Friday, December 9, 2011

Dust Bunnies.......

Not This Kind of Bunny
Before we moved into our present home last May, we had gone decades with carpeting throughout the homes in which we had  resided.  We would use a vacuum cleaner on a regular basis to keep the carpeting neat.  Or, so we thought.......
THIS Kind of Bunny
Since moving into this home, which has hardwood flooring in the main living areas and carpeting in the bedrooms, I have been undergoing an education of sorts.  I never really knew there is so  much dust formed on a daily basis.

We seldom notice the dust balls (known as dust bunnies---sounds cute, no?) in the carpeted areas of our house; but, in the living room, dining room, and den they appear magically overnight.  If ignored for more than a day or two, these nasty little thingies can grow to biblical proportions.  I am amazed at their staying power. 


Biblical Proportions
So, every two days or so, Clint gets the vacuum and sucks up the bunnies...only to have them reestablish themselves very quickly.
A Beautiful Dust Mite
And what, you ask, are these things?  Well, I looked it up and it is not a pretty picture.  They consist of a combination of hair, dust, dead skin, spiderwebs, lint and light debris.  They are held together by static electricity.  They house dust mites and other parasites.  These maddening little clouds of awfulness can ruin your computers, refrigerators, dryers,  air conditioners, heaters or anything else with an air intake system.

I shudder to think how much worse this phenomenon would be if we had pets.   Brrrrr.

26 comments:

  1. Oh my, I do know about those 'bunnies' as you call them. We used to have what we call 'polished boards' so same problem as you. My husband being a fussy Virgo put carpet down pretty quickly after moving into this new house years ago(same house) and like you he vacuums for me :) Tiles have lots of dust as well.
    It's all work to keep things clean.

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  2. Ugh, I feel your pain. The eradication process is never done.

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  3. Not a pretty site - I try to keep my eyes closed to them - so becausae I read blogs you made me open them again!

    sandie

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  4. yeah. our tile floor seems to roll those together too. and with 4 big dogs in the house, whole herds of dust bunnies thunder around under the couches and entertainment center. :)

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  5. ick. (Don't tell anyone)...but I swiffer my entire house at LEAST twice a day because of the dread of the dust bunny. And when we built...I said not one piece of carpet. I hate the thought of things unseen....

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  6. TOO late... I was hoping Dawn didn't read this...LOL...but before I saw she had commented... I was going to say... I swiffer once a day (what parents do in moderation...children do in excess:) and the carpets I do have get hung on the clothes line once a week:)... I don't like dust bunnies... and I have never seen them in Biblical Proportions! Thanks for the enlightment:)

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  7. Just remembered I haven't vacuumed my bedroom lately.

    Enjoyed the post (photos...ick) and all)..that bunny is adorable.

    Clint, thanks for your visit to my blog.

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  8. That dust bunnie of biblical proporations looks like it will sprout fangs at any moment. Yikes!
    Carol

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  9. I know what you mean.
    Keeping dust under control is a never ending job.
    It seems the dust is 100 per cent worse here in Texas. It not only is back the next day but it is back so bad that a person would think I had not dusted in 6 weeks. Grrrrrr ... I hate it!

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  10. From the sounds of it there is more than one reason they are called bunnies. The multiplication factor.

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  11. This Clint is food for thought, although I clean my carpets daily I dread to think what is lurking about.

    Have a good day,
    Yvonne.

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  12. This why we replaced what we could with wood floors in our house. We found out that my son is highly allergic to dust and will set off his asthma. Scarey stuff. I was also tested and I am just as allergic as him. Dust is everywhere and a constant battle. And, I'm not to found of the thought of sleeping with those little creatures. Love, the bear.

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  13. Ewwww! I'm allergic to dust. I used to cough so much in high rise buildings. Every morning we'd go in to the office and find another layer of dust- and no windows to open. Now I just have to remember to vacuum each week.

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  14. The only kind of bunnies I like are the ones in your first picture.

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  15. They are fluffy and multiply rapidly so there is no doubt as to how they got their name :-). We have pets. That would really make your hair curl :-). Have a great weekenend. Blessings...Mary

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  16. Oh yes...I know the problem. Without carpets you will find them every day.

    The name is absolutly cute...in Germany we say: wool-mice

    Have a beautiful weekend and take care

    greetings *hugU*

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  17. Hi Clint,
    I love bunnies!! Your bunny is so cute.
    Yes!! I know that we may inhale all kind of things traveling in the air.
    I do not like carpets. I got allergies from dust which accumulates all the time. Then, I've got wooden floors, so that I clean them very often. I could easily see the dirt which accumulates frequently. I used to have 10 cats at home, and with my keen scent, the shedding of their hair made my allergy even worse. Now, I've got only 3, and I feel better regarding my allergy.
    With carpets, people don't realize how much dust accumulates on daily basis. It's very unhealthy. Wooden floors are much cleaner, if one cleans thoroughly every day.
    Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Clint!!
    Greetings,
    Poet Starry Dawn.

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  18. The best part of this blog post was seeing the precious bunny as your lead photo.

    May I mention that none of the dust bunnies pictured here were found in our house. :~D

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  19. This is exactly why I don't want carpet in my house, I can't even imagine what grows in, under or around it... ewww. When I had carpet in the various places I've lived I'd shampoo the rugs all the time but they never came clean.

    I find thw Swifter works wonders to clean my floors these days. I LOVE my swifter! Or is is Swiffer?? Either way have a fantastic week!

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  20. Dust bunnies decreased when I got a short haired dog with no undercoat, but we still get them! I'm with darlin about Swiffer!

    I wrote a blog post once about dust bunnies of the soul. I'm sure the analogy is immediately clear!!

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  21. I try not to be a germo-phobe. But this is disturbing! I am vacuuming the carpet, right away. And then I'll do it again!

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  22. I will get this comment right this time.

    I think I will go right now with my vacuum cleaner and go hunting for those nasty little dust bunnies. Love the photo of the nice little bunny. God bless, Lloyd

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  23. Now thats a cute bunny but an ugly dust mite.
    For that very reason of that packed down dust, we pulled up all our carpets and now have beautiful polished boards, I won't have heavy curtains either, and the windows and doors are open all the time.

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  24. Yes the wool-mices are everywhere. I hope your'e well. Have a Merry Christmas.
    With all the best wishes.
    Sabine

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