You may have noticed a trend in your Staunton, IL home. When you first turn your air conditioner on, you start to sneeze and experience an allergy attack. Given the relationship between those two events, it makes sense that many people would suspect that their home’s A/C system is putting something in the air that causes allergies. While this assumption isn’t fully accurate, the impact of your unit on your allergies isn’t quite as simple as you think. To help clear up any misconceptions about allergies and air conditioners, we have rounded up answers to some of our customer’s common questions below.
Can My Home’s A/C Unit Cause Allergies?

While your air conditioner may seem to be the guilty party when you have a flare-up inside of your home, the unit itself is not causing you the pain. Instead, it is simply failing to protect your home from outside allergens that should be filtered out before they enter your home.
Air conditioners are usually equipped with air filters that will remove a high percentage of allergens and other particles out of the air that is blown into your home. This means that the unit itself is also not designed to produce any airborne additives or chemicals that would trigger a reaction.
But when your home’s air conditioner is not cared for, this can allow allergens to enter your home and cause your to have flare-ups of your allergies.
Can You Be Allergic to Air Conditioning?
While an air conditioner cannot trigger an allergic reaction itself, it is possible that your allergies can worsen when the unit is on. This can then make it seem like you are allergic to your ac unit. But the pairing of your allergies with an air conditioner is more of a correlation rather than causation. If allergens are being brought into your home via your unit, this could be the reason for you to have allergic reactions to your unit being on.
Is Air Conditioning Good for Allergies?

While a poorly maintained air conditioning system can agitate your allergies and trigger a reaction, a cared for and clean can improve your home’s air quality and reduce the risk for a reaction. This is because your unit’s filter can clean any incoming air that has airborne contaminants. This includes molds and pollen that come in from the outside air, as well as other possible pollutants and particles. In an ideal situation, your air conditioning unit is good for your allergies and good for your overall air quality.
Are you having problems with sneezing or allergic reactions while your home’s Air conditioning unit is on? Give our team at Neuhaus HVAC a call today! Our technicians are here to help you make sure that your home’s ac system is keeping you and your family cool and well protected.