10 Ways to Fight Pollen at Home

Today as I noticed the soft pink blossoms of a cherry tree give way to soft new leaves, I wondered when my car would transform from yellowish-green back to its natural dark blue. I wondered when I’d be able to put my contact lenses back in, and when that stuffy feeling would leave my sinuses. I checked the pollen count — 2,722 for my hometown of Atlanta, which is high. In April, pollen season goes into full effect in the South and heads north soon after. While it’s tempting to enjoy open windows and fresh air this time of year, it’s best to keep the yellow stuff out. Here are some simple tips to keep your house a pollen-free zone.

1. Keep the car in the garage. If you don’t have a garage, give it a quick rinse whenever you can. Every time you touch the car, shut the door or open the window, you’ll be spreading that pollen around in the car. Keep the windows shut. I stash sanitary wipes in my car so that after I touch a pollen-covered handle or window, I won’t spread it to my face.


2. Wipe your feet on the mat, then take off your shoes and other outerwear as soon as you enter the house. Leave them there. Have a designated spot in the entry to leave shoes out.


3. Decontaminate — think Silkwood. If you’ve been doing yard work or you walked by one of those incredibly annoying leaf blowers making clouds of pollen and dirt while blowing one leaf from one part of the yard to the other (can someone please ban leaf blowers from planet Earth for me? Thanks in advance), you’ll need to get the pollen off your body and your clothes. Otherwise you’ll spread pollen all over the house. Do not sit down; you need to strip. Go to the laundry room and put what you can right into the washer or hamper.


4. Wash that green right out of your hair. Your hair is a pollen magnet. If you don’t wash it out before bed, you’ll have pollen-covered pillows. This is not good. Wash your hair after your last trip outside before bed. If you want to prevent all of this hair washing, wear a hat, turban (think Little Edie) or bandana (don’t think Brett Michaels) when you’re outside and remove it as soon as you enter the house.


5. Prevent your indoor-outdoor pets from bringing in the pollen. Give them a good brushing and wipe their paws off before they track it through the house. Immediately wash the brush and vacuum the area if you do it inside.


6. Empty the vacuum outdoors. If you have a bagless vacuum like this Dyson, you should not empty it inside the house. Take it outside to dump its contents into a bag that will go straight into your rubbish barrel.


7. Keep the windows and doors closed. I know, this is the time of year when I’m really excited to let the fresh air in, but unfortunately, this lets the pollen in. Keep windows shut and turn on the A/C if need be. Be sure to change your HVAC filters; HEPA filters can help trap more pollen. Note: HEPA filters should be changed monthly. You and your sinuses will find the extra expense well worth it.


8. Be vigilant about dusting. Be vigilant about dusting everything twice as often as you usually would, and don’t ignore those hard-to-reach places like the ceiling fan blades. Buying an extender for your duster is well worth the cost.


9. Keep porches clean or put off using them a lot until the season is over. I go through a lot of Swiffer dusters during the spring, because in spite of the pollen, I love to enjoy my screened-in porch. I also keep an old bedsheet over my outdoor sectional cushions and take it off when I have guests over. Once the green stuff is gone for the season, I take the cushions to be professionally cleaned (mine didn’t come with slipcovers). Then I have the whole porch power washed to get that pollen out of the screens, posts and flooring.


10. Don’t let the pollen get you down; it’s one of the most beautiful times of the year. The pollen does have a nice trade-off; sealed up in my yellowish-green car today, I couldn’t help but smile at the white dogwood blooms hovering over the street, with the stunning redbud trees providing a brilliant raspberry-pink contrast. Then I sneezed.

Tell us: What’s your trick for keeping pollen out of the house?

More:
Clear the Air: A Guide to Indoor Air Purifiers
18 Ways to Allergy-Proof Your Home

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