Pollen is one of many airborne pollutants that can wreak havoc on both your home and your health. Therefore, it’s a good idea to take proactive steps to minimize its presence both inside and outside of your home. Let’s take a closer look at the impact pollen has on your home’s air as well as the steps that you can take to keep it away.
Pollen Can Exacerbate Allergies
It’s not uncommon for individuals to have a pollen allergy. These can be the most severe during the spring and early summer months as this is when plants, trees and grasses tend to come out in full force. However, you can experience symptoms such as sneezing, itchy eyes or a runny nose whenever you come into contact with this substance.
Pollen Can Coat Ducts and Vents
Pollen can easily make its way into your house and then coat ducts, vents and other surfaces in your home. Any pollen that gets stuck in your vents can be easily transported throughout your house each time the HVAC system runs to move air throughout each room. In some cases, it can actually remain in your home for years depending on how often you have your ducts cleaned.
Pollen Can Stick on Floors
Pollen is a relatively sticky substance, which means that it can remain on wood or carpeted floors alike. What this means is that, whenever you walk to the kitchen for a snack, you could potentially be bringing pollen into your room on your socks or sneakers. If you walk across the rug on your living room floor, you could potentially kick pollen into the air that is trapped inside of it.
Pollen Can Linger in the Air
As pollen particles are small and lightweight, they have a propensity to linger in the air. Therefore, you may be dealing with higher concentrations of this substance even if you regularly clean your home or take steps to exclude it like making sure doors and windows are shut. Each year, the amount of pollen in your home has the potential to increase, which can heighten any allergic reaction you might have to it.
Air Filters Can Be Easily Overwhelmed
Air filters can be used to keep pollen and other particles out of the air that you breathe. However, over time, it becomes harder for a typical air filter to do its job. In addition to allowing pollen to be kicked back into the air, a clogged filter may also allow dust, dirt and other substances to remain airborne, which can exacerbate indoor air quality issues.
Beware of Insects
A number of insects have evolved to carry pollen between plants in an effort to feed themselves and keep the plants alive. This means that, if you have pollen in or around your house, you may also have close contact with bees and other pests that are attracted to it. If insects or small animals are able to get into your house, they may leave trails of droppings or other waste that can get into the air and degrade indoor air quality.
Schedule Regular HVAC Cleanings
One of the more effective tools to reduce pollen levels in your home is to have your furnace and air conditioner units cleaned regularly. Ideally, you’ll have this done once a year for best results. However, you may want to schedule a second cleaning if you live in close proximity to plants and grasses or are simply sensitive to this particle.
You should also have your ducts cleaned once a year to ensure that pollen isn’t flowing through your home despite regular cleanings. However, you can have your ducts cleaned on whatever schedule works best for your needs and budget. It’s worth noting that cleaning ducts and other HVAC components may have the added benefit of improving their efficiency and useful life. This is because pollen and other contaminants can weigh down items and cause significant damage.
Power Wash Your Home
Power washing the outside of your house may be another effective way to reduce the risk of pollen getting indoors. It’s not uncommon for this substance to coat siding, attach itself to roofs or take up residence on driveways and walkways. Although a professional power wash is recommended, simply hosing off your home may do enough to prevent excess pollen from drifting in through open windows or doors.
Move Plants Away From Your House
Planting trees or shrubs along your home’s perimeter is a great way to give the exterior some color and character. However, it can also make it easy for pollen to get inside of a condenser unit or otherwise make its way into your home without much of a fight. Therefore, it may be in your best interest to move any greenery that can produce pollen a few feet back so that you have a bit of a buffer. You might also want to consider putting up a fence or some other barrier between your home and the plants that can reduce the amount of pollen that gets through to your house.
Quarantine Clothes and Footwear
After working outside for any amount of time, you will likely be covered by pollen and other potential airborne contaminants. Ideally, you’ll create a space outside, in the garage or just inside a main entrance where you can leave your dirty clothing or footwear. From there, you can either wash or bag the dirty items for transport to the laundry room without tracking pollen throughout the house.
Dust and Vacuum Regularly
Despite your best efforts, you are likely always going to have some amount of pollen in your home. Wiping down counters, mopping floors and vacuuming carpets, drapes and furniture may help you remove a significant amount of it. You may also want to consider having a professional cleaning crew come into your house in an effort to improve your home’s indoor air quality. In addition to getting rid of pollen, professionals can remove stains that have led to mold growth or odors.
Get an Indoor Air Quality Test
An indoor air quality test can give you more information about the concentration of pollen in your home in addition to where it’s located. This can help you create a detailed action plan to get the pollen out of your home and make it easier to breathe moving forward. For instance, you might decide to install a UV light system that can eliminate pollen without a lot of maintenance needed.
If you have questions or concerns about your home’s indoor air quality, you’re encouraged to contact George’s Air Conditioning in Galveston, TX. We can install a whole-house fan to improve indoor air circulation and quality. This may help to relieve your allergy or asthma symptoms while keeping your home in good condition throughout the year. Our team also handles duct cleaning and regular HVAC maintenance. Reach out to George’s Air Conditioning today!
