Enjoy a Spring with Less Pollen

Many celebrate the arrival of spring, with longer hours of daylight, more moderate temperatures, and leaves and flowers blooming again. If you have allergies and are prone to hay fever, however, it is not as pleasant a season for your sinuses and eyes. Dealing with itchiness, sneezing, and nasal congestion during spring won’t be new to you, but maybe there can be a few new ways you can minimize the effects of pollen on your condition along with taking allergy medication like Clarinex. Review these proactive tips on how to keep pollen out of your home this allergy season.

• Sometimes you can see large pollen pieces floating in the air, but the microscopic pollen particles are really the ones that are causing your allergic reactions. They can cling to shoes, hats or outerwear so if you’ve been outdoors walking under trees or near plants, it can help to give your coat a good brushing off before going into your car (where it can then transfer to your car upholstery) or into your house. Don’t feel bad about asking guests to leave their shoes just outside the door along with your family’s. It is okay to protect your home the best you can from allergens.
• Speaking of hard-to-see transfers, if you are a pet owner, remember to be vigilant about brushing your pet’s fur if they are an outdoor animal. They may be tracking in pollen from playing in the grass and then transferring it to your couch upholstery, bed, carpet, rugs, or clothing. Use a moistened cloth to wipe and clean their fur as they come into the house from yard play.
• Laundry. You can also try washing your clothing more often during allergy season in case there are traces of pollen on it. Other things to throw into the laundry more frequently this season include your bedding and curtains. Even if your bed is not by the window and there is no pollen on it, any dust in your duvet cover, sheets or pillowcases could irritate you more at this time of year than others.
• Now that your linens are pollen free, help keep them that way by changing out of your clothes when you come inside. Your hair is also a way for pollen to get trapped on your body and cause your eyes and nose to get irritated. Hair products could unfortunately hold pollen from the air as well as your hairstyle. Keep pollen off your pillow cases by wearing a hat if you know you’ll be outside for a longer period of time, or by washing your hair before bed.
• Air circulation in the house. You may feel that being inside your home means you’re in a safe zone. If you don’t notice a clear difference in your allergy symptoms when you’re inside, consider the places that affect the air in your house. Have you cleaned your window screens or curtains? Have you recently changed your air filters or checked the vents for your heat or air conditioning ducts? Do you use a good quality vacuum that you thoroughly clean the filter on? Vacuum cleaners that have a HEPA filter traps 99.97% of the minuscule particles circulating in your home, so check for this in your vacuum cleaner.
• When you find yourself caught in a bout of a sneezing fit, remember to rinse the inside of your nose afterwards. It’s possible that pollen is caught on your nose hairs and you are inhaling allergens that have gotten too close! In the same vein, you can take the extra precaution to wash your hair and lightly scrub your body in the shower after you’ve been outdoors or exposed to any allergens.
• Lastly, remember there can be more to your allergies than pollen. Every person’s sensitivity is specific to them, and our health is always multifaceted. Just do your best to learn about your condition and how you are affected by your environment. Pay attention to what elements are part of your surroundings, and look into whether they could be worsening your allergies. For example, if you smoke or are around anyone who smokes, this could irritate your symptoms even if you may not be bothered by cigarette smoke normally. Be aware of your rest, your diet, your everyday products and how well your medications are working. If you spend a lot of time in your car, maybe you need to allergy-proof your car more than, or as well as, your home. An annual interior detailing can be worth the investment for itch-free eyes and clear breathing.

As always, ask your doctor if you have any questions, and we hope these tips and reminders will help you to have a healthy spring with minimal allergy reactions!