July 14, 2020

Improve Seasonal Allergies with Better Indoor Air

Seasonal allergies are a challenge for many people. In the spring and autumn, pollen grains, mold spores and other seasonal irritants leave allergy suffers feeling miserable. In an ideal world, retreating to the safety of your home would give you a break from allergy triggers. However, poor indoor air quality can concentrate allergens and leave you feeling even worse.

What Causes Seasonal Allergies?

Allergies are an unpleasant part of life for a large section of the population. You’ve probably heard of people with life-threatening allergies to things such as bee stings, peanuts and shellfish. Other people may have a mild allergic reaction to pet dander. The red itchiness from poison ivy is an allergic reaction to a compound found on the plant.

The human immune system causes all of these reactions. When you injure your body, you may see swelling and redness at the site. These are signs of your immune system at work battling bacteria and preventing infection. When you have a cold, the sneezing and sniffling are byproducts of your body fighting off the virus.

An allergy is what happens when the immune system treats something harmless as a threat. For skin allergies, you will see the same swelling and redness as happens with an injury.

When someone has seasonal allergies, his or her body is reacting to the pollen grains and mold spores that are floating in the air. If it is in the air, you will breathe it into your lungs. The body’s reaction is similar to what happens when it is fighting off a cold. You might sneeze, cough and have a runny nose. Those symptoms can make it difficult to breathe and can disrupt sleep.

Seasonal allergies can be even more troubling for people with preexisting respiratory issues. The symptoms of seasonal allergies may trigger a serious asthma attack.

Home Remedies for Clean Air

Pollen grains and mold spores can easily float around in your air supply. The best way to prevent poor indoor air quality is by keeping allergens outside. Your family members can track outdoor dust inside your home. During the allergy season, have them take off their shoes before they step into the house. Some people have an area in their main entryway for shoe storage.

The allergy season will also require some extra cleaning efforts. Sweeping can kick up pollen grains and put them back into the air supply. Vacuuming with a HEPA filter will remove the allergens from your living space. You can save some time by programming a robotic vacuum to clean your floors once or twice each day.

It is important to use cleaning techniques that keep dust out of the air. A wet mop will do a better job of removing allergens from your floor than a broom. Microfiber cloths will pick up dust rather than scattering it.

Professional Solutions for Indoor Air Quality

At Scott-Lee Heating Company, we strive to give our customers in the St. Louis area comprehensive home climate solutions. You may associate us primarily with your heating and cooling systems. However, we can also help you install equipment that will improve the air quality inside your home or business. For seasonal allergy control, we recommend installing an air filtration or air purification system.

An air filtration device is a set of filters that traps particles as they flow through your air. You can purchase individual units that will help clean the air in a single room. For a whole-house solution, our technicians can install filters that remove pollen grains and mold spores as they flow through your ductwork. Not only will these units filter out seasonal allergens, but they will also remove common allergens such as pet dander and dust mites.

An air purifier is the next step in cleaning your indoor air. In addition to powerful filters, these devices use UV light or other technology to destroy bacteria and viruses. While there are individual room units available, we can install a whole-house solution that uses your existing ductwork. You will breathe much easier throughout the year when you have a professional air cleaning solution in your home.

Your Trusted Home Climate Team

Scott-Lee Heating Company is the company that St. Louis trusts for residential and commercial climate services. We can handle every aspect of the heating, cooling and indoor air quality equipment at your location. We are also the professionals you can trust for metalwork projects around your building. Contact Scott-Lee Heating Company today to learn more.