Hey everyone! I could really use some advice here. My grandmother has been noticing a white dust accumulating in both her vacuum and air purifier for the last few months. She finds it every time she vacuums and the air purifier gets filled with it every few days. Here are some details to help figure this out:
- She lives in a 3-story apartment building that's about 25 years old and she's been in this apartment for 12 years.
- This dust issue has only started recently, with no major changes around her place—no construction or renovations.
- The carpet was replaced right before she moved in, so it's essentially new.
- She has one cat, but no other pets.
- The white dust appears in all the rooms of her 850 sq. ft. apartment.
I'm just worried about what this could be and if it poses any health risks. Any insights or suggestions would be super helpful!
3 Answers
If she’s definitely not using any deodorizers and it’s from the humidifier, I’d recommend checking the humidity levels. If they’re too high, the humidity can cause dust mites and other allergens to thrive, which might also lead to that dust. Maybe a hygrometer could help?
It sounds like this could be coming from her humidifier if she's using tap water to fill it. When tap water is heated, it can create a fine white powder that settles around. Maybe suggest she switch to distilled water? It could significantly cut down on that dust problem!
This might be a silly question, but does she use anything like Carpet Fresh or similar deodorizers? I’ve had a similar issue when I use that stuff—it looks just like the dust you’re describing!
No, she doesn’t use any of that. She gets her carpets shampooed every spring, so that’s not the source either.
Yeah, she does use a humidifier with tap water. It's tough for her to carry distilled water, though. Would using a filter help at all?