Not every cold-weather sniffle comes from the common cold. Fall and winter can also see a surge in allergy symptoms, as well.
Indoor Allergens Become More Noticeable in Fall and Winter
When you think allergies, you probably think pollen. But don’t forget about the indoor perennial allergens: mold, pet dander and dust. All of these accumulate in your home all year long.
Air Quality in Your Home Makes All the Difference
As the weather cools and you naturally spend more time indoors, you’ll have more encounters with the aforementioned perennial allergens, and their influence can be exacerbated significantly based on the air quality inside your home.
Closed windows and the heater on 24/7 are how you keep your home warm, certainly, but it’s also how these allergens can swirl around the home. Mold spores, pet dander and dust are all light particles that travel by floating through the air. Not to mention that turning on your heating system after a long season of disuse will send all the dust that accumulated in the ducts flying, adding even more dust to the allergen chaos.
Also, indoor moisture can have a significant effect here. Mold grows in damp, warm areas. Once the wet Kentucky weather arrives, people coming in and out of the house will add more moisture to the air: raindrops and snowflakes on boots and jackets will evaporate in the warm indoor air, creating higher indoor humidity and generally damper conditions.
Finally, your body will respond differently to allergens during cold weather. Cold air is dry air, and when you inhale dry air, it dries out your nasal passages and throat. This makes the tissues lining your nasal passages and throat much more susceptible to irritation and inflammation if they come in contact with a foreign invader, meaning that you might have a more severe allergic reaction if you inhale one of your allergens.
How to Prep Your Home
Here are practical steps to improve indoor air quality during winter so you can mitigate allergy symptoms.
- Replace HVAC air filters. As mentioned above, dust builds up on these over the winter.
- Use a humidifier wisely. You want to hydrate your airways without encouraging mold growth. Aim for 30–50% indoor humidity, and make sure you clean your humidifier regularly.
- Ventilate when possible. Trapped air allows allergens to build up and circulate continuously through the house. If it’s not too cold, try to open the windows from time to time to air out the home.
- Store winter gear in a closet. Don’t let water drip off of boots and jackets in the main living areas. Instead, make sure they get hung up in a coat closet or somewhere similar. Watch for mold growth in this closet, of course. Better yet, try to get as much water off winter gear as possible before bringing it inside.
- Clean from top to bottom and always vacuum. When dusting, start up high (ceiling fans, the tops of bookshelves) and work your way down (coffee tables, furniture). Once you’re finished dusting, vacuum up everything you knocked off the furniture to remove all that dust from the environment.
- On that note, use a HEPA vacuum. These devices can trap over 99% of the tiniest particles, perfect for scooping up allergens. Don’t forget to vacuum upholstered furniture, too!
Your home should be your sanctuary, not an allergen trap. Monitoring not only the allergen count in the home but also the air quality will help you stay on top of those nasty allergy symptoms, giving you the cozy cold-weather days you desire.
If you have any questions about perennial allergies or other allergy maintenance, give us a call at ENT & Allergy Specialists – Ear Nose and Throat Physicians and Surgeons.