Five Ways to Allergy-Proof Your Home as the Autumn Allergy Season Peaks
With Allergy season peaking, you need to make sure your home is as allergy-proof as possible. Use these tips to prevent pollen and other allergy-irritating factors from making you and your family’s lives miserable.
Increase ventilation in your attic and crawl spaces
Vent fans will help you keep the humidity in these spaces to acceptable levels. This is important to prevent the spread of mold and mildew, both of which can irritate allergies. You can replace the covering on your attic’s soffits with ridged vents to create a natural airflow in and out without worrying about rain getting in and moisture accumulating.
Invest in a hygrometer
Hygrometers help you monitor your home’s humidity levels. Excessive humidity has the potential to lead to mold and other airborne problems. If you are consistently getting readings of 60 percent or higher, you should consider purchasing a dehumidifier to improve your indoor air quality.
Manage mold
Make sure there are no dark and damp spots around your house that can foster mold growth. Eliminate spots that allow water to stagnate. Avoid opening your windows after a heavy rain, as mold can become airborne quickly. Having an HVAC specialist install an ultraviolet (UV) lamp in your air system will also help to eliminate mold from circulating through your home’s air.
Upgrade and replace your air filters
Air filters are measured by their minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) so that you can compare different types. A MERV 16 filter provides excellent protection against pollen and other pollutants that float through your air system and can get circulated to all parts of your home. By replacing your filters regularly, you will be sure that your HVAC system isn’t overworked but you are still efficiently capturing these contaminants.
Replace circulating fans with exhaust fans
Fans that just re-circulate the air can actually contribute to the problem. To prevent pollen and other particles from simply being re-circulated in your house, replace kitchen and bathroom fans with exhaust fans that take them out of the house entirely.
For help implementing these and other HVAC strategies, contact Climatic.
