6 Ways to Avoid Summer Allergies

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Whatever you’re allergic to, there’s almost always more of it in the summer. From pollen to mold to shedding pets, chances are high that you’re going to experience the usual coughing, sneezing, irritated eyes, and runny nose when the weather warms up.

These symptoms happen when your immune system overreacts, treating normally-harmless things like pollen as if they were dire threats. Your nose and eyes run in order to clear these “threats” from them, and your body’s immune response causes inflammation in the form of itching and swelling. Why the body does this depends on a number of factors, but the end result is the same: a miserable experience.

Fortunately, there are some definite steps you can take to avoid—or at least minimize—your seasonal allergies. For the estimated 40 million Americans who get caught in the annual throes of summertime allergies, these preventative actions can make a world of difference.

According to the old proverb, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and so you’ll want to take these steps before the worst of the allergy season hits. So get ready to arm up against the upcoming invasion of the allergens with these 6 great ways to avoid summer allergies.

Rip Up Old Carpeting

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Why not eliminate allergies and redecorate at the same time by getting rid of those old carpets?

Think on this. What’s the biggest connection between the great outdoors and the interior of your lovely home?

Your floor, of course.

When we come inside after tromping around in nature, our shoes grind into the carpets everything we’ve picked up. All of the pollen, plant matter, and mold spores that you’ve been trying to keep out slowly become enmeshed in your rugs and carpets, which can contain more than 100 times the allergens of hard floors.

Vacuuming helps, but it is incredibly difficult to remove all allergens from carpet material—especially if it’s older. So, as summer approaches, why not give your home a fresh look by allowing your floor to go bare?

Bare floors are far easier to clean—allergens can be sucked right up with a hard floor vacuum attachment, and the remainders mopped away, leaving your home allergen-free. It may be a big change, but tossing older floor coverings is a huge step toward avoiding allergies this summer.

Keep Doors and Windows Closed and Sealed

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One of the simplest—and most effective—steps you can take toward avoiding allergies this summer is shutting your house to outdoor allergens. This means keeping doors tightly shut and closing all windows.

But don’t stop there. Inspect your home’s every opening for air leaks. If you find any drafty areas, head over to your local hardware store and grab some weather stripping in order to seal up any areas where things like pollen might blow into your home.

To do this, make sure you thoroughly clean your window and door frames before applying the weather stripping. Measure length of the area to be sealed, and cut your stripping to length. Peel off the paper lining of the weather stripping, and press the sticky side into the door or window frame.

You’re done—it’s that easy.

This is especially important in the rooms where you’ll spend the most time—namely the bedroom and living room, so start in these areas. Cutting down on the amount of outside air that can enter your home goes a long way in the fight against summer allergies.

Become an Evening Person

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In order to measure pollen, experts cover a rod in a sticky substance and attach it to the roof of a building for 24 hours. During this time, the rod is tested at different parts of the day to see how much pollen is sticking to it—this gives us a rough pollen count for each of these times.

Generally, the greatest amount of pollen has been found to appear 5 am to 10 am—needless to say, you need to stay indoors during that time if you’re sensitive to plant allergens.

This is especially true for those who exercise. Going for that 7 am run during the spring and summer can have devastating effects, even for those of us with milder allergies, so switch up your schedule while pollen levels are high.

If you must go out in the morning hours, be sure to wear sunglasses to keep the pollen out of your eyes, and if levels are particularly high, invest in an anti-allergen face mask.

Avoiding an allergen-filled morning is essential for preventing a sneeze-filled, miserable evening.

Always Go for HEPA

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Your air conditioning system can be one of the main entry points for allergens in your home, so investing in HEPA filters that can keep the worst of them out is well-worth the cash.

HEPA stands for high efficiency particulate air, and is a type of air filter. To achieve this rating, a filter must meet standards set by the United States Department of Energy—namely, the ability to remove at least 99.97 percent of even the smallest particles from the air.

Most air conditioners, whether they are central or window units, have HEPA alternatives to their default filters.

If you want to avoid allergies this summer, use them.

You may also want to invest in a HEPA-based air purifier. These units are great for smaller areas, such as a bedroom, and can help keep particulates from building up in the air.

When in doubt, always choose a HEPA certified air filter for all of the air coming into your home—it will make a huge difference.

Wash Those Locks

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So you’ve sealed up your drafty windows and doors, torn out the carpet and replaced your air filters, but you’re still suffering from allergies indoors?

It might be because of those long locks.

Your hair is a hidden repository for allergens, especially if you spend much of your time outside. If you’re having mysterious allergic reactions, despite taking precautions, it may be because pollen is hitching a ride on your hair and into your home.

Hair is covered in the natural oils of your scalp, which makes it an absolute pollen-magnet, and the longer it is, the more pollen can attach to it.

To avoid this, try putting your hair up in a bun while out, which minimizes the surface area that pollen to which pollen can stick. But above all, wash your hair before bed each night—you don’t want to end up breathing pollen while you sleep, after all.

Keep your hair clean, and you’ll cut down on your allergen exposure this summer—guaranteed.

Break Out the Medication

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Finally, when all else fails, it may be time to use some antihistamines.

Now that most allergy medication can be easily obtained without a prescription, there’s no excuse for allergy-suffers to not stock up.

But you’re not going to wait for allergies to strike. No—you’re going to start taking a once-daily allergy medication, such as Claritin or Zyrtec, before you start getting those itchy eyes and rasping coughs.

Remember how the bodies of those with allergies go into overdrive when exposed to certain things? Antihistamines calm that reaction by blocking the effects of histamine, which is the natural chemical that sets off allergic reactions.

Most allergy medications take varying amounts of time to take effect, so be sure to begin taking them at least a day before you think you’ll be exposed to allergens. The great thing about these medications is that you can just keep taking them throughout the summer, giving you a shield against the worst effects of the season.

If you want to minimize your risk of allergic reactions, grab an OTC allergy medication—you’ll be able to enjoy the outdoors without the miserable side effects.