GoKawiilAs a longtime allergy sufferer, I have vivid childhood memories of having to allergy-proof my bedroom by adding hypoallergenic covers over my pillows and reducing my stuffed animal collection to keep my dust mite allergy at bay. As an adult and wellness writer, I wish I knew then what I know now.
Allergy hindsight is 20/20, especially when your eyes aren’t red and itchy.
Going into this spring, I felt especially prepared to prevent allergy symptoms -- and it's paid off. Despite seeing pollen, my familiar foe, on every sidewalk in my neighborhood, I haven’t had a single allergic reaction. That’s huge.
Although May is usually the worst month for allergies, I normally have at least one allergic reaction by now. I think the following products are what’s making a significant difference.
1. My air purifiers
I’m such an air purifier fan that I currently have two, one in each of the high-traffic areas of my apartment: my bedroom and living room. When spring allergy season starts, I typically keep them running on low to continuously catch allergens and prevent them from entering my airways. I bump them up to high whenever my allergy symptoms are particularly bad, or there are wildfires in the area, as I live in Southern California.
The two I currently use and recommend are the Oransi Mod Air Purifier and Airthings Renew.
While I’ve always known that air purifiers can capture pollutants, mold spores, allergens and smoke, I had no idea that they could prevent illness by filtering out viruses, too. During CNET’s lab testing, we found the best air purifiers for exactly that purpose: the Shark HP232 on a low fan setting and the Coway Airmega 400S on a high fan setting.
Pro tip: Make sure you change your air purifier filter regularly, or else it could spit allergens and other contaminants back into the air you breathe.
The Oransi Mod air purifier, which I currently have running on low in my living room. Anna Gragert/CNET
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