August: How to Protect Your Home From Fall Ragweed Allergens

How to Protect Your Home From Fall Ragweed Allergens

1. As most of you already know, August is the month that generally kicks off ragweed allergy season. What you may not know are the facts behind how to reduce the long-lasting effects of ragweed related symptoms. According to specialists, ragweed particles are generally in the outdoor air only until the first hard freeze, but they can live from 4 to 6 months in your home. Just imagine, allergy suffers can be affected from now until after New Year’s! You can reduce the number of particles circulating in your home by taking the following steps: 

2. Keep your windows closed! It is very tempting to open up when the weather starts to cool down, but until the first hard freeze, allergens are very high.

3. Change the filter on your heating and air conditioning unit on a monthly basis. This reduces the number of allergens that are recycled through your vent systems.

4. Vacuum frequently using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filtering system. You can even buy inexpensive, HEPA filtering vacuums at Walmart or Target if you don’t already own one.

5. Have your carpets, area rugs, upholstery, and mattresses professionally cleaned on a regular basis. Vacuuming with a HEPA filter vacuum reduces the number of allergens in the air but does not entirely rid you of the pesky particles. The steam cleaning from a truck-mounted system, the only system that Kansas Carpet Care Inc uses, has a more powerful vacuum system and also uses high heat to further eliminate the source.