Expert: Bailey - 5/7/2007

Question
My child is pretty allergic to various forms of pollen.  During the summer I like to open the windows in the evening to let the house cool down.  I have been doing a lot of research on hepa filters and keeping the windows closed and turning the AC on all night.  Naturally there is a cost to both and many studies question the effectiveness of hepa filters.

My question is your thoughts on the effectiveness of using a flannel or other type of bedsheet over a window screen to act as a filter to keep pollen out while letting the cool breeze in.  (I can attached the bedsheet pretty tightly over the window screen so there is little risk of pollen getting in via the edges.  I just don't know if the cloth is an adequate pollen filter otherwise.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Ken

Answer
Hi Ken,
 my apologies for the delay in getting back to you, I had to go out of town unexpectedly. That said, Small pollen particles may still be able to penetrate the cloth. You could try it out and see if your childs condition improves. Depending on what your child is allergic to it may or may not work. It's worth a try though.
Good luck!
Bailey