While Melbourne usually
doesn't have the dangerous wildlife that Australia is known for, that
doesn't mean that a home in this city is 100 percent safe. Even
something as simple and as unassuming as a carpet can contain
dangerous contagions and bacteria that can cause sickness if left
unchecked. To be fair, these harmful microbes are present everywhere,
but this only stresses the importance of getting rid of them as
quickly as possible.
Molds
are possibly the most common microbes
in the carpet; albeit also one of the hardest to kill. Coming in
various shapes and thriving in different environments, molds are also
quite difficult to identify since the relatively-harmless molds (like
Alternaria) can resemble the potentially-lethal ones (like
Stachybotrys). The difficulty in killing them comes from the fact
that molds originate as spores which are virtually invisible to the
naked eye until they've grown large enough to be noticeable.
Salmonella bacteria are
also commonly found in carpets, especially in households with pets,
and can cause digestive problems like diarrhea. This bacteria is one
reason why it is never wise for your kids to pick up food that fell
from the table since Salmonella is quite resilient even though it has
a short life. The Norovirus is similarly resilient though it can
survive for six weeks; and causes similar problems, but is more
commonly found in dusty areas.
Always make sure your
carpets are well-washed to keep your home clean. For this, it's best
to call carpet cleaning professionals.
