Top Tips to Minimise Seasonal Allergies

Spring is a time of great change – new flowers, new life and new allergies! If you find your seasonal allergies start to act up in the spring, we’ve got some top tips to help minimise your symptoms.

Know the pollen count

The MET office publishes weekly pollen forecasts and updates the pollen count daily. Use this information to determine if it’s right for you to go outside depending on your own sensitivity to pollen. It might be better for you to run errands, dry clothes, and spend time outdoors on days where the pollen count is low.

Shower and change after going outside

Pollen can stick to your skin and clothes where it can be transferred to your eyes and nose after you’ve been outside. To reduce the risk of irritation after being outside, take a shower and change your clothes to remove any pollen from your skin.

Keep windows closed

As pollen causes allergies and is found outside, it’s best to keep your windows closed to prevent it from entering your home. Similarly, try to avoid bringing grass or flowers into your home.

If you want to have your windows open to cool down your home, you could consider an air conditioning unit or fan.

HEPA Filter

Many units come fitted with a HEPA filters, including dehumidifiers, air purifiers, and air conditioners. These are filters that remove an exceptionally high amount of particles from your air, including dust, mould, pollen, and bacteria. They are a great way to condition the air in your home, helping to minimise your allergic symptoms.

Don’t dry clothes outside

Because pollen lives outside, drying your clothes and bedding outside can cause them to become covered in pollen. This will then bring the pollen into your home for you to sleep on or wear all day. Prevent this unnecessary pollen exposure by drying your clothes indoors on a clothes horse.

Stay on top of dusting

Dust can be a significant allergy trigger for many people due to dust mites. If your symptoms are acting up, it’s important to keep on top of the dusting to ensure that you aren’t exposing yourself to triggers unnecessarily. This includes dusting and vacuuming frequently, up to once or twice a week if you can.

Use a damp cloth to dust as dry dusting can introduce more dust into the air.

Dust mites can also live in carpets, bedding, and cushions so ensure that you keep these clean. If you’re able to remove fabric covers you should wash these at high temperatures. Put a hypoallergenic cover on your mattress and consider using a vacuum cleaner fitted with a HEPA filter.

Antihistamines

Your body feels the symptoms of an allergy due to the release of a chemical called histamines. To reduce the effects of these symptoms, you can take medicine called antihistamines. This medicine blocks the effects of histamine.

Saline nasal spray

If you’re looking for a drug free way to help minimise your allergy symptoms, saline nasal spray helps to wash away dust and pollen from your nose. This means it is less likely to cause an allergic reaction.