Brilliant Ways to Fight Allergens This Season

(StatePoint) During allergy season, having a safe haven from the triggers that make you sneeze and wheeze is essential. While you can’t com­pletely control your surroundings in the great outdoors, you can take steps at home to reduce allergens and feel your best.

• Fresh, cool air: The right air conditioning unit can help you breathe better indoors. For exam­ple, the Midea U delivers a cold airflow that can be felt up to 20 feet away and features full DC inverter technology to rapidly cool a room. Its removable and washable air filter is easily cleaned to help reduce dust and pet allergens in the air. And thanks to its U-shaped design, you can easily open and close your windows even when the unit is installed, giving you more con­trol of your indoor air quality and environment. Bonus — it’s compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant and is Energy Star-certified and ul­tra-quiet.
• Smart steps: When you get home from spend­ing time outdoors, take off outer layers that have made contact with pollen, such as jackets and shoes. Having a mud room or other area to re­move and store these items, preferably attached to or close to your laundry room, will help you avoid tracking and spreading allergens through­out your home.
• Screened doors and windows: Even if you suf­fer from allergies, you may enjoy throwing open your windows on a nice day for a cross breeze. Just be sure all the screens on your windows and doors are in good condition and free of tears and holes. Special pollen-blocking screens are easy to install and go a step further than standard in­sect screens to keep out smaller, particulate mat­ter, including pollen, dust and other small irri­tants and allergens.
• Whole-home cleaning: Regular vacuuming will make a world of difference in the way you feel. For maximum relief, use a vacuum with complete seal HEPA filtration. This means it’s EPA-certified to do the job, based on the stan­dard test method, which indicates it can trap 99.9% of dust, dander and allergen particles 0.3 microns and larger. The Innova Upright Vacu­um, for example, targets these particles and fa­cilitates whole-home cleaning. Thanks to its de­tachable accessories and components, and LED user interface, you can optimize your cleaning for every surface, including hard floor, carpet and upholstery, curtains, the space under furni­ture and stairs. And if you’re a pet parent, you can expect a deeper, more efficient clean and longer operation due to its dual-action brush roll that actively prevents pet hair tangles and clogs from forming while concentrating air flow. It also has a motorized anti-tangle pet tool that effectively removes hair and debris from stairs and upholstery.

There is no need to suffer in your own home this season. With some smart strategies and the right tools, you can keep allergens at bay indoors.