How to Get Rid of Pollen in Your House

Pollen is a stubborn indoor air pollutant that is prevalent in spring. With flowers in full bloom, the wind disperses a lot of pollen, so it is no surprise that it ends up in your home. Other ways through which pollen finds its way into your home is through people (pollen attaches itself to the hair, skin, shoes, and outer clothes) and pets.

With the high levels of air pollution in the environment, you find that your home is a breath of clean air from the crowded streets, bars, factories you work in, and exhaust fumes from your car. But what happens when pollutants like pollen invade your safe air space?

You will find that your eyes, throat, and nose suffer from coming into contact with pollen. And sometimes, it can lead to health complications like asthma, especially if someone in your household has allergic reactions to allergens.

The best remedy for getting pollen out of the house is to use HEPA filter air purifiers that clean your indoor air of all its pollutants, including pollen. But of course, you can only get quality air purifiers with trusted HVAC experts like Anderson Air.

Stay on board as we show you how to get rid of pollen and improve your indoor air quality.

Remedy #1: Leave your shoes and outer clothing at the door

Pollen tends to attach itself to shoes as you walk on the road and your coats and other outerwear. To prevent it from getting into your house, wipe your shoes before entering your home on the doormat.

Also, remove the outer or exposed layer of your clothing and shoes before entering the house. Throw the clothes in the laundry and clean your shoes to eliminate pollen contamination in your home completely.

Remedy #2:  Bathe or wash your hair

Like your clothing, your hair is a pollen magnet. So if you don’t wash your hair clean after being outdoors, it will be an agent or source of indoor pollution. You will find that you leave traces of pollen on whatever you lay your head on, say on the chair headrests, your bed, the pillow, etc.

How to get rid of pollen in your house? Wear a hat or clothing that completely shields or covers your hair when outside. And remove it when entering the house. If you have pollen allergies, it is best to take a bath to remove any pollen that may have fallen on your body.

Remedy #3: Keep the door and windows closed

Spring is full of blooming flowers. This means that all the air coming through your windows will be infested with pollen, most especially in the mornings when the pollen counts are high.

Keeping the windows closed will keep pollen out of the house. Closing windows is kind of sad because you don’t get to enjoy the fresh air and flower scents in spring. But in the long term, it saves you asthma attacks and other pollen-related allergies.

Remedy #4: Avoid using rugs during spring

Rugs and carpets are some of the commonest keepers of allergens like pollen. The fur or threads in rugs traps pollen. So, even when the spring season is over, you may continue experiencing pollen allergies because of the presence of infected rugs in your house.

The best remedy is to keep the rugs away. If you choose to keep the carpets/rugs, get smaller rugs that you can regularly wash.

Remedy #5: Use a clothes dryer

Hanging clothes outside in the sun, especially in spring, can get pollen into your house. When you hang clothes outside, they pick up pollen from the air and the trees/flowers.

So, a great way how to keep pollen out of house is by drying your clothes inside your house with a clothes dryer.

Remedy #6: Clean your patio, paths, and entryways of your home

You can do this by sweeping/vacuuming your compound. Regularly cleaning places that people frequently use outside your house reduces the occurrence of someone transferring the pollen from the house entryway or patio to the inside of your house.

Remedy #7: Regularly clean your house with a vacuum with a HEPA filter

Regularly cleaning your house is another way how to get pollen out of house. Do this with a vacuum that has a HEPA filter. Pollen is made of tiny particles. So if you use a regular vacuum, it will suck them off the floor and other surfaces and end up releasing them back into your indoor air. This is because the small pollen particles pass through the regular filter and end up again in the air you breathe.

But with a HEPA filter, you are assured of getting rid of the pollens that the vacuum cleaner sucks up. The HEPA filter traps up to 99.99% of particles that are 0.3 microns or larger.

Remedy #8: Empty bagless vacuums outside the house

Another way to get rid of pollen in houses is to vacuum regularly when pollen levels are high. And when you empty your bagless vacuum, do it outside. Emptying the vacuum’s canister outside prevents the trapped pollens from escaping back into the air inside your home.

Remedy #9: Regularly bathe your pets to remove pollen from their coats

Pets love going outdoors during the day, exposing themselves to pollen. The fur on cats and dogs quickly picks up and keeps pollen which can be hazardous when these animals get back into the house.

To eliminate the pollen hiding in your pets’ coats or fur, bathe them regularly or after long periods outdoors in spring.

Remedy #10: Dust your house with a wet microfiber cloth

A damp microfiber cloth differs significantly from a dry one in terms of cleaning efficiency. Using a damp cloth traps the pollen particles that would have escaped if you had used a dry cloth.

And while cleaning walls or surfaces, work from up to down or from higher surfaces to lower ones to prevent pollen from falling onto already cleaned lower surfaces.

Conclusion

All these do-it-yourself solutions on how to get rid of pollen are efficient to a certain point. To completely eradicate pollen effectively, seek expert help against these seasonal allergens. Experienced professionals have the knowledge and experience that you need.