Can you get allergies around fall? You most certainly can! Allergens can appear at any moment. Even though spring allergies may be more common, allergies in the fall are a serious problem for millions of people. Here, Teays Valley Service Experts can help you recognize and overcome fall allergies. Unfortunately, the solution isn’t as easy as staying away from the pollen-filled world surrounding your home. Fall allergy season finds different ways into your home. By determining what triggers fall allergies, you can also identify the best ways to minimize them.
How to Identify Fall Allergy Symptoms
Determining your fall allergy symptoms can be trickier than it might seem. The symptoms of seasonal fall allergies are often 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 identifying 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 looking into what causes fall allergies in your particular case, there are many likely culprits. Dust mites and allergens can build up in difficult-to-reach places throughout your home. Many of these sources of seasonal fall allergies can be managed with professional air quality services including those provided by Teays Valley Service Experts. However, the most likely 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 padded furniture
- Debris accumulation in your 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 can restrict your exposure to airborne allergens inside your home. This entails having a whole-house dehumidifier, cleaning ducts and keeping your home from getting too warm. Second, you must ventilate your house, making sure that airborne particles don't amass in stagnant air. Third, you might look at installing an air cleaner to eliminate allergens from the air. Learn more about each of these solutions below.
Reduce 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 countless other sources of allergic reactions. With a whole-house dehumidifier, you have accurate control over the humidity levels throughout your entire home. These modern dehumidifiers enable you to dictate the humidity in your home within 1% of the preferred levels, eliminating the conditions for unwanted 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 home. As the air flows out of your HVAC unit and enters your ductwork, it moves through an intense ultraviolet light that deactivates contaminants before they can spread. This system resolves the question, “What is the best air purifier for allergies?” This system should quickly make your air considerably cleaner. UV lights have been known to eradicate half of the concentrated bioaerosols within their first 45 minutes of use.
Eliminate Contaminants with HEPA Air Filters
When you want a high-efficiency air filter, you want a HEPA air filter that can capture 99.97% of the impurities in the air. Thanks to their unique design, these filters snatch the most common triggers 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
Regularly Clean Your HVAC System’s Ductwork
In the past, HVAC systems have not always done a thorough job eliminating pollutants from the air. This means that debris often flows through ductwork for a very long time. Over time, some of that debris may accumulate in your ventilation. This is why some people suggest Teays Valley Service Experts and our duct cleaning services before switching on the heat for the first time in the fall. Taking care of this early in the season can minimize one of the most common sources of airborne debris within your home.
The 10 Cities in the United States With the Worst Fall Allergy Seasons
In many cases, your location has a significant impact on the intensity of your fall allergy symptoms. Fall allergies are known to be more serious in specific areas of the country than others. For example, ragweed (one of the most widespread sources of allergy-inducing pollen) is concentrated in the country’s eastern region along with the Midwest. Nonetheless, allergies can become a substantial problem no matter where you live. Here are the 10 toughest cities for those dealing with seasonal allergies.
Getting Help From Teays Valley Service Experts
As you have now seen, the best solution for dust mites and fall allergies involves an all-out assault on the pollutants and contaminants in the air throughout your home. Each home will require a precise approach suited for that home’s individual makeup and layout. With air quality professionals all across the United States, Teays Valley Service Experts can help out in almost every part of the country. If you're looking for one of our indoor air quality specialists to help address as many sources of allergens as possible, call or fill out a contact form when you're ready to start.