If you’re unlucky enough to suffer from allergies, an encounter with even a small amount of indoor pollutants can ruin your day. Even if you’re fortunate enough to be allergy-free, prolonged exposure to high concentrations of contaminants can lead you to develop vulnerabilities. Therefore, residents of Hoover, AL, should know about the following four allergens that might be lurking in their homes.
1. Dust
Of all the allergy-causing pollutants that might be in your home, dust is almost certainly the most common. In fact, it’s so ubiquitous that it essentially hides in plain sight and is almost impossible to remove completely. Nevertheless, thoroughly cleaning all hard surfaces in your home on a regular basis, vacuuming your carpets and dusting furniture upholstery and investing in an indoor-air-quality-raising device like an air purifier will help remove much of it.
When you inhale dust, you may experience symptoms like coughing, sneezing, congestion and irritation of the sinuses, lungs or throat. Tiny insects called dust mites may also attach themselves to particles of dust in your home. If you inhale them, they’re likely to create many of the same irritating and allergy-causing effects that dust does.
2. Pet Dander
For those who own furry pets and suffer from allergies, dander is a constant concern. Dander is the material that animals like cats and dogs shed on an essentially continuous basis. Specifically, this term usually refers to bits of dead skin cells that are almost certainly too small to notice floating through the air in your home.
Inhaling a large amount of dander may cause even non-atopic people to feel some discomfort. Those who do have allergies, however, may have especially serious reactions to pet dander, including congestion, sneezing, swelling of the airways and difficulty breathing.
To make matters worse, pet dander may even hamper your HVAC system’s ability to function. It can coat your system’s air filters and reduce airflow, or it can float into the coils, valves, compressor or other important system components and impede their ability to function. To deal with such issues, clean or replace your filters at least once every three months and schedule HVAC maintenance services at least once per year.
Those who love their furry friends and can’t imagine parting with them will be happy to know that there are ways to mitigate all of these difficulties. First and foremost, try to bathe and brush your pets at least once per week. If they have just returned from playing outside, you should try to do so immediately.
Secondly, we must reiterate our suggestion to buy an air purifier. Since dander is so tiny, it would be especially wise to get one that uses HEPA filters.
3. Pollen
Pollen has many of the same allergenic effects that pet dander has. Its spores are also tiny and difficult to remove without powerful filters and strong air circulation.
Of course, unlike pet dander, pollen comes from flowers and other plants. To keep it out of your home, the best thing to do is to keep your doors and windows closed as often as possible. You should also strive to keep your HVAC system functioning and moving air around as well as possible.
4. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
VOCs are compounds that evaporate into the air at room temperature and either don’t dissolve in water at all or only do so with great difficulty. They reside in many common household items, including paints, cleaners, varnishes, waxes, pharmaceutical drugs, makeup and automotive products like motor oil.
Anyone who inhales fumes from these things, whether they are allergic to anything or not, may feel the effects of their toxicity. Inhaling VOCs may cause symptoms like headaches, dizziness, vomiting, nosebleeds, fainting and irritation of the eyes or nose. If you’re allergic to these substances, your reaction may be even worse.
If you’re at a loss over how to deal with the threats to your indoor air quality (IAQ), our team of trained professionals would be glad to assist you. Call One Source Heating, Cooling & Electrical today and schedule IAQ services in Hoover, AL.
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