 | Chris Mazzocco is the Director of Sales & Marketing at Steam Way Restorations, Inc. Steam Way has serviced SEK since 1982 offering both residential and commercial carpet & upholstery cleaning as well as air duct cleaning. As an IICRC certified firm Steam Way provides 24-hour emergency service for water damage mitigation, fire & smoke cleaning, and mold remediation. You can contact Chris at 620-330-2819 or chris@steamway.net |
Carpet Cleaning & Restoration
2013-04-29 15:01:41
Carpet & air duct allergens
A-The short answer is yes, it does. Here are a few quick numbers to help you see what we are dealing with. The American Lung Association reports most people spend 60% to 90% of their time indoors. According to the United States E.P.A. levels of hazardous pollutants in indoor air have been found to be up to 70 times greater than in outdoor air. Over 50 million Americans suffer from allergies or asthma. With so many people spending the majority of their time in environments where there is a high level of trapped and recirculated pollutants, we see a steep rise in allergy sufferers today. These allergens must be removed.
Dust, dirt, pollen, animal dander, and other airborne contaminates are pulled into your air duct system every time the furnace or air conditioner runs. These contaminants build up inside the ductwork over time and will eventually make your duct system an ideal breeding ground for mold spores, bacteria, fungus, mildew, and other potentially harmful microbes.
Each time the HVAC system is turned on, these contaminates are spewed out and circulated throughout your home or business and affect the health and comfort of those inside. Many of those contaminates will find their way down to the carpet, where they may become trapped with the rest of the contaminates already existing in the carpet brought in by you, your family or employees and pets.
You can cut the levels of contaminates yourself with simple maintenance. Changing the filter in your HVAC system regularly with a quality filter will do a more effective job of trapping allergens as they enter the air flow system. Regularly vacuuming the carpets with a HEPA vacuum will remove many allergens found there as well. These methods however are only so effective.
Your HVAC duct work system is extensive and only a professional can ‘snake’ through the entire system and dislodge the hazardous debris that has collected inside your air ducts and remove them with the use of a powerful HEPA-Aire vacuum system.
Shaw Industries, the world’s largest carpet manufacturer, exclusively recommends hot water extraction, or ‘steam cleaning’ as the way to properly clean your carpet or rugs. Hot water extraction requires a minimum water temperature of 140 degrees to effectively kill dust mites and other harmful microorganisms. Small rental carpet cleaners found around town lack the proper water temperature or extraction power and filtration to effectively remove allergens.
