Sleeping with the enemy: Dyson Global Dust Study reveals close to 7 in 10 Malaysians do not vacuum their mattresses despite them being a hotbed of microscopic life. Dyson Microbiologists highlight the importance of cleaning regularly as a report reveals that despite the pandemic, nearly half of respondents only clean when they see visible dust, leaving potentially harmful, invisible bacteria around the house.
Dyson Global Dust Study-7 in 10 Malaysians Do Not Vacuum Their Mattresses
Dyson announces the results of its annual global dust study that investigates cleaning habits and behaviours and delves into our understanding of household dust and the potential impact it can have on our well-being.
Do You Know What is In Your Dust?
The study, undertaken by 32,282 respondents from 33 countries around the world revealed that 93% of people in Malaysia are cleaning just as much, if not more than they did last year to ensure their homes remain a clean and healthy space as many continue to be concerned about the cleanliness of their homes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, 57% of Malaysians are only motivated to clean when their home was dusty or when there was visible dust and dirt on the floor, compared to 40% globally in 2020.
Dyson Global Dust Study 2021 Results
Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they are not there.
"It is a cause for concern if people only clean when they spot visible dust on the floors as many dust particles are microscopic in size," says Monika Stuczen, Research Scientist in Microbiology at Dyson. "In fact, by the time people spot visible dust in the home, it is highly likely that there are dust mites in your home."
Are people cleaning the right spaces in their homes–with the right methods?
Year on year, we see positive shifts in people's cleaning habits. More people are vacuuming some of the commonly overlooked spaces including their mattresses and sofas when cleaning the home. However, many people continue to neglect these spaces–67% of people do not vacuum their mattresses while 55% do not vacuum their sofas.
Commonly Neglected Spots Whilst Cleaning
While 85% of Malaysians understand that household dust can contribute to illnesses like asthma, only 26% are aware that dust mite faeces can be a trigger for allergies. While it might look clean, a mattress could be a hotbed of microscopic life, impacting one's wellbeing while one sleeps. There can be millions of dust mites in a single mattress and the problem is a global one. Dust mites, their faeces, bacteria, viruses, pollen, and other allergens make up the complex matrix that is household dust, which also exists in a mattress.
Dust Mite Poops Every Day!
Beyond becoming more frequent cleaners, the pandemic also saw a surge in pet ownership and 57% of households across the world now own a pet. In Malaysia, more than half of households own a pet. The study reveals that close to 2 out of 5 Malaysians (35%) allow their dogs or cats to sleep on their beds. However, awareness of what may reside on their pets remains low which is a concern.
- 8 in 10 pet owners are unaware that food residues can reside on their pets
- 7 in 10 pet owners are unaware house dust mite faeces can reside on their pets
- 7 in 10 pet owners are unaware that viruses can reside on their pets
- 6 in 10 pet owners are unaware that bacteria and skin flakes can reside on their pets
"Many people think that pet hair is the biggest problem as it is the most visible," says Monika. "It is unsurprising that people are unaware of the other particles that may reside on their pets because these particles tend to be microscopic in size."
Human Hair Vs Dog Hair
This Is What Your Dog Dander Looks Like
People often think that pet hair triggers allergies. However, some allergies are triggered by allergens that can also be found in pet dander. While nearly half of pet owners groom their pets at home at least once a week, those in Malaysia appear to be less concerned with frequent grooming, with 1 in 3 doing so on at least a weekly basis. The study found that 7 in 10 pet owners in Malaysia only groom with a brush or comb. This reduces the amount of pet hair they shed around the home, but microscopic particles remain on their pets that can potentially be spread around the home.
Human Hair VS Cat Hair
At Dyson, our research shows us that the best way to tackle dust is to remove its source from the home completely. The Dyson Global Dust Study reveals that people may feel that vacuum cleaners are the most effective in removing dust from the home, yet, the use of brooms (75%), wet mops (71%) and wet cloths (69%) remain the top cleaning tools by owners, with the vacuum cleaner coming fourth at 68%.
What Else is In Your Dirt?
"Using a wet cloth to clean surfaces is fine, but the sequence of cleaning tools matter. Dampening dust on floors–even fine dust invisible to the naked eye-could mean that you're creating a habitat more favourable to dust mite and mould proliferation," explains Monika. "Dust is most effectively removed with a vacuum cleaner first, before going on to wipe surfaces. Even then, it is important to use a vacuum cleaner with effective filtration and sealing technology to ensure that whatever you vacuum remains trapped and is not expelled back into the home."
We Shed Dead Skin Too (Skin Flakes)
This is why at Dyson, we've spent almost 20 years studying real dust–only by understanding the complex matrix of household dust can we better enable our vacuum cleaners to deal with the conditions they face in real homes. Our engineers spend a lot of time developing our filters and seals to make sure that we capture not only the dust you can see but also the dust you can't. We want to make sure that what has been sucked up remains trapped in the bin and is not expelled back into your home–helping to keep your home clean and hygienic.
Vacuuming is Always The First Step in Cleaning
"We hope this research inspires you to think about what is in the dust in your homes," explains Monika. "Just because it is out of sight does not mean it should be out of mind. The microscopic dust particles like pet dander and dust mite allergens may have a larger impact on your health and well-being than particles you can actually see with the naked eye."
ABOUT THE DYSON GLOBAL DUST STUDY 2022
The Dyson Global Dust Study 2022 is a 15-minute online survey undertaken by 32,282 respondents across 33 countries-United States, Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, KSA, UAE, Russia, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, and India. Fieldwork was conducted between the 15th to 24th November 2021 and 14th February to 7th March 2022 and data has been weighted at a 'global' level to be representative of different population sizes.
Use Dyson V12 Detect Slim Laser To Search for the "Invisible" Dust
- Compared to other SEA countries surveyed, Malaysians are more reactive to dust on the floor with 57% citing seeing visible dust and dirt as a motivator to clean.
- There is a strong perceived link between the amount of dust in the home and it being a healthy environment among Malaysians (87%).
- Malaysians are particularly aware of dust mites as the main trigger for allergies (45%) but are not aware of their root source which is dust mite faeces (73%).
- Although Malaysians (29%) are less concerned about bringing dust and pollen from the outside into their home, they are also the most likely to do something to avoid bringing outside contaminants into the home.
Use Dyson Vacuum To Clean Your Mattresses
Using Dyson vacuum technology is one way to ensure that you're cleaning both the visible and invisible dust in your home. The Dyson V12 Detect cordless vacuum is engineered to provide up to 150AW of suction power, powered by a Dyson Hyperdymium motor that enables the pick-up of microscopic particles. Once picked up, Dyson vacuums are designed with a five-layered filtration system to capture up to 99.99% of particles as small as 0.3 microns–the size of some bacteria and viruses-and expels cleaner air into your home. Want a cleaner house and more hygienic mattresses? Get yourself a Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner. For more information, head over to Dyson's official website.
Thanks for such thorough sharing. I am getting myself a Dyson to clean my bed too. Scary, man.
ReplyDeletegood job to Dyson! I will put a schedule to vacuum my fam beds for hygiene purpose now
ReplyDelete