Pollen can enter your home from many sources, which can make controlling allergies difficult, especially in spring and early summer when every plant around you seems to be filling the air with allergens. Stopping these allergens starts with understanding exactly how they are getting into your house:
- Open windows: It seems almost too easy, but the worst culprit for letting pollens into your home are often open windows. This is particularly true when days get warmer, and you open windows to let the cool air in at night or freshen up the air in the day. Pollen counts tend to be very high in the morning, so leaving those windows open too long means that you get a flood of pollen. The solution here is also easy: Close your windows during pollen season.
- Pets: Do you have pets that like to go play outside? Then they are probably bringing in a whole lot of pollens: Remember that many pollen particles are designed to easily catch onto things and hitch a ride. Running through branches and brush – or even just playing on the lawn – can fill a pet's hair with allergen particles, which they shake off inside.
- Clothes and hair: Pets aren't the only ones going outside during pollen season! Pollen also gets trapped on human hair and clothes: Whether you are going out to play in the pair or jog the streets in the morning, you could be bringing in a cloud of allergens when you return home. Brush off and use an entryway to switch clothes to help minimize this problem.
- Poor insulation: Gaps in insulation tend to occur in attics and around weatherproofing that guard the edges of windows and doors. These gaps allow air to seep into your house, and with that air comes pollen. Update your insulation if it's wearing thin!
If you have been noticing problems with allergens, contact Ragsdale and ask about inspections and cleaning practices that can help remove pollen, as well as more advanced air filtration products to deal with allergies issues.
