What is dust?
Though we live with dust every day, we seldom stop to think exactly what the stuff really is. There are actually quite a number of sources, and the percentage of each is dependent on one's geographical location and lifestyle.
Here in Vermont, many residents live on "dirt" or gravel roads which can generate a good deal of dust. Though Vermont gravel tends to be sandy, which is not as prone to the creation of dust, there is also some silt, which can become very dusty when dry. Driving on the dry gravel agitates the silt particles which become suspended in the air, then enter through windows and doors.
Pollen
Another common component of dust is pollen. Trees, shrubs, and flowers all produce pollen. The pollen grains are structures used to transport the male DNA to the female part of the flower.
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If you would like to give your Vermont home a professional cleaning please go to our contact page and let us know. Nancy will be happy to discuss with you the details of your cleaning project.
One of the most active pollen producing plant types is the Ragweed genus. Formally called Ambrosia, which ironically means "nourishment of the gods", its pollen is not only allergenic but also highly prolific. A single mature plant can produce about a billion grains of pollen. A ragweed field may spill trillions of grains into the atmosphere over the course of a season. One reason ragweeds are so prolific is because they require wind, rather than insects, to transmit pollen from one plant to the next. Only producing pollen in huge quantities will keep the probability high of a male gamete finding a suitable female.
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To the immune system of an allergy sufferer the complex proteins found in pollen can appear as malicious microbes. These trigger an immune response with symptoms such as runny nose, nasal congestion, ear congestion, fatigue and sleep loss. The symptoms are commonly known as Hay Fever.
Keeping a home properly dusted can reduce the chances of reintroducing settled pollen grains back into the household air.
Mold spores
Mold is a fungus which uses microscopic spores to reproduce. Unlike pollens, which are a component in sexual reproduction, mold spores can begin growing as soon as they land on a suitable surface. Mold spores can be even smaller than pollens, ranging down to a minuscule 3 microns. This tends to keep them airborne longer, and can make it more difficult for the body to filter before reaching the lungs.
There are thousands of species of mold. The Aspergillus genus alone contains over 160 species. A full sixteen of these have been known to cause human illness. One kind of malady which can arise from this genus is bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), an allergic reaction with symptoms such as coughing and wheezing.
Invasive aspergillosis is a more serious condition which usually afflicts individuals with compromised immune systems. The fungus typically attacks the lungs but can spread throughout the body, causing infections and even death.
Aspergillus fumigatus is the most common species causing human infection. Though it is beneficial to the environment, and a key component in most compost piles, susceptible individuals may have a severe reaction to exposure.
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Once mold has suffused an absorbent material, it is virtually impossible to eliminate. The affected area must be removed completely. The best policy is to avoid it in the first place. Keeping a home clean and dry is the best way to combat mold formation. Air purifiers with fine filters may be used to reduce the airborne spore count.
Skin flakes and dust mites
In most households another large component of dust is skin flakes or dander. An average adult sheds a gram of dander per day. So a family of five may be sloughing off as much as an ounce of dead skin every week. Some of the dander becomes airborne, but a sizable percentage of it winds up in bedding, upholstery and carpets.
In itself this might seem a bit surprising but nothing to worry about, however skin flakes are the food of choice for a tiny creature known as the dust mite. Measuring about 400 microns in length (a typical human hair is about 90 microns in diameter) the adult dust mite is transluscent and effectively invisible to the naked eye. Dust mites are from the arachnid family, so have a close biological similarity to chiggars, ticks and spiders.
However, dust mites differ from their spider relatives in a number of important ways. They have no eyes, and do not bite or sting. In fact in themselves they are relatively harmless. It is their droppings or "pellets" that present most of the problems for human health. The numbers are disconcerting: According to the Ohio State University, a used mattress typically contains between 100,000 and 10 million dust mites, all munching away at the skin meals provided by their human cohorts. Each mite produces about 20 fecal pellets per day. Every gram of typical household dust contains thousands of dust mite pellets.
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If you are interested in a professional Vermont house cleaning service please go to our contact page and let us know. Nancy will be happy to discuss with you the details of your cleaning project.
Although dust mites can be controlled with insecticides such as disodium octaborate tetrahydrate, one of the most effective ways to combat dust mites is to keep your house dry. Dust mites thrive in moist, warm environments. Studies have shown that dust mites thrive especially well when the relative humidity is between 70 and 80 percent. Conversely, they tend to die off when the humidity declines. This will not eliminate them completely, however their numbers can be significanly reduced by keeping humidity levels under 50 percent.
Using a mattress pad and washing it frequently (in hot water) can help reduce the density of dust mites in the mattress itself. Though it will not eliminate living mites who have burrowed their way into the fabric, frequently vacuuming all surfaces including carpets and mattress will reduce the amount of dander available for the mites to consume.
Note that standard vacuum systems are largely ineffective at trapping dust mite debris since the particles are smaller than the filtration pores. Older models especially are often leaky, which may result in air escaping the vacuum system before it can be properly filtered. Allergists recommend HEPA vacuums. With the appropriate filters and bags, a good HEPA system will trap most allergenic particles which are pulled into the vacuum, rather than blowing them back into the air.
Pillows are a favorite haunt for dust mites which thrive on the moisture from respiration and saliva. We recommend that you use a machine washable synthetic pillow and wash it in hot water at least twice per month. It should be machine dried and completely free of moisture before reuse.
For allergy sufferers it may be worth investing in dust mite covers for the mattress and pillows. These are generally designed to be breathable (to avoid the sensation of sleeping on plastic) yet have pores small enough to block most of the dust mites and their allergens. As an example, the Pristine(R) Cotton Plus is a 250 thread count microfiber sheet made with a 75/25 polyester-cotton blend.