Articles

BY MARILEE NELSON

You may want to give your Nilfisk vacuum cleaner a name because it will become your good friend! It is built to last and will live a long time. You may even be able to pass it down to your children!

Routine vacuuming of your house will continually improve your air quality. Studies have shown that some of the most dangerous pollutants ride on dust and your Nilfisk will gobble it right up never to be seen again. Ideally, some time soon after you get your Nilfisk HEPA vacuum you will be able to dive in and do a very deep clean – see “A Heavy Duty Clean-Up Job” and maybe every six months do the mini version – see “A Basic Deep Clean." At the very least, think about taking the challenge below.

Take the challenge

A deep clean of the bedroom can make a world of difference in the air quality. Since it is so important to reduce the chemical load on the body at night when sleeping so that rejuvenation and repair can take place instead of detoxification, consider at least doing a heavy duty deep clean of the bedrooms. See “A Heavy Duty Clean-Up Job.” If there is anyone that is not well in the home, make his or her bedroom the first priority. 

Why is dust such a big deal?

SVOC’s (Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds) ride on dust and do not have an odor.  SVOC’s from plasticizers, biocides, pesticides, flame-retardants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) are very dangerous and are an insidious under miner of health. Many people live in homes with high levels of these SVOC’s unaware of their presence since there is no odor. An indication that SVOC’s may be a problem is the inability to heal from chronic illness, chemical and EMF injury even after extensive therapies and measures. Dust testing that can reveal the SVOC’s present in the home is available and can therefore alert the owner so that appropriate action and/or remediation measures may be taken. Thankfully, thorough HEPA vacuuming will reduce your exposure to SVOC’s immediately. If you have a contamination issue, very frequent vacuuming is recommended.  Ideally, discovery of the sources of the SVOC’s through dust testing is important so that they can be removed or encapsulated.

Basic HEPA vacuuming of the entire house

HEPA vacuuming is actually the first step in a deep clean and it will absolutely make a big difference in your air quality. Vacuum as much as you can. If you can’t do the ceilings and walls, then just do the floor and all the items in the room. If you can’t do your entire house, please do the bedrooms as your first priority.

Thorough HEPA vacuuming procedure

• In each room, starting with the ceiling and moving down to walls and floors, HEPA vacuum all horizontal and vertical surfaces using careful, overlapping strokes by 30%.
• HEPA vacuum all personal items and furnishings, including all soft goods, draperies, etc.  Go slowly and thoroughly, and do not skip over any areas or items, no matter how small.
• HEPA vacuum all books – all sides.
• Upholstered furniture, like the couch, is a magnet for dust and dirt. Vacuum the surfaces of your upholstery. Pull the cushions off and clean under the cushions. It is also good to take the cushions and pillows outside and beat the dust out of them. 

Note: If you have carpet, then a thorough vacuuming of the carpet is recommended several times a week since the carpet acts as a sink for pollutants in the home.