners dealing with fall allergies can improve their air quality in three ways. First, you should restrict your contact with airborne allergens within your home. This involves having a whole-house dehumidifier, air duct cleaning and preventing your home from getting too warm. Second, you need to ventilate your home, ensuring that airborne contaminants don’t build up in stagnant air. Third, you should think about installing an air cleaner to remove allergens from the air. Learn more about each solution below.

Control Your Home’s Humidity with a Whole-House Dehumidifier

When the air in your home deviates from the EPA’s suggested humidity levels (30%-40% humidity), it creates 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 innovative dehumidifiers allow you to dictate the humidity in your home within 1% of the set levels, removing the conditions for unwanted mold, dust mites, fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms.

Keep Your Air Clear With Ultraviolet Germicidal Lights

Ultraviolet germicidal lights deactivate microorganisms in the air in your home before it spreads through your ductwork. As the air exits your HVAC unit and enters your ducts, it goes through a strong ultraviolet light that eliminates contaminants before they can disperse. This system resolves the question, “What is the best air purifier for allergies?” This system can quickly make your air considerably cleaner. UV lights have been known to eradicate half of the concentrated bioaerosols within their initial 45 minutes of use.

Trap Contaminants with HEPA Air Filters

When you need a top-of-the-line air filter, you should find a HEPA air filter that can remove 99.97% of the contaminants in the air. Due to their specific design, these filters pull the most prevalent sources of fall allergies from their air, including ragweed, pollen and dust mites. HEPA air filters also remove contaminants including:

• • Tobacco smoke

• • Dirt particles

• • Pollen

• • Ragweed

• • Dust mites

• • Assorted odors and airborne chemicals

Consistently Clean Your HVAC System’s Ducts

In the past, HVAC systems have not always done a thorough job eliminating pollutants from the air. This means that debris often circulates through ductwork for a very long time. Over time, a portion of that debris may build up inside your ventilation. This is why some people suggest Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing and our duct cleaning services before turning on the heat for the first time in the fall. This can resolve one of the most substantial sources of airborne contaminants within your home.

The 10 Cities in the United States With the Worst Fall Allergy Seasons

In many cases, your location has a major impact on the severity of your fall allergy symptoms. Fall allergies are identified to be worse in specific areas of the country versus 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. Nonetheless, allergies can remain a substantial problem regardless of where you live. Here are the 10 toughest cities for those with seasonal allergies.

Getting Support From Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing

As you have now seen, the most comprehensive solution for dust mites and fall allergies involves an all-out assault on the pollutants and other debris in the air inside your home. Every home will require a focused approach appropriate for that home’s unique makeup and layout. With air quality professionals throughout the United States, Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing can help in almost any part of the country. If you want one of our indoor air quality experts to help make your air as allergen-free as possible, call or fill out a contact form today.