Prevention of Seasonal Allergies

The prevention of seasonal allergies is a top priority for millions of people around the world. In many areas of the United States seasonal allergies begin in February and often last until the early summer (and in many cases even through fall).

​Tree pollination begins the earliest but is quickly followed by grass pollination as soon as spring begins. Ragweed, a plant that grows wild almost everywhere, tends to develop in late summer and early fall. Mild winter temperatures can lead to earlier pollination of many plants. Further, a rainy spring can also promote advanced plant growth and can cause an increase in mold. The advancement of mold often causes symptoms to last well into the fall.

Ways to Prevent Seasonal Allergies

As noted, spring means flowers blooming and trees exploding with pollen. If you are among those unfortunate people that are impacted by seasonal allergies, it also means sneezing, congestion, a runny nose and other annoying symptoms. Seasonal allergies (AKA Hay Fever) — makes you feel absolutely miserable. But before you throw out all of your flowers and greenery try the following instead. 

Minimize your exposure to allergy-inducing activators. 

• As much as possible take advantage of staying indoors on dry, windy days. The opportune time to go outside is after a thorough rain that has helped to clear pollen from the air.
• Enlist help with lawn mowing, weed pulling and other gardening chores that stir up allergens. Hire or enlist someone to do these things for you. If you just enjoy doing them yourself then wear an allergy mask and do this type work early in the morning when dew is still visible. 
• Change clothes after you have been outside even if only for a few minutes and shower to rinse pollen from your skin and hair.
• Don't hang laundry outside — pollen can stick to sheets and towels.

Shouldn't You Replace Carpets with Hardwood Flooring?

As a professional carpet and floor cleaner I can add a lot of insights into this question.

It is absolutely true that hardwood floors do not "capture" dust mites and other allergy-inducing materials. But this doesn't mean you must go to the huge expense of ripping out your carpets and replacing them with hardwoods.

Why?

The following list of reasons should bring some clarity to the subject.

1. Dust isn't captured by hardwoods like it is by carpeting and area rugs. That is very true. BUT dust does lay on it and is easily stirred into the air by simply walking over it or sweeping it. This means that as you move around the house you are stirring the allergens around and into the air. Therefore you must constantly sweep and/or swiffer the floors. On the other hand, carpet serves as a filter in a similar way that the filter for your heating and air conditioning system does. Yes, carpets "capture" allergens but this is actually a good thing because you are not stirring it around as you walk over it (because it is "captured"). So, if you are an allergy sufferer then rather than replace carpets with expensive hardwoods, simply purchase a high-quality, HEPA type vacuum cleaner and vacuum two ot three times a week. Frequent vacuuming prevents allergens from settling deeper into the carpet fibers. Vacuuming dust is much easier than sweeping and captures it into a bag or bagless container rather than sweeping it into a dust pan. I recommend a heavier vacuum cleaner for allergy sufferers. Heavier vacuum cleaners, like a Kirby, gets the roller brush deeper into the carpet thereby removing embedded dust. Lighter vacuums simply glide across the top of the carpet and merely remove surface dirt. Yes, Kirby's are more expensive (but not as expensive as replacing carpets with hardwoods by any stretch) but you can often can find them used on internet marketing sites like Facebook. Purchasing a new one is always the best choice but they are so well-made that even the used ones are often in excellent condition. Should you decide to purchase a Kirby, new or used, make sure you use the HEPA MICRON MAGIC BAGS. Just shop around. There are many great vacuums out there but you want a heavier one if you are an allergy sufferer. 
2. What's the first thing people do when they lay wood floors or buy a home with wood and tile floors throughout? Buy area rugs, right? Area rugs capture allergens in the same way as carpets do. So, they have not actually solved the allergy problem at all. I am often amazed at how many people call me for area rug cleaning (which is more expensive than cleaning wall-to-wall carpet) and have area rugs in literally every room of their home. Please do not misunderstand me. I love hardwood floors because they can be very beautiful. I have them in parts of my home. I also have area rugs in every room that has hardwoods. But my bedrooms and office are carpeted. My wife and I are both seasonal allergy sufferers. So, if you have area rugs, you are still capturing allergens. 
3. Since it is true that carpets capture allergens then it is also true that every other fabric does so as well. This includes curtains and draperies, mattresses, sofas, chairs, and every other piece of fabric in your home. Unless you replace every piece of furniture and window treatment with plastic or wood you still have the same allergy-capturing issue. And if you do, you will need to be constantly wiping and dusting to keep those allergens from swirling around. Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

Best Advice for Seasonal Allergy Prevention

My best advice for preventing and minimizing seasonal allergies is to read and implement the bulleted list above. 
Next, give full consideration to the pros and cons of replacing carpeting with hardwoods. It may be the right choice for you but then again, I may have given you a better option. However, should you prefer hardwoods then minimize the number of areas rugs OR at the very least vacuum them two to three times per week with the type of vacuum cleaner recommended above. 

It's obvious that you will not replace all window treatments and furnishing with plastic or wood. This means that all fabrics need to be vacuumed regularly and thoroughly with attachment tools that come with higher quality vacuum systems like the Kirby. This practice will reduce allergens dramatically. 

Lastly, have carpets, areas rugs, furnishings, mattresses and all other fabricked materials professionally cleaned once a year at a minimum. This is the best way to remove all allergens and helps to prevent seasonal allergies and other bacteria-induced illnesses.

As you can see from this post, I am all about saving money. There are ways to prevent seasonal allergies that do not require going to the extreme expense or measures. Do your homework and make the best decision for you and your family. If I can help you in any way, don't hesitate to call me at 256-886-9100.

Thanks for reading this and please leave your comments below. 

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Best,

Tony Guthrie
Kleaneasy Carpet and Floor Cleaning
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KleanEasy Carpet and Floor Cleaning
2525 Aspen Ave. Nw.
​Suite 100
Huntsville, AL 35810
​(256) 886-9100