Spring Has Come and So Has the Pollen

I don’t know about you, but pollen has taken over my world. I love how beautiful, colorful and vibrant outside feels right now. The trees are the loveliest shade of green and the flowers are in full bloom.

However, even my two black and tan miniature dachshunds are sneezing and hacking after they have been on their outside yard safari. They love to see what small creatures they can run back into their holes or up the fence. When I bent down to pet them the other day, I noticed that their hair was full of yellow pollen. Oh no! My dogs go in and out all day. This means that they are tracking in the pollen, which just adds to the overall demise of my indoor air quality. I wondered what else I might be missing when it comes to pollen, so I decided to do some research about solutions to tame the pollen in my home.

I came across a few great articles and suggestions. One article was written by Susan C. Condlin of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension office in 2012, but her suggestions are still valid today. You can find the article at this link here.

Her solution to address the pollen on pet issue is to brush your pet outside to get the pollen off of them before they track it inside the house. I have also noticed that the pet stores are carrying wet wipes for pets which also might be another option to get the pollen or other unpleasant things off of your pet’s fur. Pet Life Today offers a preview of different pet wipes and lists their top five winners at their website here.

Good indoor air quality is important for everyone, but especially for those who have respiratory issues. It is important to change your heating and air conditioning filter often.

While the allergen filters can really catch a lot of pollutants, they are more expensive and can sometimes make your heating and air system work harder. Check with your local heating and air conditioning company who services your unit. You may find that they will suggest a less expensive filter alternative that can be changed monthly that do a

quality job.

This article also has good information about improving indoor air quality in your home here.

If you suffer from respiratory issues, seek the recommendations of your medical provider on how best to gain better indoor air quality in your home. The information in this blog post is a resource, but not a substitute for your medical doctor’s advice.