A home needs fresh air all year round, even during pollen season. The difference isn't in whether you ventilate, but when you do it. Airing out your home at the right time can make the difference between a bedroom that feels stuffy all night and a room where you can sleep soundly through the night. The Lung Foundation also notes in its tips for healthy air that extra ventilation is not always recommended for people with hay fever during periods with high pollen counts.
How pollen concentrations move throughout the day
Most plants and trees release their pollen primarily as it becomes warmer and drier. As a result, the concentration in the air usually rises from late morning, peaking in the afternoon and early evening on dry, sunny days. In the early morning, before sunrise and shortly thereafter, the concentration is generally at its lowest. This makes this time, along with the period immediately after rain, usually the most suitable for airing out your home. Thuisarts.nl therefore advises people with hay fever to keep windows closed on sunny, windy days.
Practical rules of thumb
- Ventilate early. Open windows wide for a short time between approximately 6:00 and 8:00 AM, before the pollen concentration rises.
- Use rain as a natural opportunity. Immediately after a shower, the air outside is often rinsed clean.
- Avoid airing out on dry, windy afternoons. That is usually the time when the concentration is highest.
- Keep it short but effective. Five to ten minutes with a window wide open refreshes the air faster and more effectively than leaving a window ajar all day.
- Check a pollen forecast. Various weather services publish a daily forecast by region, such as the hay fever weather report from Pollennieuws, which is useful for timing your ventilation.
Differences by plant species
Not every plant follows exactly the same pattern. Grasses, which are the biggest culprit for many people, often release their pollen mainly in the morning and early afternoon. Trees such as birch and alder often peak earlier in the spring and can produce high levels early in the day. If you know which pollen you are sensitive to, you can adjust your ventilation time accordingly.
What to do outside of the favorable ventilation times
At times when it is better to keep the window closed, it is not a problem if you don't ventilate for a while, as long as you do so briefly later in the day. In the meantime, an air purifier with a HEPA13 filter can keep the indoor air clean, including pollen that has already blown inside. In our experience, the AirPure Plus PA244 is a great fit for this: it is suitable for up to 55 square meters, has three settings plus a night mode, and is specified to filter 99.97 percent of fine particulate matter and pollen from the air.
This way, you don't have to choose between fresh air and fewer hay fever symptoms: you combine short, targeted ventilation with air filtration for the rest of the day. View the full range at dynter.eu.