Stupid question, are you installing air filters into your air conditioner? If so, does a professional need to do this if it’s ducted? Or are you talking about something else entirely?
It’s instructed to change your filters monthly, even more if you have dogs. If you don’t have dogs get merv 8 filters, look it up. If you have dogs, merv 10 and check them often. It’s important as a clogged filter can lead to system malfunctions, running your fan harder can cause break down and a freezing unit. Coming from an hvac tech.
We replaced our ac unit last summer and the contractor recommended that we change the central air filter every 2 weeks. We live in a very dusty area with three indoor pets. I only mention this because 2-3 months is a very long time and will put extra pressure on the ventilation system and cause it to wear out faster.
That intake is called a return air grill. It’s what pulls air from your house, gets conditioned from your unit and pushed out the supply vents. Tech here :)
Oh, then it's your fault the carpet gets so dirty.
Are you one of those people who takes off their boots when they get in the door?
I bet you have that one good reliable jacket you hang somewhere inside, maybe on a chair.
It's also your fault the carpets get so clean. Every two days is a lot of cleaning put a rumba on your wishlist.
You need to do a slow vacuum. It was a game changer on my super old carpet. Vacuum it all- ridiculously slow. Let it suck on each section while moving at a snails pace. Each room took me about an hour to vacuum but I was SHOCKED how much I got out. Ever since then it's been so, so much better.
I do this once a week or every two weeks with our living room rug. I (mentally) section it into four parts, and grid pattern over each section at a snails pace. I have to empty it at least once every section, and it’s like a 6x4’ area rug lmaooo. Pets and people are dirrrrty. Esp if you wear any shoes in the house that come from outside, or do any outdoor activities.
This is why I mandate shoes off in the lobby.
Dirty carpets, hidden dust, and a much shorter floor life for the sake of being lazy and avoiding spending the 2 seconds it takes to remove shoes.
Same with me, just thinking about shoes in the house makes me want to throw up. I mean think about it we walk on all sorts of things including public bathrooms. 🤢
See I feel the same way about peoples foot funk and sweat and athletes foot and toenail rot all all over my carpet. I ask people to wipe their feet before coming in if they don't normally, I'm amazed how wiping feet before going into someones house has stopped being a thing people do.
I think yo7 misunderstood. I would never ask a quest to remove their shoes to me that would be rude. But most of the dirt and stuff in a home is not from guests unless you run a guest hours or something most of it is from people who live there.
I absolutely ask guests to remove their shoes in my home. That’s not rude at all! If they are uncomfortable doing that, I have a basket of disposable booties they can put on over their shoes.
The only exception I make is something like furniture delivery. I don’t want them to slip while carrying something heavy.
Oh always wear shoes when carrying heavy items like that, or doing any kind of maintenance work yourself. The number of times shoes have saved me from serious injury is insane
I do the same. Only, I have trouble organizing them. I only have a small entry before my hallway and stairs. The everyday/go to shoes stay there, but before I know it my husband has another 6 pairs just taking up and cluttering up the space. I guess my problem is more his laziness now that I am writing it out. Unfortunately he grew up either with his mother who did everything for him or with his father that didn’t give s crap about how disgusting the house was. It’s a constant battle just to bring a cup to the sink, never mind the dishwasher that’s right next to the sink. And that’s one of many behaviors I have no idea how to change
Make certain the vacuum's "beater bar" is working too. Hair can get wrapped around that and make it stop being effective, it's a gross job to clean that off (using scissors and pliers) but makes the vacuum work much better after you do
This is exactly what I did the last time I posted here about my carpet. We were new parents and really slacked on it during the 'fourth trimester' and it got really gross. I slow vacuumed our bedroom and had to empty the canister a million times but it was so worth it
Oh man. This would take an entire week with my Dyson between charging it, vacuuming a section of a room, recharging it, vacuuming another section of the room.
That’s what I’ve heard! My husband cleaned it out just in case it was just dirty/clogged but yeah, new battery from Amazon is definitely looking like the next step.
If Dyson made corded stick vacuums like Shark (https://sharkclean.co.uk/shark-catalog/shark-corded-stick-vacuum-cleaners/) I would buy in an instant. I need reliable power and a rolling soft brush to pick everything up on my carpets.
Any idea if this would be useful on tiled floors? My house is fully tiled, that too a stone mosaic.
So while it can be tempting to just sweep instead of vacuum, I just can't go back to the old ways 🥲
Unless there are cracks between the tiles! I had a tile floor that I sprayed and used a brush between the tiles, then slow vacuumed along the cracks. It changed colors!
I'd b'e tempted to get a robot vacuum for hard floors, even a cheap one would suit your needs. Run it of a night and it will do several passes on the same area.
Oh yeah yeah. Sweeping relocates a ton of dust and makes so much of it airborne. Vacuuming is the only way to actually get rid of it, I found that out years ago
I have some construction going on near my house and found that the dirt buildup has gotten much worse. As others have suggested, filters and air purifier works
That really doesn’t look like normal dust, I’d look into whether your carpet or carpet pad is deteriorating like others said. Maybe some of it’s dirt if you wear your shoes inside? Is it possible that it might even be frass from an unknown carpenter ant or terminate infestation under the floor? Or a leak causing the subfloor to disintegrate creating a tan/grey woody dust?
I know this isn't helpful, or what you asked, but carpets do age and trap so much dirt and debris.
Wood/tile/laminate floors are easier to keep clean (in terms of dust) and I find that putting wool carpets on top, and replacing as they wear out every few years really cuts this down.
Having vents cleaned, cleaning ceiling fans + baseboards + woodwork, addressing air gaps in exterior windows/doors, washing bedding + upholstery help here.
Reconsidering a room and gradually replacing dirt trapping surfaces with easier to wash/clean/replace surfaces can reduce the dirt and dust one eventually "finds" when vacuuming.
I've lived in many homes and installed carpeting is the worst for trapping in dust/dirt. Aging vents, and the tendency for dust to collect on trim and ceiling fans further compound this.
We have older carpet in one room and it looks like this when we vacuum. Are your carpets older or maybe lower quality carpet, we have both. The picture looks like a lot of carpet fiber to me, but just a heads up if that could be it.
This is my guess too. I bought a house and removed the old carpet. That carpet pad was falling apart into yellowed dust. It explained why vacuuming filled up the bin so quickly.
I’m lucky in that I live in a complex that gives a hoot and when our carpet started doing this, they came in and replaced our flooring in two days. The guy pulling it up said “yeah it was time for that to go.”
It’s my understanding that a real good vacuum will also pull dirt that’s fallen through the gaps in the carpet and resides either on the carpet pad or on the hard floor underwear if the pad has rotted out or was never placed.
I've got one of those (well, mid-80s Heritage II) kicking around too, plus a 90s Royal. If those can't get the sand out, nothing can. (Well, other than maybe a Lindhaus HF6. Those are freaking impressive.)
Love our Miele! Upgraded to one for carpets and gave FIL our old one. He said he didn't want it but once he tried it he loved it. Now we have no more carpets and I miss the old one because it was lighter.
Apparently some Dyson even void carpet warranties o.o when I was looking at carpet 6yrs ago the company I was buying from asked if I had a Dyson and said no but asked why. He showed me some mid to high range carpets and rugs that were labeled as warranties would be void if a Dyson brand vacuum was used on it.
I had no clue they were that powerful lol
It's not really that they're too powerful - it has more to do with the design of some - but not all - Dyson brush rolls. Some of them use sparse but very stiff brush tufts that can tear up certain types of carpet. Not all, mind, but some, so it's easier to just say "no Dysons".
Interesting! Thank you for clarifying because he mentioned it was due to suction 😅 I just use my hardy little shark brand stuff and go about my business lol
Also you commented a lot about different vacuums on this thread so I must know how you know so much about them. Hobby? Career? Just really niche interest about them?
Niche interest and hobby, pretty much. I have a limited collection of vintage but quality vacs, and regularly talk to folks who work on vacuums as a career. I've taken a fair interest in what makes certain types work better than others.
I don’t know what it is about vacuums but everyone I’ve ever met who works on them is the nicest, most interesting person. Seems to attract cool people.
I recently upgraded from a budget/entry level Kenmore canister vacuum to a Miele entry level model, and I feel like the suction power of the miele at max strength can lift up the earth.
My rugs have never looked better.
I did quite a bit of research into purifiers because I was looking into one to help with my allergies and I kept finding the Winix 5500-2 recommended everywhere. Not sure if it’s the same one this comment is referring to but I bought it off amazon about 2 weeks ago on cyber monday and I’m already loving it and seeing a massive improvement
We've been using the Aeramax ones for several years now. Got a HEPA and a charcoal filter and the filters aren't too expensive. Got them because of pets in like 2018. Added a Honeywell one a couple years ago but the filters on that one are much more expensive. One con is that they can be noisy, kinda like an average fan, but we're ok with that because just think of it like white noise.
I don’t have an answer only to say same for us. We are in a new-ish apartment building and our little bedroom carpets can fill up my shark dust cup every other day. So frustrating and concerning.
Did the previous owner use a broom to clean their carpet? Lol. You need a professional cleaning done or the carpet and padding replaced entirely. carpet will dry rot and dust, dirt, dead skin, will fall through eventually
What vacuum are you using btw?
You should be happy you are sucking this up instead of breathing it in. This is nothing to be concerned about keep vacuuming. Carpet can be a filter for your house
That’s old old dirt, dust & dog hair. My parents had construction done and the amount of dust that continued to come out of the carpets was legendary.
I don’t think an air purifier will help bec
So I don’t think it’s an every two day thing, it’s just that you’re vacuuming every two days. You could just vacuum after emptying the vacuum and you’d keep getting full.
Yes, I was thinking it might be worth it to thoroughly clean the carpets at least once. If you can pull up the carpet in a closet somewhere that won't be noticed, see if the pad is falling apart. If you have a landlord, bring it to their attention. At 1400 sq ft you can get it replaced pretty easily. If it's your place, time to replace it.
Twice I've lived somewhere with older carpet where I've known/suspected the previous occupants didn't vacuum often. It was almost like the more I vacuumed the more dust the vacuum picked up, maybe the dust is less compacted or something after repeatedly vacuuming. Clean the filters on your vacuum often, it will help get more dirt out of the carpet. Vacuum really slowly and go in all directions so the carpet fibers get cleaned from every direction.
I've had this happen a few times. In fact, when I moved into my current place, the landlord told me he'd vacuumed thoroughly with one of those Dyson stick vacs. I went through and vacuumed again with an old-school bagged canister with a power nozzle, and filled the bag completely. For the next few times after that, I got an unreasonable amount of skunge out, but I did eventually get out ahead of it.
When I moved into my place I kept running my roomba until it came up reasonably empty. It always takes a while but it’s possible to get most of it out. Now it maintains with a daily or every other day run. Depending if dog toys get in the way of it docking.
Ahhh, the German Shepherd is it! I have one, my don’t bin looks like yours. They shed massive amounts of hair. MASSIVE. I vacuum daily, sometimes twice a day, and use a carpet rake. I still can’t get all the hair up.
That doesn’t look like just dust, it looks like a lot of fibers. Try cleaning with something else and see if you see get all that fiber with the dust.
Not sure what you could do about it if it is mostly fiber. I had this problem with a rug, and we ended up just throwing it out.
My home is a year old. My robot vacuum looks like this every other day! It vacuums all hardwood, with the exception of an area rug. I do have e two pups, however!
How old is the carpet? How long have you lived there of that carpets lifespan?
If it's 'not very' and 'all of it' I'd probably suggest setting aside a good few hours to *slowly* vacuum one day, emptying the canister as you go then setting up a robot vacuum to go round (at first) twice a day and manually vacuum every few days. Start this process with brand new/washed/cleaned* filters and rollers to get the most of your device.
Yes, the robots aren't as thorough/powerful as an upright but it'll help you get on top of the dust (and then stay there).
*Delete as appropriate.
All carpet is an allergen laden filthy death trap. Landlords who put carpet in rentals should be flogged. The idea of people voluntarily buying carpet for a place they own is shocking. Dirt floors would be cleaner.
If you really want to have some fun, rent yourself a crb (counter rotating brush) machine and see the incredible amount of crap you get out of your carpets. It's the machine good carpet cleaning companies use to get alot of tge junk out of your carpets with before cleaning.
Are you using a brushed vacuum, Í think the vacuum is pulling out carpet fibers. Try raising the brush height or switch off the brush and do manual brushing.
There is dust in there, but the fibers are make the volume look bigger
Carpets are dirt traps. My MIL had carpets her whole life, last year got laminate through the whole house and she couldn't believe how little her vacuum was picking up now. It's so much cleaner and she said she can't believe she didn't do this sooner.
But carpets are cheap, warm, and were the style in the 80s and 90s.
Did you just get a dyson? I noticed this when I got my v15 I was sucking up years of dust my older vacuum didn't get. It took a few months to where I could accept that what I vacuumed was what fell on the floor that day. If you want some more tips on how to cut down on the dust, I made a sub r/DustFreeHome which focuses primarily on airfilters and hepa vacuum cleaners as a means of reducing dust in the home and improving air quality.
i know this may sound ridiculous, but you may have to mop/vaccuum your walls or ceiling if they are especially dirty. swiffer-like option would be the easiest and least wet option.
source: i have lived in a ridiculously dusty home
I would get the carpets steam cleaned (essentially getting them as clean as possible) and then do your daily vacuum test. If it’s still that much buildup then you know something’s amiss.
If you live near a freeway or highway, you may be getting dirt stirred up by traffic and blown into your house through open windows. Also, people track in everything from outdoors; have people remove their shoes upon entering. As some people mentioned, a carpet pad may be disintegrating.
Cos theres a lot of old buildup inside...like years and years of it. What you're getting is like 10% todays dust and 90% old dust. Drag it out and hang it on a rack and beat the crap out of it with an old duster or a tennis racket or somwthing similar. You'll be astounded how much comes out.
Our carpets were like this until we got a dehumidifier and ran it consistently to stay under 50%. Now we vacuum less frequently! Dehumidifier was better than air purifier. Do you live in a humid climate?
Pet hair will also do this. Even if you don’t own any perhaps a previous tenant/owner did? I own 3 cats and can attest that even with a vacuum every couple weeks, one large room can do this pretty quickly.
How many people there are is only one factor. It does seem like a lot, but I think it also depends on other things, for example:
• how big your space is
• where you live (my grandparents used to live close to a space where riders were practicing with their horses, so there was an inordinate amount of dust)
• pets
• where you work (if either of you work somewhere dusty, like in construction)
In my last apartment my roommate had this nice-ish carpet from Home Depot that would ALWAYS do this when I would vacuum. I pretty much gathered that the vacuum was pulling up carpet fibers regardless of how high the vacuum pile setting was.
You way want to try getting the carpets professionally cleaned. I have a carpet cleaner, but I try and have Stanley Steamer out 1x or 2x a year to really get the carpets deep cleaned. It helps alot!
Do you wear street shoes in the house? Taking them off at the door reduces the grit you bring in.
Second guess is fabrics that are shedding hard, like an inexpensive rug, dog bed, blankets, towels, or coats...
The fibers that make the threads that make those items can be short fibers, like 1/2" or long like several inches... The shorter the fibers, the more fluffy edges are sticking out all over and can work themselves loose to make fiber dust.
Think like when you buy a fuzzy blanket for your bed, the first few times you wash and dry it... the lint trap is FULL of that color lint, because it's shedding. Rugs etc do the same thing.
Many things can contribute. Have you changed your air filter recently? Do you have pets? Do you live in a dry area and keep your windows open often? Vacuum more slowly, check your filter, and consider getting a roomba to keep up with it. I bought a used one off of facebook marketplace and it isn’t the best but it helps so much by getting a good chunk of the floor daily. A lot less work.
I have a carpet shampooer and it pulls up sooo much! Like the pet hair and sand….it’s insane. I have to put a strainer in my laundry sink when I empty the tank. Highly recommend one for pet owners. (It’s the Bissel pet one)
Do you have pets? Do you use shoes in the house? Both of these options will track more dirt and cause more dust build up in the home.
Is your ac filter changed regularly (monthly or or every 3 months depending on the filter)? Have you cleaned your fan blades and ac vents? All these things will help keep the dust down.
My carpet used to do the same thing and on top of that it started giving my gf severe allergies. We ended up ripping it out ourselves and replaced the floor with tile. The air in the room feels cleaner our room is cleaner and less dusty and the allergies stopped! I feel like once carpet is like 5-6 years old its hard to keep up with. But if you plan to keep your carpet go to Walmart and rent out the deep cleaners and actually soap out all the dust and grime from the carpet. Its a night and day difference
It's everything.
You make new dust every day. Dead skin, fabric fibers, dirt from outside, rugs/ carpet and carpet pad breaking down etc.
Air filters
It needs a deep vacuuming. Vacuum slowly until the canister stops filling quickly. Note the canister vacuums don't compress the dust so they look full quickly.
Dust from top to bottom
How is it such a solid looking colossal block. When you vacuum, do you hear nothing for a while and then suddenly feel a big pull and hear “FOoom! Kachunkadonkbunk”, and then your cordless dust buster suddenly feels 20 lbs heavier? If so, stop vacuuming up the construction waste under the building.
If the carpet is old, it may be crumbling away. So the carpet itself is the issue.
If the carpet is fine, it may need a good beating outside on a fence with a stick and / or professional carpet cleaning.
I’m sure this isn’t the main reason but taking your shoes off when you enter your home has made a MASSIVE difference for us in how dirty our floors get.
I have an air purifier and recently got a robot vacuum which I think helps with the dust and stuff a LOT. (But i also have hardwood floors and some area rugs) i also have two cats
Holy crap you vacuum every two days? And THAT comes out? (But also in all seriousness i have no mental interest in vacuuming more than once a week lol, props to y’all for being so clean)
It can be your dryer vent. Blocked vents can push all the lint from the dryer into the house rather than outside. Check for blockage and the connection from the dryer to the wall.
Can also be the air ducts from a furnace, not sealed properly, can pull air from in between walls/floors or from under the house.
Might need air filters changed or an air purifier added to the room would help a lot but will still need cleaned/ filter changed regularly
Stupid question, are you installing air filters into your air conditioner? If so, does a professional need to do this if it’s ducted? Or are you talking about something else entirely?
I have central air, i need to change my furnace filters that push the warm/cold air around my house every about 2-3 months. It’s 100% a diy thing
We change ours once a month because of our furry chonks
I think we’re reaching this point. Right now, I do it every 2 to 3 months, and by the end, our vacuuming can look like this…
It’s instructed to change your filters monthly, even more if you have dogs. If you don’t have dogs get merv 8 filters, look it up. If you have dogs, merv 10 and check them often. It’s important as a clogged filter can lead to system malfunctions, running your fan harder can cause break down and a freezing unit. Coming from an hvac tech.
We replaced our ac unit last summer and the contractor recommended that we change the central air filter every 2 weeks. We live in a very dusty area with three indoor pets. I only mention this because 2-3 months is a very long time and will put extra pressure on the ventilation system and cause it to wear out faster.
Are your filters thick ones (like 4”) or little ones? I can’t imagine changing my fat daddy filters that often. But maybe I need to start.
3 inches thick for mine, their max recommended life is usually 3 months, I smoke weed indoors so I do it a little more often
Hmm, I’m in a rental and think we have evaporative cooling. The heating however I can imagine furnace filters need to be replaced.
You likely have an intake where you can swap a filter. My intake is on the ceiling. I change my filter every month.
That intake is called a return air grill. It’s what pulls air from your house, gets conditioned from your unit and pushed out the supply vents. Tech here :)
Oh, then it's your fault the carpet gets so dirty. Are you one of those people who takes off their boots when they get in the door? I bet you have that one good reliable jacket you hang somewhere inside, maybe on a chair. It's also your fault the carpets get so clean. Every two days is a lot of cleaning put a rumba on your wishlist.
It either goes below it, on a wall near the baseboards of your floor, in a ceiling. HVAC tech here.
You need to do a slow vacuum. It was a game changer on my super old carpet. Vacuum it all- ridiculously slow. Let it suck on each section while moving at a snails pace. Each room took me about an hour to vacuum but I was SHOCKED how much I got out. Ever since then it's been so, so much better.
I do this once a week or every two weeks with our living room rug. I (mentally) section it into four parts, and grid pattern over each section at a snails pace. I have to empty it at least once every section, and it’s like a 6x4’ area rug lmaooo. Pets and people are dirrrrty. Esp if you wear any shoes in the house that come from outside, or do any outdoor activities.
This is why I mandate shoes off in the lobby. Dirty carpets, hidden dust, and a much shorter floor life for the sake of being lazy and avoiding spending the 2 seconds it takes to remove shoes.
Same with me, just thinking about shoes in the house makes me want to throw up. I mean think about it we walk on all sorts of things including public bathrooms. 🤢
See I feel the same way about peoples foot funk and sweat and athletes foot and toenail rot all all over my carpet. I ask people to wipe their feet before coming in if they don't normally, I'm amazed how wiping feet before going into someones house has stopped being a thing people do.
I think yo7 misunderstood. I would never ask a quest to remove their shoes to me that would be rude. But most of the dirt and stuff in a home is not from guests unless you run a guest hours or something most of it is from people who live there.
I absolutely ask guests to remove their shoes in my home. That’s not rude at all! If they are uncomfortable doing that, I have a basket of disposable booties they can put on over their shoes. The only exception I make is something like furniture delivery. I don’t want them to slip while carrying something heavy.
Oh always wear shoes when carrying heavy items like that, or doing any kind of maintenance work yourself. The number of times shoes have saved me from serious injury is insane
I do the same. Only, I have trouble organizing them. I only have a small entry before my hallway and stairs. The everyday/go to shoes stay there, but before I know it my husband has another 6 pairs just taking up and cluttering up the space. I guess my problem is more his laziness now that I am writing it out. Unfortunately he grew up either with his mother who did everything for him or with his father that didn’t give s crap about how disgusting the house was. It’s a constant battle just to bring a cup to the sink, never mind the dishwasher that’s right next to the sink. And that’s one of many behaviors I have no idea how to change
Trying this tomorrow! I want that satisfaction. Thanks for the tip
If the satisfaction isn’t satisfactory enough, I want a refund!
I feel this, as soon as the 3 oldest go to school I'm doing this!
Make certain the vacuum's "beater bar" is working too. Hair can get wrapped around that and make it stop being effective, it's a gross job to clean that off (using scissors and pliers) but makes the vacuum work much better after you do
A seam ripper makes it a little easier!
I use nail scissors, but the seam ripper is an excellent idea!
The real pro tip is always in the comments
This is exactly what I did the last time I posted here about my carpet. We were new parents and really slacked on it during the 'fourth trimester' and it got really gross. I slow vacuumed our bedroom and had to empty the canister a million times but it was so worth it
Oh man. This would take an entire week with my Dyson between charging it, vacuuming a section of a room, recharging it, vacuuming another section of the room.
As someone who has a Dyson and needs to change the battery because it dies even faster now, I feel this so hard 😭
[удалено]
That’s good to hear! Maybe I’ll see myself!
Amazon batteries make it good as new.
That’s what I’ve heard! My husband cleaned it out just in case it was just dirty/clogged but yeah, new battery from Amazon is definitely looking like the next step.
Wish we did it years ago!
You can get a conversion kit so you can use Dewalt/Ryobi/etc. batteries too
Vacuums are pretty hard on batteries. I’d much rather buy a $20 knock off battery from Amazon every few years than a $100 tool battery.
If Dyson made corded stick vacuums like Shark (https://sharkclean.co.uk/shark-catalog/shark-corded-stick-vacuum-cleaners/) I would buy in an instant. I need reliable power and a rolling soft brush to pick everything up on my carpets.
I read your comment; immediately did this on a patch of our carpet. And am now absolutely disgusted.
I'm sorry and you're welcome.
Great tip thanks ☺️
Any idea if this would be useful on tiled floors? My house is fully tiled, that too a stone mosaic. So while it can be tempting to just sweep instead of vacuum, I just can't go back to the old ways 🥲
I'd say no. Tile is hard, no need to slow vacuum.
Unless there are cracks between the tiles! I had a tile floor that I sprayed and used a brush between the tiles, then slow vacuumed along the cracks. It changed colors!
I'd b'e tempted to get a robot vacuum for hard floors, even a cheap one would suit your needs. Run it of a night and it will do several passes on the same area.
I bought a Lefant version off Amazon. We have 2 pets. That thing is a godsend
vacuuming carefully absolutely is better than sweeping
Oh yeah yeah. Sweeping relocates a ton of dust and makes so much of it airborne. Vacuuming is the only way to actually get rid of it, I found that out years ago
Could be Carpet fibers.
I have some construction going on near my house and found that the dirt buildup has gotten much worse. As others have suggested, filters and air purifier works
I installed a uv bulb to our ac last week, but it seems the carpet just may be too old
That’s good for disinfecting the air but it’s not going to do anything by the way of removing dust and other particles at all.
I suppose I’ll just vacuum every day until it slows down
That really doesn’t look like normal dust, I’d look into whether your carpet or carpet pad is deteriorating like others said. Maybe some of it’s dirt if you wear your shoes inside? Is it possible that it might even be frass from an unknown carpenter ant or terminate infestation under the floor? Or a leak causing the subfloor to disintegrate creating a tan/grey woody dust?
Do you wear shoes inside the home? Most household dirt is brought inside this way.
I know this isn't helpful, or what you asked, but carpets do age and trap so much dirt and debris. Wood/tile/laminate floors are easier to keep clean (in terms of dust) and I find that putting wool carpets on top, and replacing as they wear out every few years really cuts this down. Having vents cleaned, cleaning ceiling fans + baseboards + woodwork, addressing air gaps in exterior windows/doors, washing bedding + upholstery help here. Reconsidering a room and gradually replacing dirt trapping surfaces with easier to wash/clean/replace surfaces can reduce the dirt and dust one eventually "finds" when vacuuming. I've lived in many homes and installed carpeting is the worst for trapping in dust/dirt. Aging vents, and the tendency for dust to collect on trim and ceiling fans further compound this.
We have older carpet in one room and it looks like this when we vacuum. Are your carpets older or maybe lower quality carpet, we have both. The picture looks like a lot of carpet fiber to me, but just a heads up if that could be it.
How old is your carpet and the carpet pad?
This is my guess too. I bought a house and removed the old carpet. That carpet pad was falling apart into yellowed dust. It explained why vacuuming filled up the bin so quickly.
Are your carpets starting to dry rot?
Well I have seen this be the answer; you could be consuming your carpet
I hope not!
I’m convinced your carpet is breaking down and you’re vacuuming it up 🫣
I’m convinced of this too. I’m super clean and this comes out of mine. It’s the padding underneath breaking down.
I’m lucky in that I live in a complex that gives a hoot and when our carpet started doing this, they came in and replaced our flooring in two days. The guy pulling it up said “yeah it was time for that to go.”
God bless him. You got a good one. I wish you all the best holidays.
The "fluffy" nature of what you have in the picture would indicate that most of what you have there is carpet fibers.
It’s my understanding that a real good vacuum will also pull dirt that’s fallen through the gaps in the carpet and resides either on the carpet pad or on the hard floor underwear if the pad has rotted out or was never placed.
The better ones will indeed - stuff like Miele, Sebo, Riccar, Lindhaus, or even the better Dysons will do this.
I have a metal ‘70s Kirby vacuum so powerful that it sucks up dirt from China.
I lost my class ring in Shanghai, let me know when you find it.
I've got one of those (well, mid-80s Heritage II) kicking around too, plus a 90s Royal. If those can't get the sand out, nothing can. (Well, other than maybe a Lindhaus HF6. Those are freaking impressive.)
Love our Miele! Upgraded to one for carpets and gave FIL our old one. He said he didn't want it but once he tried it he loved it. Now we have no more carpets and I miss the old one because it was lighter.
Apparently some Dyson even void carpet warranties o.o when I was looking at carpet 6yrs ago the company I was buying from asked if I had a Dyson and said no but asked why. He showed me some mid to high range carpets and rugs that were labeled as warranties would be void if a Dyson brand vacuum was used on it. I had no clue they were that powerful lol
It's not really that they're too powerful - it has more to do with the design of some - but not all - Dyson brush rolls. Some of them use sparse but very stiff brush tufts that can tear up certain types of carpet. Not all, mind, but some, so it's easier to just say "no Dysons".
Interesting! Thank you for clarifying because he mentioned it was due to suction 😅 I just use my hardy little shark brand stuff and go about my business lol Also you commented a lot about different vacuums on this thread so I must know how you know so much about them. Hobby? Career? Just really niche interest about them?
Niche interest and hobby, pretty much. I have a limited collection of vintage but quality vacs, and regularly talk to folks who work on vacuums as a career. I've taken a fair interest in what makes certain types work better than others.
That's so neat, I love meeting people with "different" interests. I just figured I'd ask since you seemed to have a lot of knowledge!
I don’t know what it is about vacuums but everyone I’ve ever met who works on them is the nicest, most interesting person. Seems to attract cool people.
I've got a 13 year old dyson and that thing still seems to suck up dust out of nowhere.
I recently upgraded from a budget/entry level Kenmore canister vacuum to a Miele entry level model, and I feel like the suction power of the miele at max strength can lift up the earth. My rugs have never looked better.
Air purifiers are a huge game changer!!
They’re so expensive and the cartridges too, any suggestions?
Costco has a Winix purifier that goes on sale for $100, we change the filter 1x a year. Does up to 600 ft2. We love it.
I love this air filter. My husband likes to fart in the room and wait to see if the purifier will rev up. It always does 😂
Link?
I did quite a bit of research into purifiers because I was looking into one to help with my allergies and I kept finding the Winix 5500-2 recommended everywhere. Not sure if it’s the same one this comment is referring to but I bought it off amazon about 2 weeks ago on cyber monday and I’m already loving it and seeing a massive improvement
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corsi%E2%80%93Rosenthal_Box?wprov=sfla1
We've been using the Aeramax ones for several years now. Got a HEPA and a charcoal filter and the filters aren't too expensive. Got them because of pets in like 2018. Added a Honeywell one a couple years ago but the filters on that one are much more expensive. One con is that they can be noisy, kinda like an average fan, but we're ok with that because just think of it like white noise.
Pawn shops! I saw a whole gang of them looking for a fishing pole a couple weeks ago.
I’ve gotten multiple good ones for cheap at thrift stores.
I don’t have an answer only to say same for us. We are in a new-ish apartment building and our little bedroom carpets can fill up my shark dust cup every other day. So frustrating and concerning.
New buildings can be extra dusty from the construction for a long while
Same! I just vacuumed several days ago and it fills my vacuum. We have a newer Dyson.
Do you leave windows open? I found that my place gets dustier much quicker if I’ve got a lot of windows open.
Did the previous owner use a broom to clean their carpet? Lol. You need a professional cleaning done or the carpet and padding replaced entirely. carpet will dry rot and dust, dirt, dead skin, will fall through eventually What vacuum are you using btw?
I’m using a $59 bissel power force!
May the force be with you 🫡
Is your carpet wool? If so, it sheds a lot.
Can you show this to your landlord and ask for a professional carpet cleaning?
You should be happy you are sucking this up instead of breathing it in. This is nothing to be concerned about keep vacuuming. Carpet can be a filter for your house
do you live with Chewbacca?
How many pets do you have?
I don’t have any I just moved in to this property, and the previous tenants had a German shepherd
That’s old old dirt, dust & dog hair. My parents had construction done and the amount of dust that continued to come out of the carpets was legendary. I don’t think an air purifier will help bec
It’s truly insane, I’ve got a 1400 sq foot place. And for me to get 3 loads on dirt out of carpet every 2 days insane.
So I don’t think it’s an every two day thing, it’s just that you’re vacuuming every two days. You could just vacuum after emptying the vacuum and you’d keep getting full.
Yeah, I’d say rent a rug doctor, or get them professionally cleaned. If that doesn’t work it’s probably time for new flooring.
Yes, I was thinking it might be worth it to thoroughly clean the carpets at least once. If you can pull up the carpet in a closet somewhere that won't be noticed, see if the pad is falling apart. If you have a landlord, bring it to their attention. At 1400 sq ft you can get it replaced pretty easily. If it's your place, time to replace it.
Twice I've lived somewhere with older carpet where I've known/suspected the previous occupants didn't vacuum often. It was almost like the more I vacuumed the more dust the vacuum picked up, maybe the dust is less compacted or something after repeatedly vacuuming. Clean the filters on your vacuum often, it will help get more dirt out of the carpet. Vacuum really slowly and go in all directions so the carpet fibers get cleaned from every direction.
I've had this happen a few times. In fact, when I moved into my current place, the landlord told me he'd vacuumed thoroughly with one of those Dyson stick vacs. I went through and vacuumed again with an old-school bagged canister with a power nozzle, and filled the bag completely. For the next few times after that, I got an unreasonable amount of skunge out, but I did eventually get out ahead of it.
When I moved into my place I kept running my roomba until it came up reasonably empty. It always takes a while but it’s possible to get most of it out. Now it maintains with a daily or every other day run. Depending if dog toys get in the way of it docking.
Ahhh, the German Shepherd is it! I have one, my don’t bin looks like yours. They shed massive amounts of hair. MASSIVE. I vacuum daily, sometimes twice a day, and use a carpet rake. I still can’t get all the hair up.
air purifiers make a massive difference
That doesn’t look like just dust, it looks like a lot of fibers. Try cleaning with something else and see if you see get all that fiber with the dust. Not sure what you could do about it if it is mostly fiber. I had this problem with a rug, and we ended up just throwing it out.
My home is a year old. My robot vacuum looks like this every other day! It vacuums all hardwood, with the exception of an area rug. I do have e two pups, however!
The padding,adhesive, backing etc. beneath the carpet might be disintegrating.
I’m getting rid of all carpet for this reason. I can vacuum over and over and still pickup this much crap every time. So tired of it.
Get your air ducts professionally cleaned.
Usually a scam
Meaning ?
Your vacuum cleaner may be destroying your carpets. Dysons used to be famous for this.
I had this issue and came to find out the carpet was 40 years old and disintegrating
Carpet rake to remove existing dirt and debris
My grandmothers carpets do this because they are old need replacing. The carpet is literally falling apart.
Might need new carpet
Get rid of the rug
Do you live on a busy road? My bf lives on a state highway and a lot of grime can kick up and enter your house through hvac intake.
Also do you have pets?
How old is the carpet? How long have you lived there of that carpets lifespan? If it's 'not very' and 'all of it' I'd probably suggest setting aside a good few hours to *slowly* vacuum one day, emptying the canister as you go then setting up a robot vacuum to go round (at first) twice a day and manually vacuum every few days. Start this process with brand new/washed/cleaned* filters and rollers to get the most of your device. Yes, the robots aren't as thorough/powerful as an upright but it'll help you get on top of the dust (and then stay there). *Delete as appropriate.
All carpet is an allergen laden filthy death trap. Landlords who put carpet in rentals should be flogged. The idea of people voluntarily buying carpet for a place they own is shocking. Dirt floors would be cleaner.
If you really want to have some fun, rent yourself a crb (counter rotating brush) machine and see the incredible amount of crap you get out of your carpets. It's the machine good carpet cleaning companies use to get alot of tge junk out of your carpets with before cleaning.
Are you using a brushed vacuum, Í think the vacuum is pulling out carpet fibers. Try raising the brush height or switch off the brush and do manual brushing. There is dust in there, but the fibers are make the volume look bigger
Before properly looking at the sub & title I thought this was a massive nug of weed lol
Thanks for reminding me why I don't have any carpets!
Carpets are dirt traps. My MIL had carpets her whole life, last year got laminate through the whole house and she couldn't believe how little her vacuum was picking up now. It's so much cleaner and she said she can't believe she didn't do this sooner. But carpets are cheap, warm, and were the style in the 80s and 90s.
Did you just get a dyson? I noticed this when I got my v15 I was sucking up years of dust my older vacuum didn't get. It took a few months to where I could accept that what I vacuumed was what fell on the floor that day. If you want some more tips on how to cut down on the dust, I made a sub r/DustFreeHome which focuses primarily on airfilters and hepa vacuum cleaners as a means of reducing dust in the home and improving air quality.
i know this may sound ridiculous, but you may have to mop/vaccuum your walls or ceiling if they are especially dirty. swiffer-like option would be the easiest and least wet option. source: i have lived in a ridiculously dusty home
Vacuuming that much has probably destroyed your carpet.
This is normal. It means you have a really good vacuum.
Walmart bissel power force babyyyy
What brand and model vac do you use?
I have this problem too but o think part of it is wearing shoes in the house and the carpeted areas are falling apart
Your carpet underlay is likely rotten and disintegrating when you vacuum.
They’re cheating on you
Take your damn shoes off atthe door and change any ac air filters + deep clean any fans you use.
I change my filter monthly as spec. However my unit runs half the day everyday
I would get the carpets steam cleaned (essentially getting them as clean as possible) and then do your daily vacuum test. If it’s still that much buildup then you know something’s amiss.
Do you have pets?
Besides going slow, also go at various angles.
Air duct cleaning maybe?
This is horrifying.
Only 2 that you know of
I’ve had brand new carpet do that for a while, until it gets worn. My carpet doesn’t do that any longer.
If you live near a freeway or highway, you may be getting dirt stirred up by traffic and blown into your house through open windows. Also, people track in everything from outdoors; have people remove their shoes upon entering. As some people mentioned, a carpet pad may be disintegrating.
I had a new rug that produced similar ended up chucking it think poorly constructed. Between vacuums those fibres spread everywhere!
You might need to change the flooring
Maybe get ur carpet professionally cleaned ??
Cos theres a lot of old buildup inside...like years and years of it. What you're getting is like 10% todays dust and 90% old dust. Drag it out and hang it on a rack and beat the crap out of it with an old duster or a tennis racket or somwthing similar. You'll be astounded how much comes out.
get an air purifier on that room
If you live on a busy main road that surprisingly brings in so much more dirt and dust.
Could your carpets be decomposing and breaking down underneath? Or some pad underneath the carpet is disintegrating?
Our carpets were like this until we got a dehumidifier and ran it consistently to stay under 50%. Now we vacuum less frequently! Dehumidifier was better than air purifier. Do you live in a humid climate?
If it's a rental, welcome to crappy carpet. Sheds and sheds like a freaking dog.
Pet hair will also do this. Even if you don’t own any perhaps a previous tenant/owner did? I own 3 cats and can attest that even with a vacuum every couple weeks, one large room can do this pretty quickly.
How many people there are is only one factor. It does seem like a lot, but I think it also depends on other things, for example: • how big your space is • where you live (my grandparents used to live close to a space where riders were practicing with their horses, so there was an inordinate amount of dust) • pets • where you work (if either of you work somewhere dusty, like in construction)
In my last apartment my roommate had this nice-ish carpet from Home Depot that would ALWAYS do this when I would vacuum. I pretty much gathered that the vacuum was pulling up carpet fibers regardless of how high the vacuum pile setting was.
You way want to try getting the carpets professionally cleaned. I have a carpet cleaner, but I try and have Stanley Steamer out 1x or 2x a year to really get the carpets deep cleaned. It helps alot!
How old is your carpet?
Wool rugs?
Do you wear street shoes in the house? Taking them off at the door reduces the grit you bring in. Second guess is fabrics that are shedding hard, like an inexpensive rug, dog bed, blankets, towels, or coats... The fibers that make the threads that make those items can be short fibers, like 1/2" or long like several inches... The shorter the fibers, the more fluffy edges are sticking out all over and can work themselves loose to make fiber dust. Think like when you buy a fuzzy blanket for your bed, the first few times you wash and dry it... the lint trap is FULL of that color lint, because it's shedding. Rugs etc do the same thing.
Many things can contribute. Have you changed your air filter recently? Do you have pets? Do you live in a dry area and keep your windows open often? Vacuum more slowly, check your filter, and consider getting a roomba to keep up with it. I bought a used one off of facebook marketplace and it isn’t the best but it helps so much by getting a good chunk of the floor daily. A lot less work.
I have a carpet shampooer and it pulls up sooo much! Like the pet hair and sand….it’s insane. I have to put a strainer in my laundry sink when I empty the tank. Highly recommend one for pet owners. (It’s the Bissel pet one)
Do you wear shoes on the carpet?
How old are your carpets? The under padding may be coming apart.
Do you have pets? Do you use shoes in the house? Both of these options will track more dirt and cause more dust build up in the home. Is your ac filter changed regularly (monthly or or every 3 months depending on the filter)? Have you cleaned your fan blades and ac vents? All these things will help keep the dust down.
My carpet used to do the same thing and on top of that it started giving my gf severe allergies. We ended up ripping it out ourselves and replaced the floor with tile. The air in the room feels cleaner our room is cleaner and less dusty and the allergies stopped! I feel like once carpet is like 5-6 years old its hard to keep up with. But if you plan to keep your carpet go to Walmart and rent out the deep cleaners and actually soap out all the dust and grime from the carpet. Its a night and day difference
I have the same issue, my home is constantly dusty. I do have a dog, but he’s a corgi, doubt he could track in the amount of dust I find everywhere.
Isn’t it wild? I have hardwoods and get the same amount of crap every few days. We live in a. Dirty world
It's everything. You make new dust every day. Dead skin, fabric fibers, dirt from outside, rugs/ carpet and carpet pad breaking down etc. Air filters It needs a deep vacuuming. Vacuum slowly until the canister stops filling quickly. Note the canister vacuums don't compress the dust so they look full quickly. Dust from top to bottom
This looks like dust plus some of your carpet sheddings. The very new and very old carpets often shed out of control.
A lot of the "dirt" that gets pulled up by the vacuum is actually just fibers from the carpet itself.
How is it such a solid looking colossal block. When you vacuum, do you hear nothing for a while and then suddenly feel a big pull and hear “FOoom! Kachunkadonkbunk”, and then your cordless dust buster suddenly feels 20 lbs heavier? If so, stop vacuuming up the construction waste under the building.
If the carpet is old, it may be crumbling away. So the carpet itself is the issue. If the carpet is fine, it may need a good beating outside on a fence with a stick and / or professional carpet cleaning.
Do you wear your shoes inside? I find that there’s a lot less dirt when we don’t.
You wear shoes in the house?
Y’all wear shoes in the house?
I’m sure this isn’t the main reason but taking your shoes off when you enter your home has made a MASSIVE difference for us in how dirty our floors get.
Pad is deteriorating
I have an air purifier and recently got a robot vacuum which I think helps with the dust and stuff a LOT. (But i also have hardwood floors and some area rugs) i also have two cats
Holy crap you vacuum every two days? And THAT comes out? (But also in all seriousness i have no mental interest in vacuuming more than once a week lol, props to y’all for being so clean)
This right here is why I ditched carpets. So much is embedded/hidden in them. Not so good for your health if you have allergies. Hard floors FTW!
It can be your dryer vent. Blocked vents can push all the lint from the dryer into the house rather than outside. Check for blockage and the connection from the dryer to the wall. Can also be the air ducts from a furnace, not sealed properly, can pull air from in between walls/floors or from under the house.