How Your HVAC System Can Help Combat Seasonal Allergies
Discover how using your HVAC system and upgrading certain features can help you combat seasonal allergies.
By Anne Fonda
Sneezing, itchy eyes, and congestion. Seasonal allergy symptoms can make you miserable. If you suffer from seasonal allergies, you’re not alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than a quarter of adults in the U.S. suffer from seasonal allergies, and nearly 1 in 5 children do.
Seasonal allergy irritants include:
- Grass pollen
- Tree pollen
- Weed pollen
- Leaf mold
- Dust mites
- Wildfire smoke
While you know how allergies make you feel, you may not know that your HVAC system can help you reduce allergens in your home and improve your indoor air quality (IAQ) at the same time.
Here are 4 things you can do that directly involve your HVAC system.
#1: Keep the windows closed and run your HVAC system
While we’re all for fresh air, sometimes it’s better to avoid it. When the pollen count is high or wildfire smoke is in the air, keep your windows and doors closed and run your HVAC system. This will help keep pollutants out, reducing indoor allergens. It can also help with humidity control (more on that, below).
#2: Invest in quality air filters and change them regularly
Your HVAC system has an air filter. The filter captures tiny airborne particles, which are measured in microns. Higher quality filters with a higher MERV rating do a better job of filtering pollutants out before the conditioned air circulates throughout your home. Our QuikBox™ Air Cleaner is available in MERV 11 and MERV 13, and you only need to replace the filter every 6 months.
With all air filters, you need to stay on top of HVAC air filter replacement. As part of regular maintenance, change your standard air filter every 30-90 days for the best results. This will not only help your indoor air quality, but it will also help promote HVAC system energy efficiency.
#3: Upgrade to a whole-house air cleaner
If you or a family member suffers from allergies or asthma (or both), you may be interested in installing an air purifier for allergies. We would suggest a whole-house solution rather than just one room. Portable air cleaners for allergies are generally not as effective as the AccuClean® whole-house air purification system, which cleans the air in your entire living space.
The right whole-home air filtration system can remove up to 99.98% of pollutants in the air and trap particles down to .3 microns in size, including smoke, cooking smoke, and any bacteria floating around.
“While these filters have the highest price tag, they also have the biggest impact on improving allergy symptoms. Those with respiratory conditions, smokers, and homes with pets will greatly benefit from them too.”
– Sean Goddard, Product Manager, Coils & Indoor Air Quality
#4: Consider a whole-house humidifier or dehumidifier
If you live in an area where there is high humidity when it’s too cool to run your air conditioner, a whole-house dehumidifier might be a good solution. High humidity levels can exacerbate allergy symptoms and provide the right conditions for mold and dust mites to thrive.
During colder weather, if you suffer from a scratchy throat, nasal congestion, or even an occasional nosebleed, a whole-house humidifier may be a good solution. A whole-house humidifier can also make you more comfortable if you live in a drier, arid climate.
Learn more about how to achieve the ideal indoor humidity.
Things to do that don’t involve your HVAC system
In addition to running your HVAC system, keeping up with air filter maintenance, and investing in a whole-house air cleaner, you can take some other steps to reduce the impact of seasonal allergies.
#1: Talk to your doctor
If you have serious seasonal allergies or your child does, talk to your doctor and make an appointment with an allergist. They can help you determine if you need to be on prescription medication or get allergy shots. They can also make recommendations for the most effective over-the-counter (OTC) remedies, such as antihistamines and eye drops.
#2: Monitor pollen counts and avoid high pollen exposure
- Use a pollen count app on your phone or check weather.com in the More Forecasts section. They have an Allergy Tracker and an Air Quality Forecast.
- During the spring and fall pollen seasons, get someone else to mow the lawn or rake the leaves. The same goes for wildfire season. Stay inside as much as possible.
- When you do venture out, consider wearing a mask and sunglasses to prevent you from breathing in irritants or having pollen blow into your eyes.
- When you come inside, take your shoes off to avoid tracking pollen into other areas of your home. Take a shower and change clothes.
- Don’t hang clothes, sheets, or towels to dry outside. Use the clothes dryer. Pollen can stick to clothes, and wildfire smoke can produce ash that sticks to clothes as well.
#3: Keep pets clean
Your dog or outdoor cat can come into the house covered in pollen. Bathe your pet once a week during heavy pollen season. Wash their bedding in hot, soapy water once a week as well. This will reduce pollen in your home and will also reduce pet dander.
Work with your American Standard dealer
At American Standard, we have multiple solutions to help you combat seasonal allergies by optimizing your HVAC system. Schedule an in-home consultation to go over the benefits of whole-house indoor air quality solutions, including filters, air purification systems, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, and more.
Content Writer, Trane Technologies
A Content Writer with Trane Technologies, Anne Fonda researches topics and writes for Trane® and associated residential HVAC brands. She works in collaboration with Trane Technologies subject matter experts, offering easy-to-understand, informative content on complex topics. Her goal is to help consumers make informed decisions on the products and services they need.
She has written for HVAC and other service provider websites for over 16 years. Before transitioning to web content writing, Anne had a 14-year stint as an award-winning journalist. She graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.
When she’s not working, Anne enjoys playing word games, reading, gardening, spending time with family, and visiting gardens and museums.
Expert review by Sean Goddard, Product Manager, Coils & Indoor Air Quality
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