While the spring season brings with it beautiful flowers and warmer temperatures, you may need to brace for seasonal allergies. Your allergies shouldn’t keep you from being able to enjoy the spring. Here are a few tips you can use to have an allergy safe spring.
Watch the Weather for Windy Days
Pollen travels on the wind. Plants rely on the wind to scatter their seeds and pollinate them across the area. For those who suffer from allergies, that means windy days are going to be terrible.
You should start your day by checking the weather forecast. Most weather organizations will include some form of pollen report. This is useful information in determining just how badly your allergies may be affected on a normal, non-windy, day.
It’s windy days that you need to pay special attention to, however. Pollen without wind doesn’t travel far. It has less of a chance of sticking to your clothes, car, or entering your home as a result. Windy days give pollen the momentum it needs to stick to your car, clothes, and find ways within your home.
On those days, you should prepare appropriately in order to have an allergy safe spring. That might mean taking your allergy medication or carrying it with you. It might mean staying home completely. It may just mean that you need to wash your clothes or hair a few extra times. By knowing when it’s going to be windy, you can take the necessary precautions.
Close Windows and Doors
While it may be tempting to keep your windows and doors open to allow warm temperatures into your home, this also invites pollen. You should keep the windows and doors of your home closed. This is the case whether it’s windy or not.
The same goes for your car when you’re traveling. It may feel nice to roll down the car window and feel the breeze in your hair. However, you’re also inviting pollen into your car. It can stick to your face and hair. You then bring it home with you.
Avoid Using Fans
Electrical fans can circulate pollen. If your fan is designed to remove hot hair from the home and push it outside, then this is problematic as well. Even though it’s sucking the air out of the house, there’s still some blowback. It will pull pollen into the home, then circulate it through the air.
To enjoy an allergy safe spring, use your AC instead of a fan. However, your AC should also be equipped with a fresh filter. It doesn’t hurt to invest in a good filter either. This can keep pollen from passing through the filter and entering your home. The only air that should enter your home is clean, purified, air.
Wash Your Clothes and Yourself
Whether it’s a windy day or not, if there’s heavy pollen in the air, then you need to wash more frequently. Any time you come in from outside, you should immediately place your clothes inside of the washer and wash them. Try not to jostle your clothes too much when removing them. This can push the pollen from the fibers and wind up floating through your home.
Washing your clothes isn’t enough. You also need to jump in the shower to remove any pollen sticking in your hair or against your skin.
Visit Your Allergy Doctor
Visiting your allergy doctor in Hudson Valley is always vital to be prepared for allergy season. They can help you find the right allergy medication you need for the upcoming season. With the right medication in hand, you may find that you have nothing to fear from the spring season.
They can also offer other tips on how to safely deal with your allergies. In the event that you need to stay home, they may even be able to provide you with a doctor’s note for work.
Clean the Home’s Interior
Spring cleaning can lead to an allergy safe spring! It’s just as important to clean the interior of your home as it is to clean your clothes. Pollen can enter your home through the door, ventilation system, and windows. Even if you wash the pollen from your body, it may still linger in your carpet and on other surfaces.
Cleaning your home with disinfectant can kill pollen and remove them. Sometimes it’s better to have someone else do the cleaning for you. Exposing yourself to pollen can cause a lot of problems. Relying on your partner, a friend, or even a cleaning crew can keep your home pollen-free without risking your own health and comfort.
Avoid Collecting Old Leaves and Branches
Spring is the time when most of the magic of gardening occurs. Seeds must be planted and yards must be cleared of old leaves and twigs. Unfortunately, old leaves and twigs may be harboring mold spores that can seriously impact your allergies. Even handling them with gloves and a mask may prove futile.
The best solution is to have someone else clear up the old leaves and branches in your yard. With those items removed, you won’t have lingering mold spores triggering your allergies or asthma.
Avoid Fertilizers and Pesticides
Certain fertilizers and pesticides may also trigger your allergies. If you can, then you should always choose organic fertilizers and deterrents for pests. Mulching with your clipped grass can be a great way to stimulate plant growth and nourish the soil. Certain plants, or even a fence, may keep pests from entering your garden. Avoiding chemical fertilizers and pesticides can reduce your allergies.
Install an Air Purifier
There are a ton of air purifiers on the market, but not all of them are that effective at removing pollen and other allergens from the air. You’ll want to look for an air purifier that has a high-quality HEPA filter. These filters trap small particles from passing through its membrane. Some even kill the particles on contact.
With an efficient air purifier in your home, allergens can be reduced. Some can even be attached to your AC to further purify the air coming into your home.
Author Bio
Dr. Ran Y. Rubinstein is the founder of the Hudson Valley Sinus Center. Dr. Rubinstein is one of the leading ENT and facial plastic surgeons in New York. Throughout his career as a facial surgeon and ENT sinus specialist, Dr. Rubinstein has performed thousands of ENT surgeries and has become an expert on diagnosing and treating nasal and sinus problems.
