There's very little you can do to control pollen in outdoor air. But you can take the following 5 steps towards minimizing the amount of pollen inside. Being consistent about reducing it will ultimately cut down on the amount of disruption it causes in your life.
Keep Outdoor Air Out---It's impossible to keep every grain of pollen out, but you can drastically reduce the amount by keeping outdoor air outside. Do this by keeping windows closed. Use air conditioning rather than opening windows.
In addition to changing the filter when it looks dirty and/or every month, whichever works better, you can also trap additional particles by covering vents with cheesecloth.
It's also a good idea to have a professional company come in and clean the vents. Moisture cannot only make it possible for pollen to stick and then be released when dry, but it can also encourage the growth of mold inside the ducts which can add additional allergens to your air.
Put On New Clothes---Pollen is sticky by nature. Its ability to stick to the soil is how new trees get started. However, when it sticks to your clothes it's an allergen waiting to be inhaled. You can stop these particles from being released into your air by removing your clothes as soon as you come into the house.
The laundry room or the room where the washer and dryer are kept is a perfect place to leave clothes that likely have pollen on them. Storing them in the washing machine keeps the granules from being sent airborne indoors.
Wash It Away---Just like it can stick to clothes and packages, it will also cling to hair and skin. Get pollen off of you immediately by bathing as soon as possible.
If you have it on your arms, hands, and in your hair, it's not hard to see how you can make a cloud of pollen all by yourself. Taking a shower or bath can wash these irritants right down the drain and eliminate the possibility that they will cause havoc.
Limit Pet Access---This is tough to do for those of us who like out pets around us wherever we go. But when it comes indoors from outside, it can introduce a huge amount of pollen into your air. A simple walk through the yard or a romp through the field can accumulate thousands of pollen grains in their coat. One shake when they come in can thicken the air considerably.
As hard and heartless as it may seem, making your bedroom off limits at least during the peak of the season can help keep the levels down where you spend most of your time, and for most people that is the bedroom.
Filter The Air----In addition to the 4 steps above, constantly filtering the air is a crucial step towards keeping air quality high never allowing levels to become high enough to cause symptoms that disrupt. HEPA or high efficiency particle filtration is best at removing airborne particles. By definition this type of filtration must be able to remove 99.97% of particles that are.3 microns or greater in size.
No comments:
Post a Comment