If the springtime in DFW leaves you reaching out for allergy medicines and tissues, be prepared for this year as well! Recently a report by Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ranked DFW as 19^th most challenging place to live with spring allergies. If you are sneezing throughout the spring season or 365 days a year, did you really check for the cause? Have you ever given a thought whether your home is a safe place where you can breathe easily?

Many homeowners in North Texas suffer due to the presence of high allergen levels and overall poor indoor air quality. So, if you want to keep your family protected and away from allergens, take the following steps and live in a fresh airy environment –

In spite of knowing this general thing, many home-owners still doesn’t take efforts to clean their air filters. Manufacturers say, if air filters aren’t kept clean, they cause air quality issues in the long run. This is because the air filters reduce not just the dust and allergens present in air but also keep the HVAC unit clean. If you keep using the dirty filter in your air conditioning unit, dirt and dust will get collected on the evaporator coil and cause the system to malfunction.

Therefore, always remember to swap it out at regular intervals. You may also keep a tab on it by scheduling a reminder of the same.

How old is your system? How is its condition (we are not asking the outer appearance but the ones which are not glaring like the inside coiling, wiring thing)? We are asking because all this can add to the amount of allergens circulating in the environment. So, ask your HVAC contractor if he can make available a high-efficiency air cleaner to your existing system. Because, air cleaner removes about 99% of pollen, allergen and spores that seep into your home without your knowledge. Cleaner air filters also help in elimination of other air pollutants like smoke, dust, dirt where you end up breathing cleaner, fresher air.

If your allergies doesn’t subside, check the MERV or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value of the filter instead of its price. The MERV ratings vary from 1 to 16 – the higher, the better. However, the filters with higher MERV ratings will cost more, but you will need to replace them less often.

While no one wants to hear the bad news of new air conditioner installation, but there comes a time when the system fails to do its job. That is the time, you should realize of installing a new equipment. To prevent such a scenario, work out the middle path by using the HVAC maintenance and service options.