How to Improve Seasonal Allergies with Better Indoor Air
When the coughing, sneezing and runny noses begin, you know that seasonal allergies have struck at your Belleville, IL, home. These unpredictable terrors can make you miserable for a few hours or a few days, leaving just as mysteriously as they arrived.
In the midst of your misery, it’s easy to wonder if there’s anything you can do to reduce your suffering from seasonal allergies. The good news is that there are plenty of steps you can take to improve your indoor air quality and greatly reduce or even eliminate your indoor allergy suffering. Here are a few tips from BELOMAN to help you take this allergy season in Belleville by storm.
1. Check the Seals
Even though your home may seem airtight, there are actually a lot of gaps and cracks through which outside air can enter. By filling in a majority of these openings, you can help reduce the number of allergens that enter your home. Start by carefully sealing around your window and door frames on both the outside and inside.
Next, move around your foundation, looking for any cracks in the concrete or in joints between the cement blocks. It’s also good to make sure there’s a good seal between your attic and the rest of your home so that any allergens that enter through your attic vents won’t make it into the part of your home that’s occupied.
2. Change Your Filter
At BELOMAN, one of our most common pieces of advice we give to homeowners is to keep the air filter in your HVAC system clean. Did you know that your air filter can do far more than simply collect dust? If you use the right type of filter, you can capture many common allergens, as well.
Just look for a filter with a MERV rating of 11 or higher, which is rated to capture common sneeze-inducing allergens such as ragweed and pollen. It’s important to have someone from BELOMAN inspect your HVAC system before you make this change to ensure your system can handle the reduced airflow that will result from a more dense filter.
3. Get Your Ducts in a Row
Another common cause of circulating allergens in your home is dirty ducts. If your ducts get dusty and dirty, it’s easier for allergens such as mold and mildew to grow. Then, when the air from your HVAC system flows through, they can break free to be released into the air in your home. Therefore, it’s important to keep your ducts clean to ensure you’re not harboring allergens and to help your HVAC system from BELOMAN run as efficiently as possible.
4. Keep Things Clean
Though you may not realize it, your home is full of potential collection points for various types of allergens. Textiles such as carpet, upholstery, bedding and anything else that’s soft can collect thousands upon thousands of allergens that can be released when they’re disturbed. Rather than allowing allergens to collect, you can get ahead of them by vacuuming, scrubbing and washing frequently during allergy season. By removing as many allergens as possible, you can help make allergy season a little more bearable.
5. Bring Out the Heavy Machines
If you want to go all out to avoid suffering this allergy season, then an air purifier makes for a great investment. At BELOMAN, we recommend air purifiers that have at least two stages to help remove as many contaminants from your air as possible. The first stage, the HEPA filtration stage, is the most important when it comes to allergens. Using high-density filter media, a HEPA filter can remove over 99% of most allergens, leaving you with easy-to-breathe air and a relieved respiratory system.
6. Keep Your HVAC Running Strong
Another way to breathe easier during the summer is to keep the air in your home cool and comfortable. At BELOMAN, we specialize in the repair, maintenance and installation of air conditioners as well as furnaces to ensure your home stays comfortable year-round. Have a maintenance plan with us, and we can also test your indoor air quality to help you identify which allergens are causing you misery so that we can help you take steps to remove them.
Schedule With Us Today
We are a proud recipient of the Better Business Bureau Torch Award and the Belleville News-Democrat’s Reader’s Choice Award. We’ve been taking care of heating and cooling needs in the area for over 60 years, and we’re still proudly family owned and operated. Our continued growth and our numerous five-star reviews are a testament to the trust that we have earned in this community.
We can also take care of many common plumbing repairs and maintenance items, and we offer pest control solutions to ensure you don’t have any unwanted visitors in your home. We want to earn your trust when you turn to BELOMAN for an air purifier. Call us today!
