It’s that time of year again. After the winter weather kept allergen levels lower for quite a while, things are starting to get stirred up for the springtime. Ash, cedar, cypress, elm, maple, mulberry, oak, pecan, and willow trees produce huge amounts of pollen this time of year. The spring allergy season is long, and summer grass allergies can be even worse!
If you’re tired of taking allergy medications and hiding indoors and still having watery eyes, an itchy nose, and sneezing, it’s time to take control of your indoor air quality. Your home should be your sanctuary. You can be safer from allergens and feel much healthier by having an indoor air quality system installed in your home. Here’s what you should know.
Pollen Allergies
More than a quarter of adults and almost a fifth of children suffer from pollen allergies, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Most of these allergies are reactions to the pollen of trees, grasses, and weeds such as ragweed, pigweed, and thistle. The symptoms vary, but they can severely impact the quality of life of people who experience them.
Other Allergies
Two of the other most common types of allergies are pet dander and mold.
- Dander: Pet dander is not actually the fur of the pet, but the dead skin cells and saliva of the animal, so even hairless or supposedly “hypoallergenic” pets can produce dander. Even birds have dander! This substance can accumulate in your home even when you clean thoroughly.
- Mold: This fungal growth uses the air itself to reproduce. Much like pollen from plants, spores from mold are released to float through the air and grow new colonies of mold in other locations. Some types of mold are so toxic that even people without allergies will react to them.
Indoor Air Quality
There are three types of systems that can be employed as add-ons to your home’s HVAC system to improve your indoor air quality and get rid of the particles that your air contains—pollen, dander, mold spores, bacteria, viruses, dust, and more.
- Air Filters: This type of system simply screens all the air that passes through your air ducts. Different materials of filters are better for eliminating different types of contaminants, but any air filtration system will catch a significant portion of the particles in the air.
- Air Cleaners: This electronic system uses opposing electrical charges to polarize particles and then trap them. It’s an extremely effective way to catch many more particles than a simple air filter would.
- Air Purifiers: These use ultraviolet light at a frequency that scrambles the proteins that hold biological pathogens together. They don’t just trap particles, they actually destroy bacteria, viruses, mold spores and more.
Choosing a System
What should you do to improve your home’s air quality? That depends on the exact allergens you’re most concerned about targeting. When you’re ready to learn about the ways you can take control of your indoor air quality in Hammond, LA, a conversation with a qualified professional can help you determine which is the best choice for you.
When you need it done right, contact Professional Heating & Air.