‘Tis the season for falling leaves, pumpkin everything, and … allergies?
The crisp, fresh fall air spreads a lot of pollutants along with the beauty it brings. If you want to enjoy the new season without the side effects, you’ll need to get your home fall-ready.
Opening the windows and letting in a cross-breeze can do more harm than good if you’re sensitive to the pollen in the air. Instead, use these tips to get your home—and your immune system—ready for the new season!
1. Understand the Problem
At its core, the fall air can be beneficial for people with breathing problems. The heat of the summer is over; the freeze of the winter hasn’t begun. It’s the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the fresh air.
For those with allergies, though, it’s a double-edged sword. Flowers, trees, and weeds are spreading billions of grains of pollen throughout the air, getting their seedlings ready for a springtime bloom.
All the pollen will eventually become gorgeous, mature plants, but each little grain can travel up to two miles away. That means that even if you are a good distance from the nearest tree, you’re probably still breathing in the pollen.
Ragweed, mold from wet leaves, dust mites, and other allergens are waiting for you to breathe them in. Without a plan of action for your allergies, you’re at their mercy.
2. Turn Off the Fans
It’s an exciting time to turn off the air conditioning and leave the fans on instead! Your electric bill will thank you, but your allergies won’t.
If you have allergies, using a fan is the last thing you want to do. Any allergens floating around your home are picked up and stirred through the room for you to breathe in constantly.
Keep your AC on. Since it doesn’t have to fight higher temperatures, it’s not going to work as hard. You’ll save money naturally without suffering from allergies.
3. Pay Attention to the Humidity in Your Home
Unless you live in a really humid or dry area, you probably aren’t thinking about the humidity levels. Before fall starts, you should have something in place to monitor them and keep your allergies under control.
When your humidity levels are too high, it causes mold to spread. You might not see it if it’s in your walls, basement, or attic, but the mold spores will spread through your HVAC unit.
Mold is unhealthy to everyone, whether you have allergies or not. Allergy sufferers often end up with severe reactions.
Monitoring your humidity levels with a hygrometer prevents the conditions that create mold. If your levels are too high, it’s time to invest in a dehumidifier.
4. Purify the Air
You can enjoy the fresh breeze and still breathe normally, as long as the air is purified.
There are a few ways to keep the pollutants and allergens out of your home this fall (and all year).
First, there’s the handy dandy air purifier. Made of a filter and a fan, the machine pulls in the air around it. The polluted air goes through a filter, where the pollutants are caught, and then the machine circulates clean air back into the room.
If you don’t want to spend the money, or you want to cover all the bases, adding live plants to each room cleans the air, too. As long as you use plants you’re not allergic to, they can be an excellent source of allergy relief.
According to NASA’s clean air study, these indoor plants are low-allergenic:
- Mums
- Peace lilies (toxic to cats)
- Bamboo palm
- Gerbera daisies
- Golden pothos
One plant per standard-sized room is enough to purify the air regularly.
5. Do a Pre-Fall Cleaning
You’ve heard of spring cleaning. If you have allergies, you should do a pre-fall scrub, too.
Allergens make their homes deep in linens and bedding, so it’s essential to make sure these are fresh. Minimizing what you use reduces the allergen potential.
One way to do this is to copy the Scandinavian interior design style, as NueGlow teaches us here. Nature-based and minimalistic, it’s a unique style trend that has been popular for decades.
Deep Cleaning Your Home
Whether you switch your style or keep what you currently have, a deep-clean is a must. Get your cleaning supplies and washer and dryer ready, and get started!
Wash your comforter, sheets, and pillows. Vacuum your couch, and steam clean your carpet. Take down your drapes and curtains and throw them in the washing machine, too.
With all your linens taken care of, you’ve destroyed the massive bed of allergens that have accumulated over the summer. Keep your home dusted and vacuumed regularly, and you’re ready for the fall!
Conclusion
While everyone else is enjoying the fresh fall air, you’re hunched inside with a mask and gloves. But just because you’ve had a miserable allergy season in the past doesn’t mean this year has to be the same thing.
By getting your home fall-ready, you’ll be able to join the rest of the pumpkin spice, autumn breeze lovers. Who knows? Fall may just become your favorite season!
