cleaning questions

**creditcardfree** · 10-13-2015, 11:24 AM

I would think a carpet cleaning company might be able to give advice. The best thing would be to remove the carpet, but of course, you would need to contact the owner to do that!

We had an air quality test done on our basement to compare levels and types of mold to the outside air. Service Master did the cleanup, and contacted an independent company to do the air test. It was local, so I don't have a name to pass on.

There are tape tests for mold if you were to see something visible.

My daughter has outdoor allergies. When she was younger and really bad, we would keep the windows closed all year round, she would shower at night to wash off all the allergens, we frequently washed her bedding and put allergen covers on her mattress and pillow. We also kept her out of the bedroom for an hour after vacuuming. I would do a major cleaning and try some of those things to see if those in your family affected may feel any different. Put stuffed animals out of the bedroom.

Another thing to try if you think it is the carpet, is to sleep in an area with out carpet (if you have it) for a couple nights and see if there is any difference.

**FLA** · 10-13-2015, 05:26 PM

so you are renting this home? isn't the onus on the landlord to make sure it is free of mold and things similar.

cat lovers lived in my first house, I am very allergic and it is one of the few things that cause asthma for me anymore. Ex and I found a reputable carpet cleaning service, explained the situation, they did great. Had a coupon.

Also had a housecleaning coupon, used it to like forensically clean our house, washed every wall. 4 people spent a whole day.

Back then I think the total was $400 which was not helpful to the budget but more than made up for not having worries about cat dander or whatever damage their 3 kids had done to the carpets.

**snafu** · 10-14-2015, 07:15 AM

If your rental has granite or solid surface countertops, a newer problem is all the people horribly allergic to the radon gas released from granite counters. Are you finding the vacuum is collecting lots of debris suggesting pet dander from previous pets? Do you have a steamer?

http://www.costco.com/.product.11196823.html?cm_sp=RichRelevance-_-categorypageHorizontalTop-_-PersonalizedClickCPInCategory&cm_vc=categorypageHorizontalTop|PersonalizedClickCPInCategory

I initially bought a hand held steamer and found it so useful for endless cleaning chores, I bought a canister model a year later. It tackles cleaning jobs with little effort and without cleaning chemicals which have potential to make allergic issues worse. It sounds ridiculous but you can try soaking a kitchen towel in a vinegar/water mixture and use an iron to create a steamer mock up to see if there is any relief from symptoms.

On-line, You Tube participants have lots of effective mixtures combining vinegar, water & a few drops of Dawn or similar dishwashing liquid. A lot of large grocery store chains have continued to rentthose big, awkward, carpet cleaner machines

**LivingAlmostLarge** · 10-16-2015, 02:49 PM

The carpets were cleaned supposedly before we moved in. My DH steamed it with the rental before the cleaners came just in case. I have no idea what else to do. We hadn't considered much before we rented. But most rentals have carpet so it was a moot point.

Yes vacuuming brings up a lot of stuff in the dyson. It's disgusting. I vacuum now daily. Can't sleep anywhere without carpet, there isn't anywhere without carpet but the kitchen with laminate.

Yep it's a rental and I think it's been a long term rental. We have allergen covers on the bedding and wash it weekly. We have no stuffed animals in bedrooms and limited ones we've kept. The kids aren't attached.

I'm buying the test tape for mold.

cleaning questions