For those suffering from allergies, spring and early summer can be miserable. With the presence of pollen and other allergy-triggering pollutants heavy in the air, staying inside can offer some relief for your symptoms.

What you may not realize is that while indoors, your HVAC system can be one of your biggest allies when dealing with allergy symptoms.

Here’s what you can do for maximum benefit from your HVAC system to help you breathe easier.

Reduce Exposure to Humidity and Outside Allergens

As the temperatures rise outside, so do humidity levels. The goal is to strike a nice balance in the air quality of your home, neither too humid nor too dry. Humidity levels should stay right around 40%.

Too much humidity sets the stage for mold and mildew to set in, while air that’s too dry allows contaminants to stay airborne.

It may take a lot of restraint not to open the windows and doors to let the fresh air in, but remember that when you open those windows, pollen, dust, dirt and humidity get inside, too.

Filtered air from your HVAC system not only keeps you cool but is a much better choice if you want to breathe in cleaner, better quality air.

Clean Dusty Vents

If you have allergies, you are probably a pro at frequent dusting.

Add wiping down dusty air vents to your list. Use a soft, damp cloth to wipe down the vents to eliminate any dirt or dust that can be re-circulated into the air when the HVAC system kicks in.

Change Air Filters Frequently

As HVAC air filters do their job, you end up with dirty filters filled with all kinds of trapped allergens. If filters aren’t changed frequently, dust, dirt, hair and more circulate through your home, polluting the air and making your allergies worse.

When allergy season is in full force, change your air filters more often to not only help your HVAC run more efficiently, but to keep inside allergen levels down.

Clean Dirty Air Ducts

If you or other family members are spending more time wheezing, sneezing or suffering through any other allergy-like symptoms, make an appointment for a thorough duct cleaning from a professional HVAC company.

The pros have the skills and tools to clean out ducts containing allergens like dust, pollen, pet dander, along with other impurities trapped inside the ducts.

Clean air ducts and filters make a big difference in your home’s air quality and make breathing with any respiratory issues far easier.

Conclusion

Good air quality is important for everyone. For those suffering from allergies or asthma, even more so.

Don’t suffer through another early summer season with allergies. In Sonoma County, call the trained professionals at Dale HCS in Santa Rosa for options and real solutions to improving the air quality in your home.