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Now that autumn is in full swing, many of us are gearing up for Halloween. While walking through our neighborhoods or downtown, the pumpkins, hanging ghosts, faux tombstones, and plastic skeletons are everywhere.

It’s hard to miss the spooky decorations everywhere, but easy to overlook something a lot more alarming all around us. Can you guess what we’re talking about? Dust!

Janitorial companies deal with dust every day, and today we’re sharing some facts about dust that just might scare you — or at least come in handy at your next trivia night.

1. Dust is in raindrops

Specks of dust are inside most raindrops, along with other particles from air pollutants. Meteorologists speculate that a solid particle of some sort is necessary to create a drop of rain, so even if the rain fell through an unpolluted atmosphere, it would likely still find a particle of dust somewhere.

2. Air is where dust likes to be

Dust loves to be airborne so much that the average dust particle can stay in the air for approximately five days. If dust magically fell to the ground instantaneously, it would not cause as many health issues. We inhale dust when it’s airborne, setting off a range of allergic and respiratory reactions.

3. It’s not the dust people are allergic to — it’s the mites

Speaking of allergies and respiratory reactions, we want to clear up a common misconception. If someone says they are allergic to dust, they are actually having an allergic reaction to the dust mites found inside the dust.

Breathing problems like asthma and bronchitis can certainly be aggravated by dust, but allergies are an entirely different category. One gram of dust can contain up to 500 dust mites, making it easy to see why dusting, vacuuming, and cleaning by janitorial companies are of the utmost importance.

4. Arachnophobes beware

People think of dust mites as microscopic insects, but they are actually arachnids. Though you can’t see them, they look like tiny spiders up close via microscope.

Dust mites feast on our dead skin cells and pets’ dander, leave excretions as they wander around, and often die on our skin. Mites are a common culprit of dust-related allergic reactions — rather than the actual dust itself. The more you know, right?

5. Mites are magnets to cozy fabrics

Dust mites will rapidly descend on any type of plush fabric. Upholstered furniture, fluffy comforters and bedding, carpet, curtains, mattresses, pillows, and soft toys are just a few places where dust mites love to congregate. Where there are soft fibers, there will be dust mites.

Opting for leather, vinyl, or smooth surfaces can help minimize this, along with regularly vacuuming and steam cleaning bedding that cannot be put in the washing machine.

6. Dust really can be deadly

Allergies and asthma are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ways dust can adversely affect human health. Controlling dust is essential for managing asthma.

During the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, thousands of Americans died from dust pneumonia. Coal dust puts miners at risk of silicosis, pneumoconiosis (black lung), and other sicknesses. Inhaled asbestos dust can become permanently trapped in the body and lead to lung cancer, mesothelioma, or asbestosis.

How to Combat Dust

Sometimes learning more about the dangers of dust, dirt, and germs can leave us wishing we didn’t know. In the battle against dust, a strict and consistent cleaning regime is your best defense.

If you’re in the Chester County, PA region and searching for commercial cleaning and sanitizing services near me, Transcend is here for you with the right approach and tools for the job. Schedule a consultation with Transcend today and put dust — and any other cleaning concerns — out of your mind.

We consider it a privilege to provide outstanding janitorial services and guard against health risks for the companies and spaces where people live, work, eat, worship, learn, and recuperate throughout Chester County, PA.

Our commercial cleaning and sanitizing services help create healthy indoor environments that provide calmness and restored energy for everyone in your workplace or gathering environment to thrive. For more information about our comprehensive programs to transform your facility and boost your reputation, call Transcend at 484-369-6950.

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