Springtime in Redding should mean making the most of warmer weather and spending more time outdoors. Instead, for many homeowners, it means struggling with pollen allergies.

If you have allergies, you know how draining that pollen in your home can make you feel. Constant sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, sinus problems and congestion can make everyday life miserable. If you have asthma, pollen can also cause wheezing, chest tightness and breathing challenges.

Your home is supposed to be a refuge. However, pollen does not stay outside. It follows you indoors, causing poor indoor air quality in your Redding home —and makes your allergies miserable.

The good news is, there are proven ways to get rid of indoor pollen problems once and for all. A combination of pollen season prep and professional indoor air quality solutions can eliminate your allergy problems and make itchy eyes and sneezing in the spring a thing of the past.

Why Pollen Is So Bad in Redding, California

Pollen released from trees, grass and weeds is a major spring problem in Redding. Why does this pollen impact indoor air quality?

It enters your home and builds up in carpets, furniture, bedding and air ducts. Once inside, pollen can move in the air through a poorly filtered HVAC system. As it circulates, it repeatedly aggravates your allergies.

How Pollen Sneaks In Your Home

Homeowners are often shocked to learn just how much pollen is in their home. It drifts in through open windows and doors, gets carried inside on your pets and even can be pulled in by a poorly filtered HVAC system. Even if you keep your doors and windows closed, pollen still can find ways into your home. You can track it inside on your shoes and clothing. Poorly sealed doors and windows even let pollen in.

Once pollen gets in, it circulates through your Redding home. Knowing how to how to reduce pollen in homes means preventing pollen from entering your home whenever possible and then removing it from circulation when it does.

DIY Pollen Reduction Tips That Make A Difference

  • Change your HVAC filters frequently. Clean filters remove pollen and allergens from the air circulating in your home.
  • Make sure your windows are closed on heavy pollen count days. Open windows allow large amounts of pollen indoors.
  • Shower and change clothes after being outside. Pollen clings to your hair, skin and clothing, and you can transfer that pollen onto your pillows, bedding and furniture
  • Vacuum using a HEPA filter. Vacuums that use HEPA filters help remove tiny pollen particles trapped in carpets and furniture.
  • Use doormats and don’t wear shoes inside your house. Shoes track pollen, dirt and other debris throughout your home.
  • Don’t forget to bathe and groom your pets. Pets bring pollen indoors on their fur, which they can then spread onto your bedding, carpets and furniture.

Upgrade Your HVAC System for Healthy Home Air

Your HVAC system can plays a major role in improving your home’s air quality.These professional, whole-home indoor air quality solutions minimize allergens, improve airflow and make your home feel more comfortable throughout allergy season.

High-Efficiency Air Filters

High-efficiency HVAC filters help remove particles like pollen, dust and pet dander from the air in your home. You can compare filters using MERV ratings, which are numbers that indicate how effectively a filter traps airborne particles. The higher the MERV rating, the more advanced filtration and smaller particles a filter is able to capture from the air. Many homeowners looking for the best air filters for allergies choose high-efficiency air filters because they are an effective way to remove pollen, pet dander and other airborne irritants.

Whole-Home Air Purifiers

Whole-home air filtration systems work with your HVAC system to clean the air throughout your entire home. Unlike portable air purifiers that only treat indoor air quality issues in one room, whole-home air purification systems continuously capture microscopic particles like pollen, dust and pet dander as air circulates through your ductwork. This creates a comprehensive solution to your pollen problems.

Humidity Control

Higher spring humidity in Redding can also worsen your allergies by encouraging mold and mildew growth. In most homes, your home's humidity should be between 30-50 percent. Whole-home humidity control systems operate alongside your HVAC system to control moisture levels throughout your house. In humid months, they remove excess moisture like a dehumidifier. In winter, they restore moisture back into dry air. Unlike portable dehumidifiers that only control humidity in one room, whole-home systems are a way toboost indoor air quality in the spring in your whole home.

UV Air Purification

UV air purification systems help eliminate mold spores, bacteria and certain viruses traveling through your HVAC system. Unlike filters that only trap particles like pollen or dust, UV systems also use ultraviolet light to destroy biological material.

When comparing an air purifier vs air filter for HVAC systems, remember that filters remove particles whiles purifiers have additional advanced technology to clean contaminants you can’t see. When paired with filtration and humidity control, UV purification can help create cleaner, healthier air inside your home.

Signs Your Home Needs Indoor Air Quality Improvements

Your home may have indoor air quality problems if you constantly deal with allergy symptoms indoors like sneezing, coughing, congestion, headaches or red, itchy eyes. Other signs of poor indoor air quality in your Redding home include dust buildup even after you clean, musty smells, poor airflow and rooms that feel stuffy or humid. If your symptoms get better when you leave the house, that’s a strong sign your indoor air may be the issue.

Professional IAQ Services That Reduce Allergies

DIY solutions can help minimize pollen indoors, but alone they don’t completely eliminate the problem. If you continuously deal with spring pollen allergies, even minor amounts of pollen can make you miserable. That is where advanced HVAC air quality solutions can help. An indoor air quality assessment detects allergens and pollutants in your home so an HVAC professional can recommend filtration or purification solutions to finally solve your pollen problem.

Other ways are available to clean other allergens from your air, such as duct cleaning. For allergies like pollen, dust and pet dander, cleaning debris out of your home’s air ducts can be a an effective way to reduce allergy problems. Seasonal HVAC maintenance also is a great way to make sure your system cleans your air effectively and also helps reduce avoidable repairs and lengthen the life of your system.

For many Redding residents, professional services like filtration, purification, duct cleaning and humidity control finally offer the spring allergies home solutions they’ve been looking for.

Get Ahead of Pollen Season in Redding

Prevention and professional solutions are the best way to conquer spring allergies. Do your part by following DIY tips to minimize pollen indoors. To fully solve your pollen problem, work with an HVAC professional like the team at Allianz Heating & Air. We have specialized knowledge and effective tools to boost your indoor air quality, so you can breathe clean, pollen-free air all spring.

We also can keep levels in from turning into a problem in the first place with professional pollen season prep in Redding. Schedule an IAQ consultation online or call 530-221-2642 today to learn more with Allianz Heating & Air.