Ragweed and Other Reasons to Keep Outside Out

If you’ve been experiencing itchy or watery eyes lately or noticed that you are sneezing, sniffling, or itching more than often, you might be allergic to ragweed pollens.

This is the time of year ragweed and other weeds are the most common pollens in the air.  Single ragweed can produce over one billion grains of pollen.  Can you imagine unleashing one billion particles of allergy-causing misery? It is like single ragweed is an invading army and your immune system just doesn’t stand a chance. Doesn’t it make you want to sneeze just to think about it?

Well, the same wonderful end of summer and early fall weather that triggers the ragweeds to produce pollen also tempts us to open our windows.  But, if you have allergies it is really not a great idea.  It is best to keep the outside out.  It also seems counter-intuitive to the idea of “fresh” air.

I was speaking to a young man in the midwest earlier this week about his conflicting desires to want the “freshest” air in his house balanced with his desire for his daughter to breathe the cleanest air.

He had been researching air exchanging units and had read some pretty convincing marketing materials supporting the benefits of “clean” air from the outside.  His question was spot on,  “If this unit brought air in from outside and the air had pollen or mold, was he making things better or worse?”

Well, if this unit sucked the air from outside and did nothing to clean that air, then things would be worse.  If the unit brought air in, cleaned it up, then dumped it into the house, then it truly would be “fresh” air.

Remember you don’t want to bring more pollen or mold into your house than already sneaks in every time you open a door.  Remember, you also carry bits of pollen and molds from the air on your clothes and hair if you go outside when counts are high.  It really is best to keep the outside out.

If you do open your windows, then run your HEPA air cleaner on high.  Put it to work sucking up those particles.  Look into using MicroAirScreen Window Air Screens that will allow you to open your window 8″ but still block those pollens and molds.

Also, take a moment to check the pollen levels before you open up.  Many newspapers print pollen counts and you can always visit Pollen.Com to get your local forecast.  They even have a mobile app that you can download if that’s your style. So, no matter how you approach it, keep the outside out and the inside in.

Til Next Time!
Cheryl

Bed Bug Problems Increasing

Every day we are getting calls about bed bugs.

The problems associated with bed bugs in the U.S. is increasing to the point where  they can affect anyone and anywhere. In the past few years, bed bug infestations have been increasingly observed in the U.S. and  has been attributed to the increases in immigration and travel. 

For years when people talked about bed bugs the thought of run down, flea bag hotels came to mind. Not now. It is not uncommon for a 4 or 5 star hotel to have a problem or two with uninvited guests. You never know where they may show up.

Being familiar with bed bugs can help to avoid infestation, or at least prompt earlier intervention by a professional pest control expert to help get rid of the bugs.

Read complete article on bed bugs, the Unwanted Guest

Wishing you the best of health

Mike Krause

AllergyStore.com

Allergies and Cold Weather … Stay Warm and Allergen Free

You know when winter is here, people just stay indoors. My daughter-in-law said she did not go out for 3 days because of the weather. She stayed in and played with the cats and cleaned.
Sometimes the problem with spending more time indoors all the times is the areas where you are hanging out are also full of allergens. The good news is there are simple steps you can due to reduce the problems.
Make sure you do your cleaning early in the day so the dust you do stir up has a chance to settle before you go to bed. Household dust is full of dust mite allergens, pollen, spores, and other allergens. Use a damp cloth to do your dusting then toss it in the wash.
Wash the dogs once a week to reduce the pet dander. If you let them on the bed you may want to spray them with ADMS anti-allergen spray.
If you need to bring in the plants keep them in the garage or in a spare room. Don’t overwater them or you can get mold growing in the dirt.
Be careful with humidifiers. You don’t want to crank them up to the point you are getting too much moisture in the air. Too much can mean microbial growth like mold and mildew.
Wash the bedding including blankets once a week. if you can’t get the water hotter than 130 you should use products like Allergen Wash or De-mite Laundry additive.
Just remember that the tighter you keep your home closed up the more allergens stay in. Keep warm.
Wishing you the best of health
Mike Krause
AllergyStore.com – Serving Customers Since 1989
800 771-ACHOO