How to Reduce Fall Allergens and Breathe Healthier Air at Home

Fall allergy season is in full swing in Fairfax, Virginia. If someone in your household suffers from allergies, it’s vital you keep your house free of contaminants that often trigger allergy attacks and other illnesses that affect the respiratory tract. You want your family to breathe the highest quality air inside of your home to reduce the chances of these attacks. Let’s look at several ways you can help to reduce fall allergens and increase your home’s indoor air quality.

What Causes Fall Allergies?

The human immune system produces antibodies to attack foreign substances that enter our bodies, such as pollen, smog, dust, pet dander and dust mites. While people who aren’t allergic to these substances may sneeze or get itchy eyes, someone who’s very allergic often has severe symptoms that may comprise their health.

In Virginia, the main allergens come from pollens produced by weeds and grasses, such as ragweed. Dust mites live in our homes year-round and are one of the top triggers. During the fall, we spend more time inside. As a result, we have more exposure to dust mites. When an allergy sufferer begins to exhibit worsening signs of an allergy attack, they may need medicine or a visit to the doctor.

There are products we can add to your home to help minimize exposure to allergen triggers. We can also perform tasks to help keep your indoor air clean and free of harmful contaminants.

Clean Your Air Ducts

Warm or cool air created by your HVAC system gets delivered into your home via the ducting. Over time, dirt, dust, pet dander, and pollens accumulate within the ductwork. When the system begins its cycle and blows the air into your home, some of those pollutants get blown into the house, which can potentially cause an attack. By periodically having your ducting inspected and cleaned, you can reduce the amount of dirt, dust and other contaminants that enter your home. As a result, you can keep it feeling cleaner and healthier.

Add an Air Purifier

An air purifier is an effective way to trap and eliminate harmful pathogens before they have the chance to get into your house. The purifier works in-line with your existing HVAC system to capture and kill up to 95% of those contaminants that are triggering attacks. The trapped contaminants get zapped with an electrical charge that destroys the cell walls of pathogens and renders them useless. Your home will be rid of nasty microorganisms that can cause distress for those who suffer from allergies.

Use an Energy Recovery Ventilator

While it’s nice to open doors and windows to let fresh air inside, you’re also letting allergens and pollution particles in too. In addition, when you open up your house, you’re letting treated air out. One way to overcome this situation is by installing an energy recovery ventilator.

The ventilator’s main function is to bring in fresh, preconditioned air from the outside into your home. It also expels stale and stuffy air from inside of your house to the outside. It does all of this without letting treated air out, so your home stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The ventilator removes pollen before entering your house, helping to reduce allergy triggers.

Maintain Your HVAC System

A well-maintained HVAC system not only runs efficiently. It also delivers cleaner air into your home. The air filters in the system are the first line of defense in capturing contaminants. Clogged filters restrict airflow, which makes the system work harder and allows dirt and dust to enter your home.

As a homeowner, clean and change your filters at least once per month to ensure your home has high-quality indoor air. Also, schedule regular maintenance. Signing up for our maintenance agreement will ensure timely servicing of your HVAC system.

Fall is a great time to have your HVAC system maintained. Give our friendly team at Brennan’s Heating & Air Conditioning a call today to schedule your maintenance or to discuss having us install indoor air quality products. You can reach us at 703-783-0145 to reduce the amount of allergens in your home.

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