Renée is a preschool teacher, mother of 3 (1 with asthma), dog owner and very much like you and I! Renée submitted the following story to us after shampooing her carpets just before the holidays.
I deep clean my carpets at least twice a year to remove dust and allergens - it makes me feel like my house is cleaner and like I am doing good for my family and my asthmatic daughter. I don't have Asthma myself, but when I use the carpet cleaner, I cough, sneeze and have trouble breathing. I've even used a rescue inhaler and left the house for HOURS after using the carpet cleaner. When I got my Speck, I decided to use it alongside of the carpet cleaner to expose exactly what was happening. See photo below.
My Speck number climbed to almost 7,000 counts at one point! No wonder I have to leave the house after I use this thing!
For reference, Renée used a a Bissel deep carpet cleaner rented from a local grocery store partnered with the wash that is purchased separately. What she now knows, thanks to Speck, is that the chemicals in the shampoo solution and the dust/allergens in the carpet are sucked up by the machine and then spit back out into the air resulting in a HUGE increase in indoor air pollution.
It is no secret that hardwood floors remove bad indoor air quality problems, but depending on the size of the home and quality of the wood, this can be an expensive fix. Renée has now switched to using a professional carpet cleaning company (certified by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America) to steam clean her carpets. Check out the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification for more details on why steam cleaning is more sanitary.
Thank you Renée for sharing your story! We are happy to hear that Speck helped you find a solution to keeping your family's home safe and clean!
