5 Tips To Keep Pollen Outside Your Home

Spring is a time of beauty and renewal — birds are singing, the sun is shining, and flowers are blooming. Unfortunately, it’s also allergy season. If you experience seasonal allergies, spring and summer means dealing with pesky allergy triggers — with pollen being one of the biggest offenders. While you can’t do much about the pollen count outside, you can try to keep pollen out of your home. The professionals at LIBERTYAIR Air Conditioning & Heating have compiled a list of helpful tips to help you do so.

Don’t Track Pollen In

Pollen has evolved to stick to surfaces to spread around and pollinate plants. In nature, this is a useful property, but indoors it means pollen can adhere to our clothes, shoes, hair, skin, and pets. Fortunately, focusing on things that are easy to remove or clean can limit pollen’s indoor presence. For example, shoes should be taken off immediately at the door and left in a closet or on a mat, out of the way. Wearing a light coat or cover-up that can be removed once indoors can help your clothes stay mostly pollen-free. Brushing your hair and your pet to remove pollen, and washing your hands and face, especially your eyebrows, can remove hitchhiking allergens.

Know When Pollen Count Is Highest

Pollen count is highest during the morning and at night. While it’s not always an option to avoid going out during these times, scheduling your outings based on pollen count can help reduce the amount that you track in. Pollen is also more numerous on days that are dry, warm, and windy. On days like this, it can spread for miles in large clouds. You can also check your local pollen forecast to see what levels will be like for the next few days. This can help you plan optimal days for outings that take advantage of the season without sending you into an allergic tizzy.

Keep The House Sealed

Being proactive about what you do outdoors is an important part of keeping pollen levels low in your home, but it’s not the only part. While the weather outside might inspire you to leave windows or doors open for fresh air, this is an open invitation for pollen. Even if your windows or doors are screened, the mesh is likely not tight enough to keep out small pollen particles. Sealing the house involves more than keeping doors and windows closed, however. A blower door test can check the airtightness of your home to see if there are issues with caulking, insulation, and sealing, allowing pollen and other allergens to enter your home.

Seal Ductwork

Likewise, your ductwork may not be sealed correctly due to its age or improper installation. Air duct sealing will ensure that the ducts don’t pull air from rooms that aren’t conditioned, such as the attic. Because these areas aren’t conditioned, the pollens and allergens in these spaces don’t get filtered by your a/c unit. Sealing both the return and supply ducts also avoids creating negative pressure in the home, which can pull air from the outside. Having professionals test the pressure of your ducts to ensure they’re correctly sealed can help reduce pollen in your home. Contact LIBERTYAIR to find out more about the a/c services that we provide.

Consider Your Air Filters

While ac filters should be replaced regularly and have the correct MERV rating, it’s important to consider other types of filters in your home that can help keep pollen at a minimum. A HEPA air purifier in each main room can be a costly yet effective solution to combat indoor pollen and other allergens. Even regularly cleaning your vacuum filter can aid in increasing indoor air quality. Adding air purifiers to your air ducts can also have a huge impact. Installing an in-duct air purifier system can neutralize pollutants, allergens, dust, and odors. Contact the professionals at LIBERTYAIR today for more information about in-duct air purifier installation services.