Springtime in Florissant should mean taking advantage of warmer weather and spending more time outdoors. Instead, for many residents, it means dealing with pollen allergies.

If you suffer from allergies, you know how frustrating that pollen in your home can make you feel. The sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, sinus pain and congestion can wear you down. If you have asthma, pollen can also lead to wheezing, chest tightness and trouble breathing.

Your home should be a refuge. However, pollen doesn’t stay outside. It follows you indoors, creating poor indoor air quality in your Florissant home —triggering the allergy symptoms that make you miserable.

The good news is, there are reliable ways to get rid of indoor pollen problems once and for all. A one-two punch of pollen season prep and professional indoor air quality solutions can eliminate your allergy problems and make itchy eyes and sneezing in the spring a thing of the past.

Why Pollen Is So Bad in Florissant, Missouri

Pollen produced from trees, grass and weeds is a major spring problem in Florissant. Why does this pollen impact indoor air quality?

It enters your home and settles into carpets, furniture, bedding and air ducts. Once inside, pollen can move in the air through an unfiltered HVAC system. As it circulates, it can cause constant allergy flare-ups.

How Pollen Sneaks Inside Your Home

Many homeowners are surprised to learn just how much pollen is in their home. It flows in through open windows and doors, hitches a ride on your pets and even can be drawn inside by an unfiltered HVAC system. Even if you make sure your doors and windows are always closed, pollen still can make its way into your home. You can bring it in on your shoes and clothing. Poorly sealed doors and windows even allow pollen in.

Once inside, pollen circulates through your Florissant home. Knowing how to how to reduce pollen in homes means stopping it from getting in your home whenever possible and then removing it from circulation when it does.

DIY Pollen Reduction Tips That Really Work

  • Replace your HVAC filters regularly. Clean filters trap pollen and allergens from the air circulating in your home.
  • Shut windows on heavy pollen count days. Open windows allow significant levels of pollen indoors.
  • Shower and change clothes after spending time outdoors. Pollen clings to your hair, skin and clothing, and you can transfer that pollen onto your pillows, bedding and furniture
  • Vacuum with a HEPA filter. HEPA filtration helps catch tiny pollen particles trapped in carpets and furniture.
  • Use doormats and take off shoes. Shoes transport pollen, dirt and other debris throughout your home.
  • Consistently groom pets. Pets track pollen indoors on their fur, which they can then leave all over your bedding, carpets and furniture.

Upgrade Your HVAC System for Healthier, Cleaner Air

Your HVAC system be an excellent tool to improve your home’s indoor air quality.These professional, whole-home indoor air quality solutions minimize allergens, increase airflow and make your home feel more pleasant throughout allergy season.

High-Efficiency Air Filters

High-efficiency HVAC filters help remove particles like pollen, dust and pet dander from the air in your home. You can review filters using MERV ratings, which are numbers that measure how effectively a filter captures airborne particles. The higher the MERV rating, the smaller particles the filter can trap. Many homeowners searching for the best air filters for allergies choose high-efficiency air filters because they minimize pollen and other airborne contaminants.

Whole-Home Air Purifiers

Whole-home air filtration systems work in conjunction with your HVAC system to clean the air in every room of your home. Unlike portable air purifiers that only filter one room, whole-home air purification systems continuously eliminate microscopic particles like pollen, dust and pet dander as air moves through your ductwork. This creates a whole-home solution to your pollen problems.

Humidity Control

Higher spring humidity in Florissant can also worsen your allergies by promoting mold and mildew growth. Ideally, your home's humidity should remain between 30-50 percent. Whole-home humidity control systems operate alongside your HVAC system to control moisture levels throughout your house. In humid months, they eliminate excess moisture like a dehumidifier. In winter, they add moisture back into dry air. Unlike portable dehumidifiers that only control humidity in one room, whole-home systems are a way toimprove indoor air quality in the spring in your entire home.

UV Air Purification

UV air purification systems are an effective way to reduce mold spores, bacteria and certain viruses traveling through your HVAC system. Unlike filters that only trap particles like pollen or pet dander, UV systems also use ultraviolet light to destroy biological material.

When comparing an air purifier vs air filter for HVAC systems, remember that filters are for particles whiles purifiers have additional advanced technology to clean your air of other substances filters alone can’t address. When paired with filtration and humidity control, UV purification can help maintain cleaner, healthier air inside your home.

Signs Your Home Needs Indoor Air Quality Improvements

There’s a good chance your home has poor IAQ if you regularly experience allergy symptoms indoors like sneezing, coughing, congestion, headaches or red, itchy eyes. Other indicators of poor indoor air quality in your Florissant home include dust buildup quickly after cleaning, musty smells, poor airflow and rooms that feel stuffy or humid. If your symptoms get better when you leave the house, that’s a strong sign your indoor air may be the problem.

Professional IAQ Services That Reduce Pollen Allergies

DIY solutions can help lower pollen indoors, but aren’t enough to truly resolve the problem. If you continuously deal with spring pollen allergies, even minor amounts of pollen can make you uncomfortable. That is where professional HVAC air quality solutions can help. An indoor air quality assessment identifies and measures the allergens and pollutants in your home so an HVAC professional can suggest filtration or purification solutions to finally solve your pollen problem.

Other tools are available to clean other allergens from your air, like duct cleaning. For allergies like pollen, dust and pet dander, cleaning debris out of your home’s air ducts can be a an effective way to reduce allergy problems. Seasonal HVAC maintenance also is a great way to make sure your system cleans your air effectively and also helps extend the life of your system.

For many Florissant and St. Charles residents, professional services like filtration, purification, duct cleaning and humidity control finally offer the spring allergies home solutions they’ve been looking for.

Get Ahead of Pollen Season in Florissant

Prevention and professional solutions are the smartest way to tame your spring allergies. Start with DIY tips to minimize pollen indoors. To fully solve your pollen problem, work with an HVAC professional like the team at B&B Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical. We have specialized knowledge and advanced tools to boost your indoor air quality, so you can breathe clean, pollen-free air all spring.

We also can keep levels in from creating a problem in the first place with professional pollen season prep in Florissant. Schedule an IAQ consultation online or call 314-668-8530 today to schedule service with B&B Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical.