San Antonio and the Hill Country are often referred to as “Allergy Central.” Whether it’s ragweed, oak, cedar or mold – it’s a brutal reminder for a lot of us who deal with year-round allergy problems here. Now the big one – winter mountain cedar season – is about to start.
News 4 WOAI just did a story on how the drought will affect this year’s cedar season. Yes, we’ll still have a cedar season, unfortunately. But it appears the drought killed off a bunch of the trees that produce the cedar pollen.
If you have allergy problems, the easiest (and cheapest) thing to do in your home is to regularly change your air filters. If a particular allergen bothers you and it’s in season, like mountain cedar for instance, change your filter every couple of weeks. Also, try to find filters with a high MERV rating. The higher the MERV rating, the more particles it keeps out of the air. Most filters you see in stores are in the 1-4 range in terms of MERV ratings. But you can find some in the 9-12 range. So look for those if you have intense allergy problems.
Another thing you can do to combat allergies is to consider making an improvement to your home’s indoor air quality. UV lights, like the Guardian Air System, kill up to 99% of pollens and viruses in the air. These systems are installed in your ductwork, so it gets to the pollens, viruses and bacteria before that air gets to you.
