When you are battling spring allergies, it can be easy to overlook one of the biggest allergen sources out there: your own home. You might think you are safe inside from pollens and other spring allergies, but for a lot of people, the indoor air quality of their home could stand to be improved.
That is why the most important of the spring allergy tips is to consider your indoor air quality.
In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency warns that poor indoor air quality can exacerbate issues like asthma and allergies, and even cause respiratory problems for otherwise healthy people down the road. Thankfully, there is a lot you can do to improve the indoor air quality in your home. To learn more or for other heating & air conditioning service needs in St. Louis, get in touch with Galmiche & Sons today.
Galmiche & Sons’ Allergy Tips for Spring
Spring Allergy Tip #1: Change Your Air Filter
As far as spring allergy tips go, this is the easiest to follow through on. Simply changing or upgrading the air filter in your HVAC system can go a long way towards relieving your spring allergies. Air filters inside heaters or air conditioners should be changed at least once a year, and the more frequently you change them out, the more effective they are at removing irritants from the air.
You could also consider upgrading your air filter to one with a higher MERV rating. MERV means minimum efficiency reporting value, and air filters are rated on a scale of 1-16. One of the best spring allergy tips is to find out your air filter’s MERV rating and make sure it is higher than 8. If not, you should consider choosing a more effective air filter to remove more allergens from the air.
Spring Allergy Tip #2: Consider A Central Air Purifier
If just replacing the air filter is not working for you, don’t worry, there are more spring allergy tips you can pursue. For especially bad allergies, consider adding a central air purifier to your HVAC set up. A central purifier can boost the purity of the air in your home by working with your HVAC system to remove particles even before air reaches the standard filters.
One thing you will want to look out for here though is that the central air purifier is installed properly and well maintained. An improperly installed purifier can not only leave you exposed to irritants and allergens, it can affect how your heating & air conditioning units function as well. So it is important to have this installed by a professional team and to get regular maintenance checks on your unit. One of our bonus spring allergy tips is that these regular maintenance visits are a great time to replace your filters as well, since having a professional do it allows you to avoid the exposure to dust and everything else in the replacement process.
Spring Allergy Tip #3: Run the AC
Keeping the AC on more is not something you expect to see listed among spring allergy tips, but it does work. As doors and windows are open more often in the spring and summer, you might be inviting in outdoor allergens more than usual. Pushing more air through your air conditioner — with proper air filters installed — is a great way to remove irritants that have come in through open doors and windows.
Contact Us for More Spring Allergy Tips
All in all, there is a lot you can do with your heating & air conditioning system to help get relief from spring allergies. Follow the tips above as a start. To learn more and to schedule a spring HVAC system tune up to help remove allergens from your system, contact Galmiche & Sons in St. Louis today!
