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

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

Your home should be an escape from all that. However, pollen does not stay outside. It follows you indoors, creating poor indoor air quality in your Newton home —triggering the allergy symptoms that make you miserable.

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

Why Pollen Is So Bad in Newton, Iowa

Pollen released from trees, grass and weeds is a major spring problem in Newton. How does this pollen affect indoor air quality?

It gets into your home and builds up in carpets, furniture, bedding and air ducts. Once inside, pollen can spread in the air through an unfiltered HVAC system. As it circulates, it repeatedly aggravates your allergies.

How Pollen Gets In Your Home

Homeowners are often shocked to learn just how much pollen gets into their home. It makes its way through open windows and doors, rides in on your pets and even can be drawn inside by an unfiltered HVAC system. Even if you make sure your doors and windows are always closed, pollen still can find ways into your home. You can bring it in on your shoes and clothing. Cracks around your doors and windows even let pollen in.

Once pollen gets in, it spreads quickly through your Newton home. Knowing how to how to reduce pollen in homes means stopping it from getting in your home whenever possible and then filtering it from circulation if it does.

DIY Pollen Reduction Tips That Really Work

  • Swap out your HVAC filters on a routine basis. Clean filters remove pollen and allergens from the air circulating throughout your home.
  • Make sure your windows are closed on heavy pollen count days. Open windows allow high concentrations of pollen indoors.
  • Shower and change clothes after being outside. Pollen collects on your hair, skin and clothing, and you can spread that pollen onto your pillows, bedding and furniture
  • Use a vacuum that has a HEPA filter. Vacuums that use HEPA filters help capture tiny pollen particles trapped in carpets and furniture.
  • Clean your shoes on doormats and remove shoes before going inside. 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 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 air quality.These professional, whole-home indoor air quality solutions lower allergens, improve airflow and make your home feel more pleasant throughout allergy season.

High-Efficiency Air Filters

High-efficiency HVAC filters help trap 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 smaller particles the filter can trap. 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 connect directly to 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 remove microscopic particles like pollen, dust and pet dander as air travels through your ductwork. This creates a whole-home solution to your seasonal allergy concerns.

Humidity Control

Seasonal humidity in Newton can also trigger 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 connect to your HVAC system to balance moisture levels throughout your house. In humid months, they eliminate excess moisture like a dehumidifier. In winter, they put moisture back into dry air. Unlike portable dehumidifiers that only cover one room, whole-home systems are a way toenhance indoor air quality in the spring in your whole home.

UV Air Purification

UV air purification systems help reduce mold spores, bacteria and certain viruses traveling through your HVAC system. Unlike filters that only trap particles like pollen or pet dander, 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 even more advanced technology to clean your air of other substances filters alone can’t address. When used with filtration and humidity control, UV purification can help create cleaner, healthier air inside your home.

Signs Your Home Needs Indoor Air Quality Improvements

There’s a good chance your home has poor IAQ if you regularly experience allergy symptoms indoors like sneezing, coughing, congestion, headaches or red, itchy eyes. Other indicators of poor indoor air quality in your Newton home include dust buildup even with frequent cleaning, musty odors, uneven airflow and rooms that feel stale or humid. If your symptoms improve when you leave the house, that’s a major sign your indoor air may be the issue.

Professional IAQ Services That Really Work

DIY solutions can help reduce pollen indoors, but aren’t enough to truly solve the problem. If you struggle with spring pollen allergies, even tiny amounts of pollen can make you feel awful. That is where advanced 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 determine filtration or purification solutions to finally solve your pollen problem.

Other ways 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 ensures that your system filters pollutants effectively and also helps extend the life of your system.

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

Get Ahead of Spring Pollen Season in Newton

Prevention and professional solutions are the best way to tame your spring allergies. Do your part by following DIY tips to limit pollen indoors. To completely address your pollen problem, work with an HVAC professional like the team at Brookwood Inc. We have specialized knowledge and high-quality tools to improve your indoor air quality, so you can breathe refreshing, 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 Newton. Schedule an IAQ consultation online or call 641-693-6216 today to learn more with Brookwood Inc.