• About 51% of women do housework daily. Only 20% of men do.
• Most homes in the U.S. are vacuumed every 2.25 days.
• 45% of cleaning companies offer green cleaning services.
• There are over 1.4 million people employed as maid or housekeeping cleaners in the U.S.
• About 80% of two-income households use a cleaning service at least once per year.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S.
Department of Commerce
Keeping Your Home Clean
You can maintain your carpet with regular, professional cleaning, and Hansen Steam Way is happy to help with that. But a good quality vacuum cleaner is really your first line of defense in keeping a clean and healthy home.
Vacuum Maintenance
To get the most out of your vacuum cleaner it is important that it be properly maintained. If it has a replaceable bag it should be exchanged when about half full. Never vacuum up moist soils or damp carpet. This can cause bacterial growth and odors in your machine. Check the belts and make sure that the brushes or rollers are in good condition. It is best to take your machine in for an annual tune-up to keep it operating at peak performance. When you vacuum do not rush over the surface of the carpet. Take your time. Vacuum over high traffic areas in two different directions to remove the most soil. This will help your carpets stay cleaner and last much longer.
Vacuum Filters
Pollutants are captured and filtered out by high quality vacuum cleaners featuring “true HEPA” filtration. HEPA, or High Efficiency Particulate Air filters, are tested and certified to trap 99.97% of all particles at .3 microns, so a true HEPA vacuum cleaner actually cleans the air while it cleans the carpet. But be careful and do your homework. Just because a vacuum cleaner has a HEPA filter does not mean it is “true HEPA”. Less efficient vacuum cleaners do not clean the air. Rather, they have the effect of expelling the smallest pollutant particles into the breathing zone where they can remain suspended for hours. Particles under .5 microns can be suspended indefinitely due to air currents within your home.
Your Vacuum and Airborne Particles
All vacuum cleaners use some kind of motor to turn fans that produce airflow. This airflow is used to convey soils into a collection receptacle such as a canister or bag. The air must be filtered before it is exhausted back into your home’s environment. This is the basic function of all vacuum cleaners. But not all vacuums are created equal. Some are better at filtering small particles than others. One micron is one millionth of a meter. The smallest particle that the human eye can see is about 25 microns in diameter. Depending on the filtering capabilities of your vacuum cleaner, particles as small as .3 microns can be effectively filtered out of the air. But most vacuum cleaners allow much larger particles to get through. This is a problem, especially in homes with sensitive individuals with allergies or asthma. The smallest particles are able to be breathed into sinuses and deeply into lung tissue where they can cause irritation and inflammation. Coughing, wheezing and sneezing are the result. In some cases, full blown asthma attacks can happen. What is in the dust that creates such big problems? Pollutants include mold and mold spores, human and animal dander, dust mite feces, insect parts, air pollution, lead dust, carbon, cooking residues and more.
Next Time: Vacuum Filters