Can you get allergies around fall? You most certainly can! Allergens can strike at any moment. While spring allergies may be more common, allergies in the fall are a significant problem for millions of people. Here, Church Services can help you understand and overcome fall allergies. Sadly, the solution isn’t as easy as avoiding the pollen-filled world outside your home. Fall allergy season finds several ways into your home. By identifying what causes fall allergies, you can recognize the best ways to limit them.
How to Learn More About Your Fall Allergy Symptoms
Figuring out your fall allergy symptoms can be harder than it might seem. The symptoms of seasonal fall allergies are frequently subtle and mistaken for a mild cold. Coughing, sneezing and sinusitis tend to be symptoms that show up in both fall allergies and the common cold. A healthcare professional is always the most dependable 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 Causes Fall Allergies?
When looking into what causes fall allergies in your specific case, there are plenty of possible culprits. Dust mites and allergens can collect in difficult-to-reach places within your home. Most of these sources of seasonal fall allergies can be minimized with professional air quality services like those provided by Church Services. 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 cushioned furniture
- Debris buildup in your air ducts
Solutions for Seasonal Fall Allergies
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America states that homeowners dealing with fall allergies could improve their air quality in three ways. First, you should limit your contact with airborne allergens inside your home. This involves having a whole-house dehumidifier, ductwork cleaning and preventing your home from getting too warm. Second, you must ventilate your home, making sure that airborne debris does not accumulate in stagnant air. Third, you should consider installing an air cleaner to eliminate allergens from the air. Learn more about each solution below.
Control Your Home’s Humidity with a Whole-House Dehumidifier
When the air in your home deviates from the EPA’s suggested humidity levels (30%-40% humidity), it provides a petri dish for mold, dust mites and many other sources of allergic reactions. With a whole-house dehumidifier, you have fine-tuned control over the humidity levels in your entire home. These innovative dehumidifiers allow you to dictate the humidity in your home within 1% of the preferred levels, erasing the conditions for excessive mold, dust mites, fungi, bacteria and other contaminants.
Keep Your Air Clean With Ultraviolet Germicidal Lights
Ultraviolet germicidal lights deactivate microorganisms in the air in your home before it spreads through your home. As the air exits your HVAC unit and enters your ducts, it passes through a powerful ultraviolet light that deactivates contaminants before they can disperse. This system answers the question, “What is the best air purifier for allergies?” This system can quickly make your air considerably cleaner. UV lights have been shown to remove half of the concentrated bioaerosols within their first 45 minutes of use.
Eliminate Contaminants with HEPA Air Filters
When you favor a high-efficiency air filter, you need a HEPA air filter that can capture 99.97% of the impurities in the air. Because of their unique design, these filters collect the most common sources of fall allergies from their air, such as ragweed, pollen and dust mites. HEPA air filters also capture contaminants including:
- Tobacco smoke
- Dirt particles
- Pollen
- Ragweed
- Dust mites
- Assorted odors and airborne chemicals
Consistently Clean Your HVAC System’s Ducts
Historically, HVAC systems have not always done a great job of eliminating pollutants from the air. This means that debris routinely spreads through ductwork for a very long time. Over time, large quantities of that debris will build up in your air ducts. This is why some people suggest Church Services and our duct cleaning services before turning on the heat for the first time in the fall. This can eliminate one of the most common sources of airborne contaminants in your home.
The 10 Cities in the United States With the Most Difficult Fall Allergy Seasons
Most of the time, your location has a significant impact on the intensity of your fall allergy symptoms. Fall allergies are identified to be more serious in some areas of the country compared to others. For instance, ragweed (one of the most prevalent sources of allergy-inducing pollen) is more common in the country’s eastern region along with the Midwest. However, allergies can be a considerable problem no matter where you live. Here are the 10 most challenging cities for those managing seasonal allergies.
Getting Assistance From Church Services
As you have now seen, the most comprehensive remedy for dust mites and fall allergies entails an all-out assault on the pollutants and allergens in the air inside your home. Every home will require a specialized approach suited for that home’s unique makeup and layout. With air quality professionals throughout the United States, Church Services can help in almost any part of the country. If you want one of our indoor air quality experts to help eliminate as many allergens as possible, call or fill out a contact form when you're ready to start.