Can you have allergies around fall? You most certainly can! Allergens can strike at any moment. Even though spring allergies can be more common, allergies in the fall are a significant problem for millions of people. Here, Matz-Rightway can help you learn more about and fight fall allergies. Sadly, the solution isn’t as easy as staying clear of the pollen-filled world around your home. Fall allergy season finds various ways into your home. By identifying what triggers fall allergies, you can recognize the best ways to minimize them.
How to Recognize Fall Allergy Symptoms
Determining your fall allergy symptoms can be more difficult than it might seem. The symptoms of seasonal fall allergies are often subtle and mistaken for a slight cold. Coughing, sneezing and sinusitis are all symptoms that show up in both fall allergies and the common cold. A healthcare professional is always the best source for confirming 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 triggers fall allergies in your exact case, there are many likely culprits. Dust mites and allergens can build up in difficult-to-reach places within your home. Most of these sources of seasonal fall allergies can be controlled with professional air quality services including those provided by Matz-Rightway. However, 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 air ducts
Remedies for Seasonal Fall Allergies
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says that homeowners dealing with fall allergies should improve their air quality in three ways. First, you should restrict your exposure to airborne allergens in your home. This entails installing a whole-house dehumidifier, air duct cleaning and preventing your home from getting too warm. Second, you should ventilate your home, ensuring that airborne particles don't amass in stagnant air. Third, you might think about installing an air cleaner to clear 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 encourages a petri dish for mold, dust mites and numerous other sources of allergy symptoms. With a whole-house dehumidifier, you have precise control over the humidity levels throughout your entire home. These modern dehumidifiers enable you to dictate the humidity inside your home within 1% of the set levels, removing the conditions for excess mold, dust mites, fungi, bacteria and other contaminants.
Keep Your Air Clear With Ultraviolet Germicidal Lights
Ultraviolet germicidal lights purify the air in your home before it moves through your home. As the air flows out of your HVAC unit and enters your ductwork, it moves through a strong ultraviolet light that kills contaminants before they can multiply. This system addresses the question, “What is the best air purifier for allergies?” This system should quickly make your air significantly cleaner. UV lights have been found to eliminate half of the concentrated bioaerosols within their first 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 impurities in the air. Thanks to their distinct design, these filters snatch the most frequent sources of fall allergies from their air, like 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 Ducts
In the past, HVAC systems have not always done well with eliminating contaminants from the air. This means that debris often circulates through ductwork for a very long time. Over time, a portion of that debris may accumulate within your ductwork. This is why multiple people advocate for Matz-Rightway 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 eliminate one of the most substantial sources of airborne contaminants inside your home.
The 10 Cities in the United States With the Most Difficult Fall Allergy Seasons
In many cases, your location has a major impact on the extent of your fall allergy symptoms. Fall allergies are understood to be worse in specific areas of the country versus others. As an example, ragweed (one of the most widespread sources of allergy-inducing pollen) is concentrated in the country’s eastern region along with the Midwest. However, allergies can be a substantial problem regardless of where you live. Here are the 10 most challenging cities for those dealing with seasonal allergies.
Getting Help From Matz-Rightway
As you have now seen, the most comprehensive strategy for dust mites and fall allergies involves an all-out assault on the pollutants and other debris in the air inside your home. Your home will require a specialized approach suited for that home’s particular makeup and layout. With air quality specialists all across the United States, Matz-Rightway can help in almost every corner of the country. If you're looking for one of our indoor air quality pros to help make your air as allergen-free as possible, call or fill out a contact form today.