March 23, 2015
It’s official: Pollen season has begun in Oklahoma. That means Cedar pollen is high, and Bradford Pears are flowering.
If you have allergies you probably have a love-hate relationship with spring. You want to enjoy the nice weather, but you're sneezing, sniffling and aching eyes won’t let you.
We hear you and want to help by giving you a simple way to survive spring allergy season in Lawton, OK.
Basically, you need to do 2 simple things:
- Prevent allergy symptoms before they start
- Treat yourself once allergies start affecting you
Let’s explore these solutions in more detail, shall we?
How to prevent spring allergies in Oklahoma
Go outside less on days with a high pollen count— The amount of pollen in the air (pollen count) varies each day. Check Weather channel’s PollenCast to get a 4-day forecast of the pollen count in your area. Usually, pollen count is highest on dry, windy days and lowest on rainy days.
Shower at night— Helps remove the pollen on your hair and skin before you go to bed.
Wash your sheets weekly in hot water— Don’t sleep with pollen in your sheets, or you’ll say hello to a stuffy nose in the morning!
Dust weekly using a wet mop and wet cloths— These pick up dust and pollen better than dry ones.
Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter— a HEPA filter will trap at least 99.97% of particles as small as .3 microns (that includes dust and pollen), according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
Wear a mask when you do outside chores— We can’t avoid yardwork forever, right? Wear high quality face mask to keep your allergy symptoms to a minimum.
Install a whole-home air cleaner in your home— An air cleaner is basically a mega awesome version of an air filter. While an air filter only catches large particles and protects your AC system, an air cleaner can catch 99% of airborne particles, giving relief to those with allergies, asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
Related article: Removing Airborne Odors With Air Cleaners
How to treat spring allergies on Oklahoma
Let’s assume your symptoms are already acting up. Now what? Here are the types of medicine you need to look for:
Antihistamines, which help alleviate:
- Runny nose
- Watery eyes
- Sneezing
- Nasal and eye itching
- Postnasal drip.
Popular antihistamines include:
- Zyrtec
- Benadryl
- Claritin
Decongestants, which help those with a stuffy nose.
You can buy Sudafed, a popular decongestant, behind the counter without a prescription.
Medicine suggested by an allergist. If the above treatments aren’t cutting it, see your local allergist. He or she can determine what you’re allergic to and prescribe the exact treatment you need.
Want to keep your home’s air clean?
We love giving free advice on this subject. So you can either:
- Read more of our blog posts on indoor air quality or
- Ask our experts on how we can improve your home’s air
Pippin Brothers is the Lawton-area’s most trusted heating, air conditioning and plumbing company. We’ve been serving Oklahoma since 1978. Contact us for more information.
