What is Dirt and Why Does It Not Belong in Your Home?
Cleaning dust from the wood in house
Dust, dirt and grime — you hear these words thrown around a lot, especially when it comes to cleaning your home, but what exactly do they mean? We have the answers!
What is Dirt?
We all know what dirt looks like. We know that it can make us cough, or wheeze or sneeze. But what is dirt, on a molecular level? What is it made of?
Well, there are really two parts to that answer: First, dirt is not simply one substance, but it is a combination of materials that bond together to form one cohesive mass. Second, because dirt can virtually be a combination of anything, the possibilities of its defining characteristics are nearly endless.
That said, let’s take the most common forms of “dirt” and break them down:
Mud
Mud, or soil from the earth, is defined as a “mixture of…rocks, sand, clay, and organic matter.” These features change based on your geographical area, since different portions of the world are made up of different textures of soil and minerals.
There are also many different organisms that live within mud. These not only include the ones we can see, such as earth worms, but a tiny speck of soil can also contain traces of bacteria, fungi, algae and protozoa.
Dust
At some point in your life, you may have been told that the dust found in your home – on your coffee table, on your ceiling fan, even on your television screen – is simply a congregation of dead skin cells. Gross, right? Well, there’s more to it than that; the actual composition of dust is a bit more menacing than the stories would have you believe.
Ever notice how quickly a freshly dusted room accumulates more – you guessed it – dust? The truth is, if all of this dust was caused by dead human skin cells, wouldn’t we be able to see the cells falling off of us? But we can’t. Why? Because humans really don’t shed that much.
Instead, dust is mostly comprised of pet dander, pollen spores, sand, soot, the dirt that we discussed above and even insect waste. Dust can also be caused by one of the organisms that feeds on it: dust mites.
Removing Dust, Dirt and Grime
Living with dirt, dust and grime can be bad enough, but then consider your own role in this phenomenon: with the help of your shoes that touch so many surfaces outside, you inadvertently bring samples of dirt into your home and grind them into your carpet. Then when your air conditioner or heater kicks on to blow air throughout your living space, the microscopic spores of this dirt go airborne, now latching onto your furniture or spreading out over your kitchen table. Before you even realize what’s happening, the materials and organisms discussed above are now all over your home.
But you can do something to make it all go away. Start by minimizing the amount of dirt in your home; make sure you vacuum and wipe down all surfaces regularly.
Next, consider giving your home an even deeper clean by employing the help of a professional carpet cleaner, such as E&B Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning. At E&B, we utilize high-quality products and techniques to make sure that we leave your home in the cleanest state it’s ever been in. To earn your trust, we also provide free work estimates so that you know how much the job will cost before we bring a single cleaner into your space.
We want to ensure that your living environment is safe and free of the bacteria and spores that could make occupants sick. If this sounds like a service that may be useful to you, please reach out to E&B Carpet Cleaning by clicking here, and schedule your free estimate today.
