Dirt, dust, and your carpet - An inside look at just what is living in your floors

If you had eyes that could see with the power of a microscope,you would be sickened and almost afraid of the unseen world around you, especially in your carpet, mattresses, and furniture.We let our children crawl on it, we lay face down on it, and we even sleep on it! However, take heart because there is something that you can do about their length of stay.Hiding in your carpet, mattress, pillows, curtains, upholstery are dust mites.
How many? The average life span of a mite is about 2 months and they
can double in numbers if the conditions are right, every twelve hours. If you
consider the math, that is well over a hundred or so thousand corpses of
mites per year in your home. Not only that, but each of those mites can
produce up to 20 fecal matter deposits per day which equates to millions of
deposits per year. To further put it in perspective, it¡¯s estimated that one
tenth of the weight of your mattress or pillow after three years of usage is
comprised of fecal matter from the common household dust mite. Why
your home? Mites eat dead skin cells and the average person sloughs off
millions every few days.
These skin cells are abundant in your mattress and pillows, in the places
that you live and therefore make it a good environment for them to exist in.
Mites thrive in the humidity that most households are kept at and like the air
slightly moist and humid. So our homes are perfect conditions for them to
live in. In addition to mites, pet dander is another invader. Pet dander is
impossible to avoid even if you yourself do not own a pet. Pet dander is
comprised of dead skin cells that are sloughed off of dogs mixed with
saliva, urine traces, and allergens from the environment such as pollen
and spores of various sorts. This all gets together in a sticky mess and we
call it pet dander. Dander gets tracked in off your shoes, into your carpet
and also from just being around other human beings that may have pets at
home. There are about 70% of American households that own pets so a
person at work that brushes up against you by accident, or your children
from other children at school, or someone hugging you potentially may
have dander on them from a cat or dog and will get it on your clothes, and
you may track it into your home.
These two are perhaps of the most potent allergens to most people. They
really affect health and actually can lead to asthma triggers if not taken
care of. Finally dirt is one of the most deadly things for your carpet to
endure. When you walk on your carpet, whatever is on your feet is ground
into the fibers of the carpet. IF there is dirt and soiling agents on your feet or
shoes, these get ground into the fibers too. Once they are in there, it will
cause them to unwind and fray. Straggling hairs will then combine in a mat
like fashion and create uneven little clumps in the carpeting thus
minimizing the longevity of your carpets and rugs.

What do you do about all these invaders and these microscopic vigilantes
that are wreaking havoc on your home and family?
Prevention is key. There was a study conducted at the Florida Solar Energy
Center by Subrato Chandra and David Beal that studied five homes across
the US but focusing on Florida. They found that prevention and good
cleaning habits are vital in controlling these allergens. Using control
groups and scientific collection principles, they found that homes that had
poor vacuuming tools (those older models that did not have HEPA filters
but rather just used bag filtration) or schedules that allotted for only one
cleaning per week were much more prone to have mites and dander and
levels of which were significantly more higher in comparison to those who
vacuumed twice per week with a vacuum that had a HEPA filter such as the
Dyson vacuums or a centralized unit that was housed outside of the home.
The vacuuming was performed on the floors, furniture and mattresses.
In addition they found that if a dehumidifier was used in each bedroom, that
the levels were also much lower. If you own an older home, it¡¯s
recommended that you have a Vacuum with greater suction ability. Dyson
Vacuums tend to work best for collecting mites, dander, and dirt because
over time, these get compacted into the deep layers of the nap in the carpet
and only something with significant suction power can remove the lower
nap dirt and allergens. It is also recommended that once or twice per year
that your carpet is professionally cleaned and bed linens are washed in hot
water each week.

Do not allow your home to be invaded any longer! Plan your attack on
mites, dander, and dirt. It may be a small world out there, and we may not
be able to segregate ourselves from it, but we do not have to go quietly into
the night.