Austin's worst allergy season comes in the middle of winter. Here is when mountain cedar pollen peaks, where it hits hardest and how to keep it from settling into your home.
In most of the country, allergy season means spring. In Austin it means January. Ashe juniper, the tree Texans call mountain cedar, releases its pollen through the coldest weeks of the year, and the reaction it causes has its own local name: cedar fever.
Cleaning cannot change what blows in from the hills, but it can keep pollen from piling up indoors. This guide covers the timing, the parts of a home that hold the most pollen, and a routine to follow from December into March.
Texas A&M reports that Ashe juniper usually starts producing pollen in mid December, reaches its peak in mid January and tapers off toward the beginning of March. That is roughly eleven weeks when windows, doors and every person or pet coming inside carry pollen with them.
Texas A&M also notes the pollen is especially irritating in the Hill Country west of Interstate 35, where junipers grow mixed with oaks. Austin sits right at that edge. The city was founded on the Colorado River at the eastern edge of the Hill Country, and neighborhoods to the west, and suburbs like Cedar Park to the northwest, are closest to the trees.
Texas A&M's advice for high pollen days is simple: keep windows and doors closed, and use a clean, new air filter, which is better at removing pollen from the air. Austin's winter is mild, with a normal January low near 42 degrees, so the temptation to air the house out on a warm afternoon is real. During cedar season, resist it.
A few other habits help at the door:
Pollen is fine and light, so it lands everywhere air moves. In an Austin home, check these spots first: window sills and tracks, ceiling fan blades, the tops of door frames, blinds, upholstered furniture, bedding and pet beds. Hard floors near entries collect the most, and carpet holds it below the surface until it is vacuumed.
A damp cloth picks up pollen. A dry duster mostly moves it into the air. Microfiber, lightly dampened, is the best tool for sills and blind slats, and a vacuum with a sealed system and a fine filter does the most good on carpet and upholstery.
This is a practical schedule from mid December through early March:
A One-Time Deep Clean wet-wipes blinds and wipes ceiling fans, light fixtures and vents in place, which is where pollen and summer dust stack up together. A Recurring House Clean dusts reachable baseboards and blind slats each visit. Many households with cedar allergies move to weekly or bi-weekly visits from December through February and back to a lighter plan afterward. The recurring cleaning guide explains the options.
Dust left from the summer makes the problem worse. Austin averages about 123 days a year at 90 degrees or more, so by December many homes have months of buildup on fans and vents that pollen sticks to. Clearing it first makes every later visit more effective.
The questions Austin homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Austin and surrounding areas with background-checked cleaners and is insured up to $1 million. Re-clean guarantee: if we missed something, tell us by the end of the next day and we come back to fix it. Beyond Clean. TotalCare.
