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The Ugly Truths About Dust

Dust contains hair, pollen, soil, mould spores, textile fibres and dust mite faeces, amongst other matter.

vacuum dust

Fatty Dust

Who remembers Marjorie from Little Britain saying, “Dust, anybody, dust? It’s actually very low in fat and you can eat as much as you like”?

Marjorie is actually incorrect when it comes to dust being low in fat.

Research has shown that certain types of matter within household dust can turn on a protein called PPAR-gamma (peroxisome proliferator-activated nuclear receptor gamma).

This protein may be involved in obesity, because of the protein triggering fat cells to grow in our bodies.

More research is currently being completed in regards to the correlation between PPAR-gamma and obesity.

Dust Mites

Dust mites are tiny little arachnids that are usually between 0.2-0.3 mm in length.

They are smaller than a grain of sand and not visible to the human eye!

  • A 2013 study found that household dust mites have actually evolved from parasites.
  • Dust mites feed mainly on dead skin that we shed.
  • One of the most common triggers of allergies in the home is the decomposing bodies and faecal matter of dust mites. Yuck!
  • Half a teaspoon of dust can contain up to 1,000 dust mites and around 250,000 faecal pellets!
  • The average mattress contains anywhere between 100,000 to 10 million dust mites.

The Dustiest Places

There are some places in your home where dust will accumulate more often than others.

  • Window blinds– Wipe your blinds with a duster and vacuum them regularly.
  • Electronic devices– Collect dust because of static electricity, so make sure you frequently wipe with a duster.
  • Fixtures and fittings– Light fittings, lampshades, light switches and ceiling fans attract dust, so clean these in your weekly routine.
  • Upholstery– Dust mites love upholstery because of the warm environment between the textile fibres. Make sure hoovering your upholstery is in your weekly cleaning schedule.
  • Carpets– Like upholstery, dust mites thrive in the carpet fibres, so again make sure you’re regularly hoovering.

 

Our friends over at ServiceMaster Clean can help you with professional carpet cleaning.

If you’re not a fan of dust after reading some of these horrible facts, find your local office here and contact us today.

 

How to remove mould in your home

The build-up of mould in your home is a certainty, but you can get rid of it with the right products and a little bit of elbow grease.

mould

The main two areas you’ll find mould are on the grout in between tiles, in your bathroom and kitchen and on your window sills.

Why you get mould in your home

According to experts, mould has existed for millions of years, meaning it has had the opportunity to evolve and affect new areas in different ways.

Our teams across the UK see mould in bathrooms, kitchens, basements and other rooms on a regular basis.

Mould is essentially a type of fungus, and it accumulates in damp and poorly ventilated buildings or generally moist and warm areas.

Why you need to remove mould

Prolonged exposure to mould within your home can cause inflammation of your airways and nasal congestion. These symptoms are caused by the inhalation of air bound spores from the mould.

Removing mould safely and efficiently is important for your health and those in your household, so we have accumulated some tips to help you get rid of mould altogether.

How to remove mould in your home

First things first, make sure the cleaning products you’re using won’t cause any damage to the area. (You may need to use different products on different areas).

  • Make sure the room you’re working in is well ventilated, by opening a window or leaving a door ajar.
  • Wear non-porous gloves to stop irritation.
  • Protect your eyes with safety goggles from any kind of splash back.
  • Put on a mask to avoid inhalation of certain cleaning products and mould spores.

Fortunately for all of us, there are several cleaning products you can use to remove it in your home.

Bleach 

Bleach works well to remove mould from areas, such as white grout, tiles and window sills.

  • Mix one part bleach with 3 parts warm water
  • Scrub the affected area with a non-abrasive brush that has been dipped in the bleach mixture
  • Repeat the previous step until a sufficient amount of mould has been removed
  • Use a clean rag to wipe away the loosened mould

Distilled white vinegar

Distilled white vinegar is best to use for the areas that bleach would affect, such as coloured areas.

  • Ideally, use a spray bottle to saturate the area with white vinegar
  • Allow the vinegar to do its magic and let it sit for 30 minutes
  • Scrub with a soft bristled brush/non-abrasive brush
  • Spray affected area again and let it sit for another 30 minutes
  • Rinse with warm water and a clean cloth
  • Repeat the above steps, if necessary

Baking soda paste

Baking soda paste is usually ok to use on most areas, however, still, check beforehand just in case.

  • Stir ½ cup of baking soda and two or three teaspoons of water, adjust the mixture until you have a spreadable consistency
  • Spread the affected area with the baking soda paste
  • Allow to sit for 10 minutes
  • Scrub the area with a soft bristled brush/non-abrasive brush
  • Rinse with warm water and a clean cloth
  • Repeat the above steps, if necessary

 

Some mould problems cannot be tackled with homemade remedies or commercial cleaning products that can be found in your local supermarket. If you’re having trouble, you can always contact your local Merry Maids here.

Interesting and Yucky Facts About Cleaning Your House

Interesting and Yucky Facts About Cleaning Your House

Your house is your pride and joy, and you want to keep it looking spick and span all the time. We have listed below some interesting and yucky facts about cleaning your house.

Interesting & Yucky Cleaning

Interesting Facts

Here are 5 interesting facts you can take away and help keep your home clean!

Burn those calories: You can burn up to 100 calories an hour while cleaning your house! Who needs a treadmill at the gym when you can lose weight by cleaning! If you have a large house then you can do the hoovering and lose 100’s upon 100’s of calories!

Lemony Clean It: When life gives you lemons, start cleaning! Lemons have anti-bacterial properties and can help disinfect your home. All you need is half a lemon and a damp bit of kitchen roll. Firstly, rub the half of the lemon on the area you want to clean, wait 30 seconds, and then wipe the damp kitchen roll over the same area to get rid of the stickiness. Then just like magic, your side is clean and lemony fresh!

Blend away the germs: Did you know that your blender can clean itself? All you need to do to get rid of the protein shakes or fruit smoothie that is left over is put some hot water with a dash of soap in your blender and turn it on! Hey, presto! A clean blender!

The news can clean: I bet you didn’t know that the news can help you clean! Well, a newspaper can do just that on mirrors and other glass surfaces. Just spray it with antibacterial spray and get rubbing with the newspaper. Make sure you read the paper first though!

Nothing is permanent: Have your kids been writing on the walls and on the table with permanent marker? Well don’t panic, toothpaste can save the day! Toothpaste is a fine abrasive that will remove pretty much anything it touches!

Yucky Facts

Now for some yucky facts that will make you want to get home and clean straight away!

Dirty dust: Dust is a pretty horrible thing! It contains 70-80% of dead skin flakes that have come from you and your family. The other 20-30% is usually from outside substances that have been draped in by footwear or on your clothing. Yucky!

Type away the dirt: You can’t literally type away the dirt, you actually have to clean your computer keyboards, unfortunately. Computer and laptop keyboards are actually dirtier than a toilet seat! Get cleaning yours now, because I bet you never have! Yucky!

Clean that sponge: Your washing up sponge on average contains 10 million bacteria! Yucky! Make sure you regularly clean your sponge by washing it with your washing up liquid and hot soapy water after every washing up session. There are other ways to clean your sponge, we can touch on that on another post for you.

A mattress of mites: On average a mattress contains a whopping 6 billion dust mites! Yucky! Give your mattress a hoover at least once a week or get our friends ServiceMaster Clean in to give it a good clean.

Flush away the germs: Make sure you have the toilet seat down when your flushing the toilet because germs will fly everywhere, maybe even on your soap or toothbrush! Yucky!

Hire a cleaner

Although you can do a bit of cleaning yourselves, the majority of you will not have time to do a good long clean and keep your house germ free. That is where Merry Maids come in. We are a professional and friendly domestic cleaning service that will clean your house until it is glistening, every time.

To find your local Merry Maids business click here.