Our homes are filled with allergens. They settle onto the floor over minutes and hours. When we next walk by, each footfall is like a small explosion. Clouds containing thousands of allergens billow into our indoor air with each step.

We are constantly shedding skin particles. To consume skin particles nature has provided tiny insects called dust mites. It is estimated that mites live in most beds in North America. The mites consume skin. But they leave behind their own shed skin, and fecal pellets, and both of them can be allergenic. When people are declared allergic to house dust, it is usually dust mite pellets and skins that cause the allergic reaction.

Another major source of harmful pollution is fungi, the producer of mold and mildew. Fungi are neither from the plant or animal kingdom; they are separate living things entirely. To grow, and living things must grow and reproduce, fungi send out mold spores. Air conditioners are a breeding ground for mold, because they create condensed water, a thriving ground for mold. The air conditioner then spreads the mold all over the home. Bacteria and viruses also float for hours in indoor air.

Carpets too act as a reservoir for allergens and toxins. But carpets are good. Many particles that easily circulate from a hard floor are caught and retained in the carpet, secured until they can be removed by vacuum cleaning. Carpets imprison many fine particles that would otherwise be circulated by air currents from heating and air conditioning systems, and normal human and animal activity.