There are a lot of environmental allergies that can affect your health this time of year. If you suffer from seasonal allergies, you are especially prone to bad symptoms of inhaling the particles of these common allergies. But, even people without seasonal allergies can experience more difficulty breathing and fighting off infection when they're regularly exposed to allergens and harmful materials. Royal Heating & Air is here to help you enjoy a comfortable home with clean air. So today we're diving into some of the most common allergies and how to keep them out of your house for cleaner indoor air and easier breathing.
Dust & Dust Mites
Every home has some amount of dust that will accumulate on the surface of everything in the house. Dust is primarily made up of dead skin cells, hair, clothing fibers, dirt, dead bugs, and other particles. The other things you have to worry about with dust are the dust mites that will be there too. Dust mites are microscopic pests (smaller than a period mark!) that eat dead skin cells, which is why they are found wherever there is dust. The droppings of dust mites are what actually cause allergic reactions in people. As the air in your home circulates, you breathe in the dust, dust mites, and dust mite droppings all together. The allergic reaction from breathing this in can include inflamed airways, wheezing, difficulty breathing, and more.
One of the best ways to prevent this allergy from aggravating your airways is to keep your house as dust-free as possible. Be sure to regularly change out your air filter so it doesn't get overloaded. If the air filter is too full, it won't be able to properly filter out the dust from the air in your home. Some filters need to be changed once a month and others can last for 6 months at a time. Be sure to check and see how often your is supposed to be replaced.
Pet Dander
Another common household allergen if you have pets is pet dander. When people are allergic to cats or dogs, what they are actually allergic to is the dander of cats or dogs. Dander can be defined as skin flakes from an animal's fur or hair. If someone living in your home has a pet allergy, then the best solution is to not have pets in the house or to adopt pets that don't trigger their allergies. If you don't have anyone living in your home with allergies, then there are still things you can do to help prevent or reduce an allergic response for your guests that might have allergies.
To reduce dander, start at the source! Healthy skin and hair for your pets can help reduce the amount of dander sloughing off around the house. Regularly vacuuming and cleaning your floors (and furniture if pets are allowed on the couches) can help a lot with reducing the amount of dander circulating in the air in your home. You can also check the type of air filter you're using and upgrade to a kind that is rated to filter out pet dander for improved indoor air quality. It's also important to have regular HVAC maintenance checks to make sure your airflow is optimal. Air that isn't moving isn't getting filtered, so the better the airflow, the cleaner the air!
Mold & Mildew
Mold and mildew are very similar but still have a few distinct differences. Mold is a microscopic fungus that grows on organic matter. It usually looks raised and can appear as green, red, blue, or black. Mold also looks slimy or fuzzy. Mildew is a specific kind of mold that grows where there is a lot of moisture. It typically looks flat, white or gray, and powdery.
To prevent mold and mildew growth, it's important to control the amount of moisture and humidity in your home. Instead of having a humidifier that runs all the time, consider getting a whole home humidifier that can sense the amount of humidity in the air and turn on or off depending on what the house needs. If you have a lot of humidity in the summer, you may even want to invest in a dehumidifier to help reduce the humidity in high moisture areas like the bathroom. One of the best ways to prevent mold and other pathogens from growing in your home is to have Royal Heating & Air install a UV light system in your HVAC. UV light can kill mold, bacteria, and viruses, giving you clean and fresh indoor air!
Best HVAC Company at the Lake
Royal Heating & Air is the best heating and cooling company at the Lake of the Ozarks and we are here for you! We can come check your HVAC system to make sure everything is working properly, install a whole home humidifier, and add a UV light system to your HVAC to help give you a comfortable and clean home. Give us a call! 573-480-4313
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