5 Tips for Winter Allergies in Dallas/Fort Worth

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and our own.

If you live in Dallas, you are well aware that seasonal allergies are real. We enjoy a relatively nice climate, but the downside is that various plants bloom throughout the year and trigger seasonal allergies.  As a fellow Texan in the DFW metro, let me share 5 allergy tips that have helped our family.

1. Consult your doctor and take medication throughout allergy season. 
I know that "consult a doctor" sounds generic, but I think that it is important because we found that different medications have different affects on each of us. You may even find that siblings respond differently to a medication. If you try an allergy medication that doesn't seem to work well for you, work with your doctor to see if a different one works better. 

2. Use air purifiers.
We use air purifiers in our living room and each bedroom. We prefer air purifiers with HEPA filters because they have a sthe industry standard for HEPA filters is that an air filter must remove (from the air that passes through) 99.97% of particles that have a size greater than or equal to 0.3 µm.


3. Check your local pollen forecast.
Minimizing allergen exposure is helpful. Check pollen.com for the local pollen forecast in your area. For instance, grass pollens are particularly problematic for me, so staying indoors as much as possible on medium and high pollen days is helpful.  In addition, if I do need to go outside, I head straight for the shower when I get home. I also wear a new outfit after my shower. 

4. Avoid fragrance, fumes, or odors.
I used to love wearing fragrance.  It never occurred to me that fragrances were making my allergies worse until my allergist pointed this out. I would take scented bubble baths, generously apply scented lotion, and spray fragrance on myself. Eliminating fragrance has been helpful. I rarely use fragrance anymore since I realize that it has an impact on my allergies.

5. Run the a/c to help filter the air in your car.
Despite allergies, most of us still have to leave the house and go about our normal activities as much as possible. We love the Atem Car Air Purifier. This in-cabin air purifier is a game changer that makes it very enjoyable to be in our car during an allergy season.  Here is a photo of it in our SUV.

 

I read on their website that research shows that the air inside of a car can be 15x more polluted than the air outside of a vehicle. The Atem Car helps as it cleans the air up to 20x per hour.  What really sets it apart is gas-phrased filtration that absorbs odors, gases, chemicals, and even harmful allergens.  This air purifier is fabulous in terms of helping with my allergies. I also run it when I pick my son up from soccer practice! (If you have an energetic son who plays hard, you must know what I mean!)

I hope that these tips help those of you that are suffering from allergies.  We have lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro for several years.  Our first couple of years were the worst in terms of allergies, but then I learned the tips above and we have felt much better.  Let's hope for some low-pollen days soon!