While the first day of spring has officially passed, most Virginia Beach locals have been experiencing spring allergies for weeks. The pollen began earlier than normal this year and has many of us feeling the effects. However, there is still time to escape the outdoor allergens and have clean air inside your home this spring season. In this blog, we discuss ways to improve indoor air quality in Virginia Beach and decrease spring allergies at home.
What Is Causing Allergy Symptoms Inside My Home?
The most common outdoor causes of spring allergies include tree and grass pollen, mold spores, and insects. Outdoor pollutants can enter homes through windows, open doors, and ventilation systems without proper maintenance. While many outdoor allergens can impact health symptoms, it is important to be aware of indoor pollutants affecting your health as well. Below we have listed common indoor air pollutants in Virginia Beach and surrounding areas.
- Dust
- Pet Dander
- Mold & Mildew
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
How Does Poor Indoor Air Quality Affect My Health?
Do you know what you are breathing inside your home? As humans, our homes are typically our resting place where we spend multiple hours at a time breathing the air. The average adult gets 7 or more hours of sleep, which means that is 7 hours of breathing in harmful pollutants affecting your health. Below are specific ways poor indoor air quality can affect you and other residents’ health this spring.
- Irritation of the eyes
- Runny nose
- Dry or sore throat
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
If you or someone in your home struggles with a respiratory illness such as asthma, it is all the more important to maintain clean air to breathe. Breathing in harmful pollutants can worsen symptoms and present more long-term health conditions.
How To Improve Indoor Air Quality
Did you know that indoor air is often more polluted than outdoor air? This is due to not enough ventilation causing pollutants to build up. Poor indoor air quality is contributed to by a variety of daily activities, such as cooking, cleaning, and burning candles. It is important to maintain positive indoor air quality, because allergens can negatively impact your health and comfort in your home. Below we have listed five ways to decrease spring allergies at home and improve indoor air quality in Virginia Beach!
- Install A UV Light System
- Maintain Clean Air Filters
- Control Humidity
- Groom Pets Outdoors
- Perform Spring AC Maintenance
Install A UV Light System
UV light systems are beneficial to air quality, because they purify the air by killing bacteria and mold. The system emits ultraviolet rays to destroy select harmful pollutants before the allergens circulate into your home’s air. UV lights can be installed in the air handler or ductwork of your HVAC system to catch mold and bacteria before it harms air quality. UV lights can significantly reduce and prevent allergy symptoms and improve indoor air quality in your home! Give a Galactic technician a call to install a UV light system in Virginia Beach and surround areas this spring!
Maintain Clean Air Filters
The main purpose of an air filter is to catch pollutants before they enter the air you breathe. Over the course of three months, air filters have caught many allergens, such as dust and pet dander, and need to be switched out with a new, clean filter. If air filters in your home remain clogged with pollutants, the filter struggles to catch allergens and allow more to enter your home’s air. Not only do dirty air filters harm air quality, but also increase allergies and energy costs each month.
Along with maintaining clean air filters around your home, consider installing high efficiency media filters in Virginia Beach. Unlike air filters located in the intake vents, high efficiency media filters are placed directly on the air handler or furnace for a whole-home filtration system. These filters are typically changed every 6 months depending on certain pollutants in your home. Give us a call to install a high efficiency media filter in Virginia Beach and surrounding areas!
Control Humidity
Being located near the Atlantic Ocean can create high levels of humidity. Humidity is a necessary component of your home, but should be controlled to maintain comfort and good air quality. Your home in Virginia should remain between 30-50% humidity year-round. If your home has high humidity, it can increase mold and mildew growth and affect indoor air quality. Dehumidifying systems help remove excess moisture in the air and prevent mold from growing. If your home has low humidity, it can create uncomfortable dry health symptoms and skin. We recommend installing a whole-home humidifier to maintain proper humidity levels.
Groom Pets Outdoors
While we love our furry indoor animals, their pet hair can contribute to poor indoor air quality. We would never suggest getting rid of your indoor animals, just grooming them outside of your home! Regularly grooming your pets can cut down on pet dander affecting allergy symptoms and poor air quality. Whether you brush your pets outside or take them to a groomer, your allergy symptoms this spring will thank you!
Perform Spring AC Maintenance
We promise, AC maintenance is worth it each spring! Not only does air conditioning maintenance ensure your system is well prepared for the workload of the summer season, but can also improve indoor air quality! During spring AC maintenance in Virginia Beach, a Galactic Air technician will clean the inside and outside of your air conditioning system. Allergens and dirt can build up over time and be distributed throughout your home, which harms allergy symptoms. Additionally, we can help maintain clean air filters to keep you breathing easy all spring.
Let a Galactic Air technician help improve indoor air quality and reduce allergy symptoms in your home this spring! For indoor air quality services in Virginia Beach, give us a call or visit our website to schedule an appointment with a trained technician!
