The Fall is a great time of year! The weather settles to comfortable cool temperatures. With so many holidays and traditions it becomes a wonderful combination of nostalgia and anticipation that many people consider to be their favorite time of year.
But, for people who suffer from seasonal allergies, life isn’t quite so wonderful. For those with fall allergies, autumn is just another three-month stretch of allergy meds combined with an overall desire to avoid the outside beauty everyone else enjoys so much. However, there are a few things – like upgrading your furnace filter or bringing in a professional carpet cleaner or getting a professional tile and grout cleaning – that can be done to minimize exposure to seasonal allergies and keep fall allergy symptoms manageable.
1. Install a high-efficiency furnace filter
Installing a high quality furnace filter with a minimum filtration rating of MERV 8 to attract and capture airborne particles from 3 to 10 microns in size, such as pollen, fine dust and pet dander.
2. Keep doors and windows closed during high pollen count days
Some days there’s nothing you can do but hide. Pollen can travel up to 400 miles from its source, so it can be difficult to avoid exposure when the pollen count is high. If pollen causes allergy symptoms for you, there are certain days when it’s hard to avoid exposure, but keeping your doors and windows closed can help decrease exposure to these airborne allergens.
3. Wear a particle mask when working outside
Regardless of pollen count, lawns still need to be mowed. Leaves still need to be raked. To neglect those tasks is to ask for a spike in mold spores. So, on days when hiding just isn’t an option, a particle mask is your best option. If available the N95 particulate respirator should help.
4. Clean your carpets
Have Chem-Dry Classic professionals deep clean your carpets and upholstery. Their Hot Carbonating Extraction process (HCE) has been tested and proven to remove 98% of common household allergens from carpet and upholstery and it's also effective on germs, removing 89% of airborne bacteria when a sanitizer is added.
5. HEPA filter vacuum
During the months between professional carpet cleanings, vacuum once to twice weekly with a three-stage HEPA filter vacuum machine to reduce dust, dust mites, pet dander and other allergens from surfaces in your home.
6. Shower before bed
Smoke, dust pollen and mold can accumulate in your hair over the course of the day, Once you put your head to pillow you’re transferring those allergens onto a surface that you will most likely touch with your face. A quick shower before bed will rinse the allergens out of your hair, which should minimize allergy symptoms during the night.
7. Allergy proof your bed.
Dust, dust mites and their waste can accumulate in your mattresses and box springs to the point that lying down on your bed can be equivalent to lying down in a hazardous waste dump. To reduce allergens in and around your bed, encase mattresses, box springs and pillows in allergen-proof fabric covers.
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