Spring in Lincoln should mean taking advantage of warmer weather and enjoying more time outside. Instead, for many of us, it means dealing with pollen allergies.

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

Your home is supposed to be an escape from all that. Unfortunately, pollen doesn’t stay outside. It follows you indoors, creating poor indoor air quality in your Lincoln 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 one-two punch of pollen season prep and professional indoor air quality solutions can reduce your allergy problems so you can breathe clean, pollen-free air.

Why Pollen Is an Issue in Lincoln, Nebraska

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

It gets into 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 can trigger allergy symptoms again and again.

How Pollen Gets Into Your Home

Many people are surprised to learn just how much pollen gets into their home. It flows in through open windows and doors, rides in on your pets and even can be pulled in by a poorly filtered HVAC system. Even if you shut your windows and doors, pollen still can get 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 spreads quickly through your Lincoln home. Knowing how to how to reduce pollen in homes means stopping it from getting in your home whenever possible and then eliminating it from circulation when it does.

DIY Pollen Reduction Tips That Really Work

  • Replace your HVAC filters on a routine basis. Clean filters trap pollen and allergens from the air circulating in 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 clings 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 remove tiny pollen particles embedded in carpets and furniture.
  • Wipe your feet on doormats and take off shoes. Shoes can carry pollen, dirt and other debris throughout your home.
  • Regularly bathe 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 can plays a major role in improving your home’s the air quality in your home.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 capture particles like pollen, dust and pet dander from the air in your home. You can compare 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 looking 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 with your HVAC system to clean the air in every room of your home. Unlike portable air purifiers that only clean one room, whole-home air purification systems continuously remove microscopic particles like pollen, dust and pet dander as air circulates through your ductwork. This creates a whole-home solution to your pollen problems.

Humidity Control

Seasonal humidity in Lincoln can also aggravate your allergies by creating conditions ripe for mold and mildew growth. Ideally, your home's humidity should stay between 30-50 percent. Whole-home humidity control systems operate alongside your HVAC system to balance 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 cover one room, whole-home systems are a way toboost indoor air quality in the spring in your entire 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 catch and remove particles like pollen and pet dander, UV systems also use ultraviolet light to neutralize biological pollutants.

When comparing an air purifier vs air filter for HVAC systems, remember that filters are for particles whiles purifiers have additional advanced technology to clean your air of other substances filters alone can’t address. When paired with filtration and humidity control, UV purification can help maintain cleaner, healthier air inside your home.

Signs Your Home Has Dirty Air

Common signs your home has poor indoor air quality include frequent allergy symptoms indoors like sneezing, coughing, congestion, headaches or red, itchy eyes. Other symptoms of poor indoor air quality in your Lincoln home include dust buildup even after you clean, musty odors, uneven airflow and rooms that feel closed-in or humid. If your symptoms disappear when you leave the house, that’s a major sign your indoor air may be the root cause.

Professional IAQ Services That Reduce Pollen Allergies

DIY solutions can help reduce pollen indoors, but alone they don’t fully resolve the problem. If you struggle with spring pollen allergies, even minor amounts of pollen can make you feel awful. That is where expert HVAC air quality solutions can help. An indoor air quality assessment identifies allergens and pollutants in your home so an HVAC professional can determine filtration or purification solutions to finally solve your pollen problem.

Other methods to boost your indoor air quality are available, including 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 prolong the life of your system.

For many Lincoln 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 Spring Pollen in Lincoln

Prevention and professional solutions are the most effective way to eliminate spring allergies. You can help by using DIY tips to limit pollen indoors. To fully solve your pollen problem, work with an HVAC professional like the team at AW Heating & Air Conditioning. We have expert knowledge and effective tools to enhance your indoor air quality, so you can breathe healthy, 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 Lincoln. Schedule an IAQ consultation online or call 402-438-7992 today to schedule service with AW Heating & Air Conditioning.