Ah, cleaning day. First, you sweep, vacuum, and mop. Then you take a duster to remove the powdery gunk from your furniture. Everything sparkles. . .but within minutes, you’re sneezing and rubbing your eyes again.
No matter how clean your house looks, and no matter how conscientiously you work to remove dust, it’s got a way of escaping your sight and ramping up those allergies. It’s not your fault. You’re not a slob! You just need to find a way to outwit the dust.
Just how aggressive is dust? Consider this: a 10’x10’ room that has never been walked on over a span of 10 years will have 10 pounds of dust in it! This dust is made up of dust mites and their feces (yes, ick), food particles, human skin, animal dander, dirt, and even meteorite particles! Now imagine how the more active rooms in your house accumulate–and hide–this sneezy substance.
Behind Furniture
If you’ve ever moved your furniture to a new location or pulled it from the wall to paint, you’ve probably been mortified by the sight! Dust bunnies aren’t as cute as their name. Months, and even years, of accumulation of allergens gather under couches, behind bookcases, and in the corners where your desks and dresser reside. The kitchen, where you hope to keep your food preparation clean and sanitary, harbors untold amounts of mites (thousands in one gram) under the seldom-moved refrigerator and stove.
Mattresses
You spend a third of your life in bed. . .and you have plenty of company. Your body gives off delicious dead skin, moisture, and warmth–the ideal environment for dust mites to thrive. A third of us are allergic to these microscopic beasts, whose feces can cause unpleasant reactions like watery eyes, a runny nose, and, in some cases, asthma attacks.
Ducts
Ducts are even easier to forget than our mattresses and spaces behind furniture. But every day, we breathe the air that filters through the heat or air conditioning systems in our home, and that air can become laced with the dirt, debris, and dust trapped in filters, air registers, motors, and blowers. This dust not only worsens allergies and respiratory problems; it makes your heating and cooling less efficient.
Even though you rarely see this hidden dust, that doesn’t mean you and your family don’t suffer from its effects. There is more to cleanliness than meets the eye! Schedule an Allergy Assessment online or contact us at 419.529.6422.
