GoKawiilEvery spring, as much as I enjoy the blossoming of flowers and extra greenery, I dread their effect on me: a stuffy nose, red, itchy eyes and general sinus discomfort. As a seasonal allergy sufferer, this is sadly something I've become used to, but in the process, I've built an allergy toolkit of products that help me stave off my allergy symptoms and allergy-proof my home.
Despite seeing pollen on every sidewalk in my neighborhood this spring, and considering that May is usually the worst month for allergies, I haven’t had a single allergic reaction. I think the following products are the reason why.
1. 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
2. A robot vacuum
As someone who is allergic to both pollen and dust, keeping a clean home is essential. To get my floors spotless, I rely on help from my robot vacuum.
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