Springtime in Ames should mean making the most of warmer weather and enjoying more time outside. Instead, for many homeowners, it means dealing with pollen allergies.

If you suffer from allergies, you know how frustrating that pollen in your home can make you feel. Constant sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, sinus problems and congestion can leave you exhausted. If you have asthma, pollen can also cause wheezing, chest tightness and breathing problems.

Your home is supposed to be a refuge. However, pollen doesn’t stay outside. It follows you indoors, creating poor indoor air quality in your Ames home —and triggers the allergies that make you miserable.

The good news is, there are proven ways to get rid of indoor pollen problems in the spring. A one-two punch of pollen season prep and professional indoor air quality solutions can eliminate your allergy problems so you can finally breathe easier.

Why Pollen Is a Problem in Ames, Iowa

Pollen produced from trees, grass and weeds is a serious spring problem in Ames. How does this pollen affect indoor air quality?

It enters your home and settles into 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 Gets Into Your Home

Homeowners are often shocked to learn just how much pollen gets into 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 make sure your doors and windows are always closed, pollen still can get into your home. You can carry it indoors on your shoes and clothing. Poorly sealed doors and windows even let pollen in.

Once pollen gets in, it moves throughout through your Ames home. Knowing how to how to reduce pollen in homes means limiting the amount of pollen that gets in your home whenever possible and then eliminating it from circulation when it does.

DIY Pollen Reduction Tips That Actually Help

  • Replace your HVAC filters on a routine basis. Clean filters remove pollen and allergens from the air circulating in your home.
  • Make sure your windows are closed on peak pollen count days. Open windows allow large amounts of pollen indoors.
  • Wash your hair and change clothes after being outside. Pollen sticks to your hair, skin and clothing, and you can transfer that pollen onto your pillows, bedding and furniture
  • Use a vacuum that has a HEPA filter. Vacuums that use HEPA filters help catch tiny pollen particles embedded in carpets and furniture.
  • Clean your shoes on doormats and remove shoes before going inside. Shoes transport 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 transfer to your bedding, carpets and furniture.

Upgrade Your HVAC System for Healthier, Cleaner Air

Your HVAC system is an extremely effective way to boost your home’s indoor air quality.These professional, whole-home indoor air quality solutions reduce allergens, increase airflow and make your home feel better throughout allergy season.

High-Efficiency Air Filters

High-efficiency HVAC filters help remove particles like pollen, dust and pet dander from your home’s air. You can evaluate filters using MERV ratings, which are numbers that show how effectively a filter captures 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 searching for the best air filters for allergies choose high-efficiency air filters because they are very effective at reducing indoor air contaminants.

Whole-Home Air Purifiers

Whole-home air filtration systems work in conjunction with your HVAC system to clean the air throughout your entire home. Unlike portable air purifiers that only filter one room, whole-home air purification systems continuously capture microscopic particles like pollen, dust and pet dander as air moves through your ductwork. This creates a complete solution to your seasonal allergy concerns.

Humidity Control

Higher spring humidity in Ames can also aggravate your allergies by creating conditions ripe for mold and mildew growth. For best results, your home's humidity should remain between 30-50 percent. Whole-home humidity control systems work with 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 toimprove indoor air quality in the spring in your full home.

UV Air Purification

UV air purification systems are an effective way to reduce mold spores, bacteria and certain viruses circulating through your HVAC system. Unlike filters that only capture particles like pollen and dust, UV systems also use ultraviolet light to neutralize biological contaminants.

When comparing an air purifier vs air filter for HVAC systems, remember that filters remove particles whiles purifiers have additional advanced technology to clean pollutants you might not be able to see. When used with filtration and humidity control, UV purification can help maintain 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 symptoms of poor indoor air quality in your Ames home include dust buildup even after you clean, musty smells, uneven airflow and rooms that feel stale or humid. If your symptoms improve when you leave the house, that’s a strong sign your indoor air may be the issue.

Professional IAQ Services That Solve Pollen Problems

DIY solutions can help lower pollen indoors, but they don’t truly solve the problem. If you suffer from spring pollen allergies, even tiny amounts of pollen can make you uncomfortable. That is where professional HVAC air quality solutions can help. An indoor air quality assessment identifies and measures the allergens and pollutants in your home so an HVAC professional can recommend filtration or purification solutions to finally solve your pollen problem.

Other methods are available to clean other allergens from your air, like 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 helps your system remove contaminants efficiently and also helps prolong the life of your system.

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

Get Ahead of Spring Pollen in Ames

Prevention and professional solutions are the smartest way to tame your spring allergies. Start with DIY tips to minimize pollen indoors. To fully solve your pollen problem, work with an HVAC professional like the team at Haselhoff Air Solutions. We have expert knowledge and high-quality tools to improve 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 Ames. Schedule an IAQ consultation online or call 515-450-8739 today to schedule service with Haselhoff Air Solutions.