Allergy sufferers know that when pollen counts increase, it’s time to head indoors. Some people find that just retreating to their homes isn’t enough to keep pollen at bay. The problem is, leaving doors and windows open to enjoy the spring breeze can still allow tiny pollen particles in through ordinary household screens.
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Don’t go closing the shutters and turning up the air conditioning just yet. While pollen can get through ordinary window screens, there are plenty of steps homeowners can take to protect allergy sufferers from seasonal discomfort. Many people even find that they can eliminate their reliance on allergy medications by taking a few simple steps to improve indoor air quality.
Before moving on to effective solutions, let’s start at the beginning to get some context. Successfully combating pollen allergies requires a basic understanding of what causes them.
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, pollen is one of the leading triggers of seasonal allergies. Also known as hay fever or seasonal allergic rhinitis, allergic reactions to pollen are triggered by exposure to the tiny, dry grains of pollen that grasses, trees, and weeds use to facilitate plant propagation.
Most allergy sufferers know that ragweed is the main culprit. However, other plants such as lamb’s quarter, sagebrush, tumbleweed, and even some species of trees also produce pollen. Some people are allergic to only one type of pollen, while others experience symptoms in response to multiple types. These symptoms often include:
People with pollen allergies don’t need to come into contact with the plants, themselves, to experience allergic reactions. The pollen also travels through the air and is carried by the wind. Some days are worse than others. On days when the conditions are ideal for plant pollination, it’s common to read updates about high pollen counts. Those are the days when most allergy sufferers choose to stay indoors.
Anyone who suffers from seasonal allergic rhinitis should pay attention to pollen counts. However, they should also know that pollen counts don’t tell the entire story. Pollen counts only describe the overall amount of these particles in the air.
Since some people are allergic only to certain species’ pollen, the overall air saturation may not accurately reflect the risk of exposure. Those with severe allergies often undergo testing to determine what types of pollen they should avoid.
Pollen particles are tiny. They are just 10 to 100 microns in size, with some as small as just one micron. For reference, a strand of human hair can be up to 120 microns thick. Needless to say, that’s significantly smaller than the holes in any normal window screen.
Traditional window screens aren’t designed to ensure adequate indoor air quality. They’re intended to keep out insects, not pollen, dust, and other allergens. As a result, the standard size for the holes in window screens is a little over one millimeter.
Unfortunately, just locking up the windows, closing the doors, and running the air conditioner constantly isn’t a great solution. For one thing, it wreaks havoc on homeowners’ monthly energy bills. For another, it doesn’t go far enough to prevent pollen infiltration.
While there’s little to be done about reducing pollen counts outdoors, allergy sufferers deserve to have a safe, pollen-free home to retreat to when their symptoms begin to flare up. Since pollen is airborne and can also be carried in on residents’ clothes, shoes, and even in their hair, it may take a little work to prevent it from getting into the home. Here are a few steps homeowners can take to improve their indoor air quality:
1. Install More Effective Screens
Typical household window and door screens do little to prevent pollen from getting in. The mesh on these screens may be small enough to stop flying insects, but pollen particles are much smaller than even the tiniest bugs.
The good news is, homeowners can now purchase NanoScreen window shields from BMT AllergyGuard capable of filtering out particles as small as 250 nanometers. Window shields will allow fresh air in but keep pollen, dust, and even most viruses, from entering the home. They help to improve overall indoor air quality in addition to providing respite for those with pollen allergies.
2. Upgrade Central Air Filters
All central air systems feature disposable filters, but some are more effective than others at capturing pollen and other small airborne particles. Switching out basic disposable filters for models that can more effectively capture indoor pollutants can take pollen that finds its way into the home out of circulation.
3. Purchase a HEPA Air Purifier
HEPA air purifiers are better than even the most effective filters at capturing pollen in indoor environments. They can remove up to 99.9% of pollen particles from the air that passes through them and can be set to purify the air up to ten times per hour.
Air purifiers are more expensive than disposable filters. For that reason, most allergy sufferers purchase one or two and keep them in the rooms where they’re most likely to spend large amounts of time indoors, such as bedrooms, living rooms, or offices.
4. Change Clothes Upon Returning Home
Not all the pollen found in modern homes makes its way in through the windows or doors. Some of it gets tracked in on the feet of residents, guests, and household pets. Encourage everyone to remove their shoes upon entering the home. Most allergy sufferers who want to avoid unnecessary flare-ups also change their clothes after spending time outside, especially if the pollen counts have been high.
5. Wash Hands Frequently and Bathe Daily
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Anyone who suffers from seasonal allergies should pay special attention to hand washing. It doesn’t just reduce the transmission of viruses and bacteria. It can also cut down on how much pollen winds up in the home.
Most experts also recommend bathing and shampooing every night before bed, even if it means taking two showers per day. Nightly bathing removes pollen from people’s hair and skin, helping to ensure that it doesn’t wash off on the bedding where it can trigger allergic reactions.
With winter gone and spring in full effect, many residents are thrilled to open their windows once again and let in the gentle and fresh spring air. Birds are chirping, flowers are soon to blossom, and the temperature is much milder. It definitely smells like new beginnings — but alas, the same spring air can also trigger allergies due to the pollen it carries. And just like that, it’s allergy season yet again.
Seasonal allergies affect millions of people around the world. However, it’s fair to say that spring isn’t the only season associated with allergies. In Canada, for instance, seasonal allergies can also occur in summer and during fall. What makes spring stand out, however, is because this is the season that arguably releases pollen at scale — since the pollen particles are coming from trees.
In summary, here are the pollen culprits in Canada along with their peak months during allergy seasons:
Pollen-carrying breeze can readily go through open windows during allergy season. Furthermore, not having the right window treatments can make pollen stick, ready to activate an allergy at any point. So if you’re looking to allergy-proof your windows for allergy seasons, we’ve got helpful window tips for you.
Let’s begin!
Seasonal allergies, also known as “hay fever” or seasonal allergic rhinitis, refers to a condition wherein allergy symptoms appear when trees, grasses, and weeds release pollen into the air.
The symptoms of seasonal allergy include the following:
As mentioned earlier, in Canada, seasonal allergies can occur during spring, summer, or autumn. For seasonal allergies during Spring, the culprit is usually tree pollen; meanwhile, the culprit for Summer and Autumn seasonal allergies is usually pollen from grass and weeds.
There are certain trees and plants that release allergy-triggering pollen — these include:Trees That Cause Seasonal AllergiesOther Plants That Cause Seasonal Allergies
So if you ever find your home located near these plants or trees, make sure to take added precaution.
Windows are typically the main source of airflow for every home. Therefore, allergy-proofing your windows can provide a significant amount of relief regarding seasonal allergy since you will be able to lessen the amount of pollen being wafted into your house.
First of all, it’s important to regularly clean the windows and the window sills. Pollen and even allergy-causing dust and dust mites can accumulate on this part of your home. All it takes is an appropriately-timed wind to blow these particles in. By regularly cleaning the windows and window sills, using a mild cleaning solution and rag, you are a step closer to feeling more comfortable during allergy season.
As we will discuss later, it’s important to know when to close your windows during allergy season. However, for the times you’d like to keep your windows open, you can safely do so by placing air purifiers near the open windows. Air purifiers with HEPA filtration will be able to trap air contaminants like pollen as they enter your home.
Broken caulking or any cracks around your window can easily trap air contaminants like pollen as they are carried by the breeze. Then, all it takes is another strong breeze to blow these trapped contaminants into your home. By fixing up the caulking and cracks around the window, you will be able to reduce the likelihood of seasonal allergies.
If you’re looking for window treatments that are best for allergy season, you would want to choose those that are the easiest to clean. Furthermore, it’s best to opt for window treatments that allow fewer air contaminants to collect.
A few options that are best for allergy season include:
It would be best to AVOID dry-clean-only drapes and small-slatted blinds because these are more difficult to clean but trap pollen easily. Once pollen is trapped on these hard-to-clean window treatments, it can easily waft into the home in large quantities after a strong gust of wind or if the window treatments are adjusted.
Special window screens can act like pollen filters, trapping around 96% of pollen carried by the wind. This is an ideal option for folks who want to leave their windows open for most of the time during allergy season to experience the fresh spring air. However, before purchasing these, make sure that they are compatible with your window types and window sizes.
If you easily suffer from allergies during allergy season, it would be advisable to keep your windows closed most of the time and rely on air-conditioning, especially during early morning hours — this is typically when plants, weeds, and trees release pollen. With the windows of your home shut tight, pollen-carrying wind cannot enter the home. No wind, no pollen, and less likelihood of seasonal allergies.
On top of window-proofing your home, here are a few additional tips:
This ends our article on how to allergy-proof your windows for allergy season. We here, at Clera Windows + Doors, are passionate about bringing comfort to every home, one window at a time. So if you’re in need of replacement windows that can shut tight and keep pollen out during allergy season, check out our collection of energy-efficient, durable, and customizable windows. We can also install the windows for you so that it is sealed tightly and finished in no time at all.
For more allergy window screeninformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.