Our top 5 tips for surviving hayfever season
Although spring is a beautiful time of year to look forward to, for some it brings mixed feelings as their hay fever symptoms increase as the weather improves. Hay fever often leaves people with a runny nose, itchy eyes, sore throat, coughing and sneezing. However, there are things you can do to reduce the amount of pollen that affects you this time of year. So here are our five best tips for surviving the hay fever season.
We spoke to Melanie Carver, Chief Mission Officer for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), who offered expert advice and tips on how to survive hay fever season. One option is to consider one of the best air purifiers to keep the air in your home as clean as possible.
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Keep your windows closed
As soon as spring arrives, it’s tempting to open the windows and let the fresh air grace your home, especially if it’s been a long, cold and wet winter. However, for those who suffer from hay fever, this could actually encourage these allergens to enter the home. Pollen travels through the air, so if you open the windows, pollen can enter the house and increase sneezing, itchy eyes, and coughing.
Melanie Carver, mission director for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), explains, “Open windows, even those with screens, allow pollen to easily enter the home, especially when pollen counts are high. People with pollen allergies (tree, grass, and weed pollen are the most common) may experience allergy symptoms if the pollen that triggers their allergies is present in the home. Symptoms may include runny nose, stuffy nose, sneezing, itching. and watery eyes and coughing/wheezing.
“One of the best ways to manage pollen allergy symptoms is to reduce exposure to pollen. This means keeping windows closed when pollen counts are high and taking steps to prevent pollen from entering your home.”
While keeping your windows closed in nice spring weather may seem annoying, especially if you want to cool your home, keeping your windows closed can have other benefits, like keeping warm air out of your home and helping to keep it cooler if it’s a particularly hot season.
Use an air purifier to eliminate indoor allergens
If pollen does enter the home (which, to some extent, is unavoidable), the best air purifiers can help eliminate these allergens and make your indoor space more pleasant during hay fever season.
Air purifiers work by using fans to draw in indoor air and then passing it through a filter, effectively removing allergens. Filters trap microscopic particles such as pollen, so these particles never reach your lungs. By removing these particles from the air, it can also reduce the amount of sneezing, itchy eyes and coughing you experience during hay fever season. Our best tip when purchasing an air purifier for allergies is to buy one with a HEPA filter – these are the most effective filters.
Our expert, Melanie Carver, said: “HEPA – High Efficiency Particulate Air – filters are an effective way to reduce exposure to common allergens, including pollens. HEPA filters work by using two fine mesh fibers to trap particles (like pollen) and prevent them from being redistributed into the air. Asthma & Allergy Friendly® certified air purifiers or air filters with HEPA can help reduce your exposure to allergens and respiratory irritants. “
Change your clothes when you get home
To some, this may seem a bit extreme, but pollen and other allergens can get trapped in fabrics when you’re out and about. Pollen is an airborne particle, meaning it travels through the air, but it also attaches to various surfaces when it comes into contact with them. Therefore, changing your clothes when you get home can reduce the risk of further irritation to your respiratory system later in the day.
Since pollen can also get trapped in your hair and skin, it’s also not a bad idea to take a shower and wash your hair when you get home for the day.
“The AAFA recommends changing clothes after being outside on days with high pollen counts. This is one way to help reduce your exposure to pollen that can trigger your allergy symptoms,” said Melanie Carver. “Put dirty laundry directly in your washing machine, or at least not in your bedroom. We also recommend washing your hands as well as washing your hair to help remove pollen. For people who can’t or don’t want to wash their hair as often, use a hair covering when outside to prevent pollen from building up on the head.
“Additionally, we recommend wiping down your pets when they come in from outside to prevent them from spreading pollen into your home – and, if possible, giving them a bath once a week,” Carver said.
Dry laundry indoors
Just like changing clothes when you get home, it’s a good idea to avoid drying your laundry outside during hay fever season.
Just as pollen can attach to your clothes when you go outside, the same is true if you dry your laundry outside. You leave your clothing subject to this transmission, which will then enter your home and your wardrobe or closet. By drying your laundry indoors, whether on a drying rack or in a tumble dryer, you will reduce the risk of bringing pollen into your home and contaminating other surfaces and/or clothing.
“Like other small particles, pollen settles on surfaces and can become embedded in fabrics, including carpets, curtains and bedding. It is important to clean surfaces regularly – wiping hard surfaces with a damp cloth, vacuuming carpets and upholstery, and washing rugs and curtains,” said Melanie Carver of the AAFA.
Use a vacuum cleaner with HEPA filters
As we mentioned earlier, air purifiers are a great way to keep the air in your home free of allergens (or at least reduced). Air purifiers use HEPA filters to ensure effective removal of allergens, and some vacuum cleaners also use these filters to ensure effective removal.
Vacuum cleaners equipped with HEPA filters work by capturing microscopic particles, such as pollen, trapping them in the filter. Vacuum cleaners without HEPA filters may not effectively trap these allergenic particles and release them into the air. Therefore, we recommend using or investing in a vacuum cleaner that uses HEPA filters.
“HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters on vacuum cleaners can be a useful tool for reducing pollen and other allergens from the home,” said Melanie Carver.
“Taking care to change your vacuum cleaner’s filters regularly helps ensure they are working as effectively as possible to reduce allergens. Many vacuum cleaners, even those equipped with HEPA filters, release a lot of debris into the air. People with sensitive airways should consider wearing a mask when vacuuming or have someone without asthma/allergy vacuum, while the person with asthma/allergy stays out of the room for several hours until the dust falls back. For some people, removing the carpet may be a better solution.”
Melanie Carver also offered advice on what to look for in the void if you’re suffering from hay fever. “When choosing a vacuum cleaner, look for the following,” she said. “The vacuum cleaner must be proven to remove surface allergens, dust released when changing the vacuum bag or canister must be kept low, exposure to allergens when changing the bag or cleaning the canister must be low, water-based collection systems must not have a negative impact on the relative humidity of the air, and water-based collection systems must have a care code that emphasizes the importance of preventing mold growth in the collection system.
