Can you get allergies during the fall? You most definitely can! Allergens can hit at any moment. Even though spring allergies can be more prevalent, allergies in the fall are a significant problem for countless people. Here, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning strives to help you recognize and better manage fall allergies. Sadly, the solution isn’t as simple as avoiding the pollen-filled world outside your home. Fall allergy season finds different ways into your home. By determining what causes fall allergies, you can also identify the best ways to limit them.
How to Identify Fall Allergy Symptoms
Determining your fall allergy symptoms can be more difficult than it may seem. The symptoms of seasonal fall allergies are commonly discreet and mistaken for a mild cold. Coughing, sneezing and sinusitis are typical symptoms that develop in both fall allergies and the common cold. A medical professional is always the best source for identifying allergies. However, a few common symptoms of fall allergies and sinusitis include:
- Itchy or watery eyes
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Headache
- Fatigue or tiredness
What Produces Fall Allergies?
When looking into what causes fall allergies in your exact case, there are various potential culprits. Dust mites and allergens can build up in different places within 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 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 soft furniture
- Debris buildup in your air ducts
Solutions for Seasonal Fall Allergies
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reports that homeowners with fall allergies should improve their air quality in three ways. First, you can limit your contact with airborne allergens within your home. This involves installing a whole-house dehumidifier, air duct cleaning and preventing your home from getting too warm. Second, you should ventilate your home, making sure that airborne debris does not amass in stagnant air. Third, you might look at installing an air cleaner to remove allergens from the air. Learn more about each solution below.
Reduce Your Home’s Humidity with a Whole-House Dehumidifier
When the air in your home strays from the EPA’s ideal humidity levels (30%-40% humidity), it creates a perfect environment for mold, dust mites and various other sources of allergy symptoms. With a whole-house dehumidifier, you have fine-tuned control over the humidity levels across your entire home. These state-of-the-art dehumidifiers permit you to dictate the humidity in your home within 1% of the preferred levels, removing the conditions for excessive mold, dust mites, fungi, bacteria and other microbes.
Keep Your Air Healthy With Ultraviolet Germicidal Lights
Ultraviolet germicidal lights clean the air in your home before it spreads through your ductwork. As the air exits your HVAC unit and enters your ductwork, it goes through a strong ultraviolet light that kills contaminants before they can spread. This system addresses the question, “What is the best air purifier for allergies?” This system should quickly make your air noticeably cleaner. UV lights have been known to remove half of the concentrated bioaerosols within their initial 45 minutes of use.
Trap Contaminants with HEPA Air Filters
When you want a high-efficiency air filter, you want a HEPA air filter that can trap 99.97% of the contaminants in the air. Due to their specific design, these filters snatch the most frequent triggers of fall allergies from their air, such as ragweed, pollen and dust mites. HEPA air filters also remove contaminants like:
- Tobacco smoke
- Dirt particles
- Pollen
- Ragweed
- Dust mites
- Assorted odors and airborne chemicals
Regularly Clean Your HVAC System’s Air Ducts
In the past, HVAC systems have not always done a great job of getting rid of impurities from the air. This means that debris often spreads through ductwork for many years. Over time, some of that debris may pile up within your ventilation. This is why many people suggest Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning and our duct cleaning services before turning on the heat for the first time in the fall. Taking care of this early in the season can resolve 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
Often, your location has a major impact on the intensity of your fall allergy symptoms. Fall allergies are known to be more serious in some areas of the country versus others. As an example, ragweed (one of the most widespread sources of allergy-inducing pollen) is more common in the country’s eastern region and in the Midwest. Nonetheless, allergies can be a significant problem despite where you live. Here are the 10 toughest cities for those with seasonal allergies.
Getting Help From Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning
As you have now seen, the most comprehensive remedy 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 need a precise approach appropriate for that home’s individual makeup and layout. With air quality specialists all across the United States, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning can offer support in almost every part of the country. If you're looking for one of our indoor air quality pros to help eliminate as many allergens as possible, call or fill out a contact form when you're ready to start.