Pollen season is only one good sneeze away...
I realize it is still a ways off, but you know it is coming and now is the time to prepare your home.
But what is the plan here? Let's start with better filters for your hyac system.
I have for you 5 different furnace filters and I have ranked them from worst to best for keeping yuck out of your air:
1 – Disposable fiberglass filters. The cheapest are the least effective – shocker! These are designed soley to protect your furnace, and that’s about it. If you have just moved into a new home that has a builders grade furnace, these are the filters you have right now.
2 – Washable ‘electrostatic’ filters. These have a static charge that attracts dust and other matter. Slightly more effective than fiberglass filters, they still only get 15 to 20 percent of airborne yuck. These filters got a lot of play 15-20 years ago, but are not the cure-all they were once said to be.
3 – Pleated ‘allergy’ filters. Also known as media filters. The pleats increase the surface area which helps catch most large allergens like pollen and mold. When you step up to this level you are really starting to play in the serious filter game.
4 – Electronic air cleaners. These use electrodes to create an ionized electrical field that, to make a long story full of scientific words short, traps up to 94% of smaller particles and even up to 80 percent of airborne viruses. This is the best you are going to do for your house.
5 – HEPA furnace filters. HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air filter. These are the mac-daddies and not only block air particles, but also air flow and that’s why they really aren’t recommended for residential use. Hospitals, research facilities, and some manufacturing plants where clean air is vital is where you find the HEPA’s.
That said - you can buy some portable HEPA air filters and keep them in high traffic areas, bedrooms etc…
One other option - your carpet is how old? 5 years? 10 years?
Carpet holds more gunk that fouls your air than you can imagine. Consider new carpet or better yet, wood floors. That will help your breathing immensely.