Summer in St. Louis is a time for barbecues, movies under the stars, splash pads, and outdoor adventures. It is also, unfortunately, a time when allergies can act up due to the grass and weed pollen prevalent during the season. Furthermore, rising humidity can invite mold growth and exacerbate respiratory allergy. On the flip side, your air conditioner can cause dehydration if it runs too much. Needless to say, your indoor air quality needs special attention, and not only in the hot months.
The air quality in your home is important throughout the year, especially if you have family members with asthma or hypersensitivity reactions (allergies). Keeping in mind that pollen season in St. Louis can be extended, beginning in early spring and lasting well into the fall, we at Galmiche & Sons have a few recommendations to improve your home’s air quality and prevent it from triggering allergies.
We suggest regular maintenance on your AC. You don’t need to call in professionals for simple maintenance tasks like cleaning and replacing your air filters. Knowing how to change air filters helps maintain optimal air quality during pollen seasons. Note that filter cleaning and replacement is part of our summer AC tune-up, which involves a comprehensive clean and check of your AC system to improve AC performance and efficiency during the sweltering months.
For more information or to schedule your HVAC maintenance appointment, call us at 314-993-1110 today.
Tips to Improve Indoor Air Quality During the Summer
Clean air in your home helps your health and well-being. Air conditioners are an essential appliance to maintain good indoor air quality. Their air filters trap different air pollutants like dust, pollen, and pet dander. Fewer airborne particles help keep summer allergies away.
Seasonal allergies happen when your body overreacts to harmless airborne particles like mold spores or pollen dust. The overreaction triggers an inflammatory response, releasing chemicals like histamine that cause allergy symptoms like watery and itchy eyes or runny or stuffy nose. The inflammation can reach the airways in some people, worsening pre-existing respiratory conditions like asthma, leading to increased coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath.
How to Prevent Summer Allergies
Simple measures can improve indoor air quality and ensure summer comfort in every way:
- Use HEPA Air Filters: High efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA) filters are designed to trap 99.7% of airborne particles 0.3 microns in diameter or larger. This is the size range for mold spores, bacteria, and microbes. Upgrade to HEPA filters for your AC to maximize contaminants removed from air and experience a marked effect on your indoor air quality.
- Aim for a Temperature that Feels Comfortable to You: St. Louis summers are muggy. When indoor air is humid, it can lead to mold and mildew growth. Indoor relative humidity should ideally be between 30-50%. Keeping your AC on at full strength is not necessarily the answer to reducing humidity and staying cool. Find a temperature at which you are comfortable and not wasting energy.
- Other Ways to Reduce the Risk of Summer Allergies: Some other tips you can use to improve indoor allergies include, keeping windows closed to create a more allergen-free environment. You should also shower and change clothes after being outdoors to reduce exposure to allergen. Finally, follow a regular AC maintenance schedule, which includes filter replacement, coil cleaning, duct cleaning, and more.
Contact Galmiche and Sons to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Whether you are overdue for AC maintenance, need an AC tune-up, or want to upgrade to a new air conditioner, the experts at Galmiche & Sons have you covered. For more information, call us at 314-993-1110 or contact our heating and air conditioning experts online.
