Springtime in Michigan brings beautiful blooms, green rolling hills, and cool weather. If you’re an allergy sufferer, it might also bring puffy eyes, a runny nose, and a scratchy throat. While it can help to avoid being outdoors during peak pollen count days, allergens can find their way indoors. Thankfully, you can use your HVAC system to help prevent spring allergens from invading your home.Â
What Causes Spring Allergies in Michigan?
If you have allergies primarily in the spring, it likely comes as no surprise that tree and grass pollens are the most likely culprits. Spring and summer are the prime tree pollen seasons, with native trees like ash, oak, walnut, and hickory being the most prevalent producers in the Midwest. While mold can bloom if water accumulates, not a rarity in the Michigan spring, pollens are usually the culprit behind seasonal sneezes.
Ways to Reduce Allergens in Your Home
The easiest way to reduce allergens in your home is to make sure your HVAC system is handling them for you. Nobody wants to end up in an eternal battle with dust and pollen when a bit of work can have your HVAC system do the fighting for you.
How Your HVAC System Works to Filter Spring Pollen
Your HVAC system over the course of a day should, with a proper design, circulate most of the air in your home. With a good filter in place and proper ductwork to distribute air as intended, even a basic HVAC system will do a lot of work in removing pollen from the air. Just make sure to leave the fan “on” instead of setting it to “auto.”
Spring Cleaning for Your HVAC System
Before the pollen starts to flow, make sure your HVAC system is ready to deal with it:
- Change filters:Â Changing your HVAC filters every one to three months helps track dust and pollen, and can also ensure your system has the airflow to work efficiently.
- Clean vents: Cleaning your vents ensures your air conditioner gets proper airflow, which is key to proper air circulation and energy efficiency.Â
- Schedule duct cleaning: Your air ducts can circulate allergens through your home, especially if there are leaks in the ductwork. Schedule regular cleaning to keep your home air clean, your climate control efficient, and make sure there’s no grimy buildup, which could host moisture, mold, or pests in your ducts.
Install Air Purifiers
Managing indoor air quality with proper equipment can have an outstanding effect on your allergies, asthma, skin, eyes, and general health. It’s a great investment if you’re at all worried about the air you breathe:
- Air scrubbers:Â Air scrubbers work to remove those particulates too small for normal removal, with some designs also serving to remove gases and other chemicals from the air. This can include mold spores and pollen that would slip past a traditional HVAC filter.
- Whole-home air purifiers:Â A whole-home air purifier neutralizes, removes, or kills organic particles that normal filtration cannot capture. This can affect normal allergens such as mold and pollen, but also more insidious allergens such as organic chemicals from household products and pollution.
More Ways To Allergy-Proof Your Home
Whole-home filtration and air purifiers can do wonders, but to make the most of your pollen-combatting efforts, follow these steps to help keep allergens from invading your space.Â
- Keep windows closed: During peak pollen times in the early morning and evening, keeping your windows closed can work wonders, especially if you have proper weatherstripping to prevent drafts and infiltration.
- Use a HEPA vacuum filter: Vacuum daily to remove dust and various other particulates from your home, such as spores, dander, pollen, and more.
- Leave shoes at the door:Â Pollen can cling to outerwear like shoes, jackets, and hats.Â
- Bathe pets often: Unless your pets are hypoallergenic, you’ll want to wash and brush them often to minimize dander. Dogs and cats that spend time outdoors are likely to track in pollen they pick up when walking through wooded or grassy areas.Â
Call Hager Fox for Spring HVAC Prep
When you’re ready to beat your allergies for good, let the Hager Fox team help with spring HVAC preparations. From indoor air quality solutions to seasonal HVAC maintenance, we’ll help you keep your home environment clean and healthy. Â
Contact Hager Fox Heating and Air Conditioning now to schedule a spring tune-up or learn more about indoor air quality solutions in the Lansing area.
