About 15 years ago, I bought what was probably the nicest thing I owned outside of my vehicles, a $700 German vacuum cleaner made by Miele. See back then, my babies all had fur, well I guess my boys have fur too, but I digress. One of our fur babies was a Bernese Moutain Dog named Emma. I'm not sure if you have ever owned a Bernese Mountain Dog, but they shed a small dog worth of fur in a day. So, your home quickly begins to look like a scene from some old western except the tumbleweeds are made of black fur. The vacuum cleaners my wife and I had owned up until that point were the run of the mill $50 Wal-Mart specials that made me feel like I was taking a knife to a gun fight. Then one day, while at my brother's house who also had furry dogs and kids, I noticed this odd-looking vacuum with a funny name...a quick Google later and I was convinced it was the answer to all of my fur problems. So, like most DINK (dual income, no kids) couples, we did something unresponsible and bought a $700 German made Miele Vacuum complete with a HEPA filter and powerhead attachment from an online vacuum dealer.
Some 15 years later, and the vacuum is still running having only had the basic recommended maintenance. What does a 15-year-old expensive German vacuum have to do with Mold? This is a mold information website, right? If you've read my previous article about how Mold ends up in your home to begin with, then you know that every time you open the door or take your dog or kids out for a walk, when you come back you are bringing mold spores into your home. These mold spores become part of the "dust" that is on the back of your television, your blinds, windowsills, fan blades, etc. When housekeeping is not your first priority, or even fifth or sixth like me, this mold that becomes part of the dust in your home can eventually add up to a significant exposure. This exposure can be amplified when you have a lot of fabric furniture and carpet in your home because these serve as reservoirs for the dust. This is why eliminating carpet and fabric furniture is one of the most common recommendations coming from pediatric allergists when your child is dealing with chronic allergies.
What are the best ways to remove this moldy dust from your home? Well, you can use a damp rag, one of those electrostatic dusters, or my favorite method is to use a high-quality German made Miele vacuum with a sealed HEPA filter to disappear mold and allergens. The vacuum can also be a mitigation measure if you are contemplating removing your carpet and replacing your fabric furniture but may not be in a place financially to make that happen yet. You can always vacuum your fabric furniture (and obviously carpet) to help reduce the amount of mold and allergens being harbored by it. From experience I can tell you without a doubt, all other things being equal, that a clean home will have a lower spore count than a dusty home. I can also tell you from experience, that the accumulation of mold spores in household dust can product a meaningful exposure and cause an allergic response.
Does it have to be a Miele vacuum? No, it does not have to be a Miele vacuum, I simply recommend them because of my personal experience with them. If you decide to spend the money, it may be the last vacuum you ever buy. The most important feature in a vacuum that you are using with the intent of lowering mold and allergen levels in your home is having a sealed HEPA filter. All vacuums have to exhaust air, if your vacuum does not have a HEPA filter there is a strong likelihood that you are exhausting all of the small mold spores and allergens right out of the vacuum cleaner with that hot air...which means it is just going to land somewhere else in your house and become part of the dust, again....so you are basically just giving the mold spores a free Uber ride through your house.
To summarize:
Naturally occurring mold spores from outside become part of the dust in your home:
An accumulation of this dust and mold spores can lead to a meaningful mold exposure;
Carpet and fabric furniture become reservoirs for mold laden dust and allergens;
One of the best ways to eliminate the dust and mold from your home is to use a high-quality vacuum with a sealed HEPA filter, I like Miele, but I am sure there are other options. Even the EPA recommends the use of HEPA vacuums in their online mold remediation course.
You should vacuum your carpet and fabric furniture weekly if you are concerned with mold and allergen exposure. This would be secondary to eliminating the carpet and fabric furniture.
Please let me know if you have found a good vacuum with a sealed HEPA filter, I am happy to take a look and add it here to this post for other folks to consider.
Your mold friend, Jeffrey
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