Coughing, sneezing, an itchy or stuffy nose—the symptoms of indoor allergies can make living in your St. Louis home uncomfortable and unpleasant at all different times of the year. Common indoor allergens can include:
Many homeowners don’t realize that allergies in your home are often the result of poor indoor air quality (IAQ), and there are a number of home upgrades you can make to reduce indoor allergens year-round and make your home healthier for your entire family.
Proper air sealing (paired with insulation) not only improves the energy efficiency of your home, saving you money by reducing energy waste and lowering heating and cooling bills, but it can also help you avoid indoor air quality problems, no matter the season.
Air sealing closes the gaps and holes between the inside and outside of your home, creating a tighter home. This makes it harder for outdoor pollen to find its way indoors. It also can help control indoor humidity levels, so you can avoid mold growth in your home and other allergy triggers.
Regular heating and air conditioning tune-ups for your home can also go a long way towards around-the-clock healthy indoor air quality and reduced allergens.
Changing your units’ air filters every few months is a great way to start. These air filters trap air pollutants, including many allergens, as air circulates through your HVAC system and throughout your home. But if you allow these air filters to get too dirty, they’ll stop effectively filtering out pollutants.
During a regular furnace tune-up from SmartHouse, for example, we’ll not only change your air filters but also check your combustion furnace to make sure it’s venting properly—carbon monoxide poisoning is a potentially deadly indoor air pollutant!
There are a number of advanced indoor air quality solutions to actively remove air pollutants from your home during any month or season, including allergens.
Humidity control: At different points of the year, dehumidifiers and humidifiers can make a big difference in your indoor air quality. Whole home dehumidifiers and humidifiers remove or add moisture in your house, helping avoid issues like harmful mold growth or damaged furniture and making your home more comfortable and pleasant to live in year-round.
Fresh air ventilation: Ventilation systems exchange stale indoor air, which often contains 2-5x the levels of air pollutants as outdoor air, with filtered outside air. For homes that are very airtight (a good thing because they’re so energy efficient!), mechanical ventilation is essential for healthy indoor air quality. Advanced ventilation systems like ERVs (energy recovery ventilators) exchange your indoor air while minimizing energy waste and saving you money all year long.
Air scrubbers and UV filtration units: Air purifiers can also be installed inside the ductwork of your HVAC system, where they will be hidden away but hard at work to remove as much as 99% of mold, bacteria, and other air pollutants found in the air circulating through your house.
At SmartHouse Heating and Cooling, our whole home experts can help you improve IAQ, reduce indoor allergies, and create a healthier indoor environment for you and your family. Give us a call today if you or a family member is wondering why they have allergies indoors—our team will take the time to listen to the issues you’re experiencing, and learn more about the specific air quality problems you may have in your St. Louis home so that we can implement the right solution.
