You may think there's not much you can do to reduce allergens outside your home. After all, they're carried on the wind - and you can't exactly stop that! Yet there are a number of steps you can take to decrease allergens on your property. This can help you breathe better outside and will help to reduce the allergens that make it inside, too.
1. Your Car
If you can store your car in the garage, do so. This prevents it from collecting pollen. It's frustrating to open your door and see the pollen waft up into your face and into your vehicle. You've also now got pollen on your hand from the handle. That will get on the steering wheel and other interior surfaces, and you'll inevitably touch your face at some point – making your reaction that much worse. Store your car in a garage and the pollen won't get in.
2. Air Filter
An old cabin air filter in your car will work less efficiently. Chances are it's clogged and deteriorated. It used to prevent allergens from getting cycled through the car's air, but now it can't. It's an inexpensive part. Make sure your air filter is changed regularly – every 12,000 to 15,000 miles.
Bonus: This will also help your cooling and heating system work better and last longer.
3. Power Washing Your Home
Pollen and other allergens love to collect on surfaces. Housing materials repel a lot this on their own, but if they're caked in dirt and debris, those surfaces will often retain more moisture. The problem with this is that moisture encourages the growth of mold and mildew – these are major allergy triggers. Power washing allows you to clean off the layer of gunk and debris that absorbs moisture and allows mold and mildew to grow.
4. Other Power Washing Benefits
Your home isn't the only place that pollen collects and where mold and mildew grow. While you're at it, it's a very good idea to power wash stone paths, any concrete or cement walkways, your driveway, and even your car and garage floor. This can ensure you're starting fresh with every hard surface on your property.
5. Weed Control
One of the most common seasonal allergy triggers is weed pollen. Weed or have your property weeded. Encourage neighbors to do the same, if you can. While it's unlikely an initial batch of weeds will bother your allergies too much, weeds that aren't pulled can seed an area and come back much worse. An area that's heavily “infested” will have much less chance of a larger growth of allergy-triggering weeds.
6. Your Porch and Patio
Homeowners often forget to ensure their porch and patio are allergen-free. These are the areas where you're supposed to be able to relax outside. If you have outdoor sectionals, cushions, or upholstered chairs, make sure to protect these both from collecting allergens and from absorbing moisture. If you don't have slipcovers, you can use an old sheet. You don't want this furniture to grow mold or mildew or puff up a cloud of pollen every time you sit on it. The hard surfaces of your porch or patio can be power washed.
7. Your clothes
You were probably told to wipe your feet as a kid. Turns out its really good advice. Most allergens collect on surfaces – including the ground, on paths, and on grass. As you walk through these, you collect allergens on your shoes.
Your clothing is yet another surface that allergens collect upon. It's a good idea to take off your shoes and coat and leave them in the mudroom when you come inside. If you want to keep a car, patio, or other outdoor area protected from allergens, don't bring them with you. Wipe your feet and change out of gardening clothes and into fresh clothes when you go out. Keep clothes you've used in a closed hamper, so those allergens don't spread around your home either.
There's a lot you can do to reduce allergens outside your home. These steps are each simple and straightforward. They're easy to form as new habits, so none of them become big productions like an entire spring cleaning. To breathe better outside, you need to make the outside places you spend the most time in more tolerable. Take a number of small steps to reduce allergens where you spend that time, and you won't have to hide inside all spring. For more information about spring cleaning with commercial-grade pressure washing equipment, contact us.
