Although you might think that vacuum cleaner manufacturers deliberately promote scare stories about dirt and dust in your home in order to get you to buy their latest product, in fact there can be all sorts of nasties hidden in your carpet fibres. These can include many known hazardous chemicals which are there as a result of chemicals you have used in your home: heavy metals such as cadmium and lead; flame retardants; pesticides brought in from the garden on your shoes; and many others. Vacuuming helps keep levels of these down, as well as reducing dust levels low, which is good for people with dustmite allergy, and those who suffer with asthma.

Dust mites are tiny insects which thrive in moist conditions, such as your carpet, mattress and pillow. Like any living creature, they produce substantial quantities of poo, which can build up if you don’t wash your furnishings regularly. For extra protection, use dustmite covers, which put a barrier between you and the little devils hiding in your pillowcase. The less carpeting you have, the fewer places there are for dust mites to hide. Regular vacuuming help keep levels down, as does underfloor heating (they don’t like it dry). House dust (or carpet dust) consists of our friendly dust mites, plus a cocktail of hair and skin (human and pet), dirt and chemicals.

Do you need any more persuasion to get the vacuum cleaner out? What’s this got to do with the environment? Its to do with YOUR environment. The reasons for the increased levels of asthma in modern times are not fully understood, but are related to modern living, and the environment in which we live