Reduce Your Allergies With These Key Tips
Our experts outline three ways to improve allergy symptoms in your home
Did you know that indoor air can be up to five times as polluted as outdoor air? Outside, air naturally circulates, while indoors, it is contained and has nowhere to go. Your indoor air quality is good when the air is clean, purified, and well-ventilated. If it is not filtered with outside air, carbon dioxide and pollutants can build up and harm your health, especially during allergy seasons. If you want to improve the air quality of your home, read our blog to learn how regularly cleaning, maintaining healthy humidity levels, and installing an air purifier can reduce your allergy symptoms during peak allergy seasons in Redmond, WA, and the greater Puget Sound area.
SEE ALSO: 4 Health Benefits of Air Purifiers
Routinely Clean Your Home
Combat allergens in the air through routine cleaning. Dust is a major trigger for allergies and can easily build up indoors. Get rid of it by routinely dusting, vacuuming, and reducing clutter. Make sure to use a cloth damp with furniture polish or an anti-dust product that collects and eliminates the dust. Clean your showers and other areas in the bathroom to eliminate mold build up and wash your bedding in hot water at least once a week to remove allergens, pollen, dust, and pet dander. For those of us with furry friends, allergy doctors recommend keeping pets out of your bedroom, keeping doors closed while you are away, and washing your pet’s toys and bedding regularly. For a more long-term solution to pet dander build up, consider replacing your carpeting with bare floors or low-pile carpeting.
Maintain Healthy Humidity Levels
The humidity levels of your home can negatively impact the air quality. The Environmental Protection Agency states that indoor humidity levels should be kept below 60% and relative humidity between 30% and 50%. High humidity levels can cause asthma flare-ups in those with the condition, allergy-induced asthma that affects the lungs and airways, and allergic rhinitis that causes sneezing, coughing, itchy eyes, and more. Low humidity can also cause problems. Water vapor dries up quickly, robbing the skin of its moisture and causing dry and flaky skin as well as drying up nasal passages and causing sinus symptoms. We recommend investing in a hygrometer or smart thermostat with built-in humidity monitoring for your home.
Install An Air Purifier
Air purifiers that use HEPA filters are another fantastic way to improve the air quality of your home. Air purifiers are appliances designed to cleanse your home’s air. HEPA filters, or high-efficiency particulate air filters, force air through a fine mesh that catches harmful particles such as pet dander, dust mites, and pollen, pulling in dirty air and pushing out clean air. Removing these dangerous airborne particles can prevent allergy symptoms and improve your overall wellness. Make sure that your filter is "True HEPA," not "HEPA-like" and "HEPA-type" used to get customers to purchase a less effective product. To be True HEPA-certified, the unit must remove at least 99.97% of particulates measuring 0.3 microns in diameter in a lab setting. Also, check the clean-air delivery rate of the purifier, which measures the cleaning speed. Anything above 350 is high-performing, but make sure the CADR is at least 300.
Bob’s is your local HVAC expert, here to help you improve your indoor air quality and make your family more comfortable and safe. Whether you are looking for an air purifier or an HVAC system, we are here to help with every step of the process! Schedule a consultation by filling out our online form or calling Bob’s Heating & Air Conditioning at (800) 840-3346 today!
