While Adelaide weather is fantastic for so many reasons there are also many challenges for maintaining your home and keeping it clean and healthy all year round. If your aim is to achieve the perfect house it is also important to remember that your house is part of a much larger environment outside of the four walls of your home. The geographical location and climate of Adelaide present their own unique set of challenges for the amount of dust and allergens that enter your home as well as the amount of wear and tear that your home is subjected to.
Adelaide dust control and climate management affect your home throughout the entire year. It has hot summer days with hot Gully Winds coming down off the hills followed by cooler damp nights. Much of Australia’s interior is dry and Adelaide is no exception to this. In winter things are damp and cold which also affects your home and causes wear and tear.
Adelaide dust control and environmental climate management is no longer a matter of pretence to host visitors over. It is essential for the very health of your family and the long term value of your home. How many times have you had the floor cleaned only to see the fine dust and dirt back again in the space of hours? And this fine dust is not just unsightly, it can contain airborne allergens that can affect breathing. But the biggest problem with dust is the wear and tear that it causes to your home’s floors and upholstered furniture. And don’t forget the extra strain it puts on your air conditioning in order to cool and clean the air.
This comprehensive Adelaide house cleaning guide takes a close look at the 9 ways that your home is affected by the climate in Adelaide and that of the wider region. It will also look into the ways that you can start to make a positive change to your home, and the ways in which you can implement simple DIY house cleaning methods. Our Adelaide dust control house cleaners at Gifted Hands Cleaning are dedicated to ensuring that you are left with more free time to do the things you love, and that you are left with a clean, hygienic house that you can be proud of.
Understanding Adelaide’s Unique Environmental Challenges
The first step to combating the dust in the home is to realize where it is coming from in the first place. The South Australian weather often creates a perfect dust storm in homes around Adelaide and in turn creates a lot of discomfort for the occupants. The Mediterranean style climate of Adelaide is beautiful for most of the year but can be a real challenge in terms of fighting dust in homes. Adelaide generally experiences long hot dry summers and a cool to mild winter.
The Gully Winds (as they are commonly referred to) are a weather event that comes to mind when thinking about where all the dust in the home comes from. The strong easterly winds that sweep down from the Mount Lofty Ranges across the Adelaide Plains during the warmer months of the year pick up huge amounts of fine red dirt, dry topsoil and other agricultural debris along the way. These fine particles of air borne matter are then forcefully pushed against homes, getting into cracks of window seals and door frames to name a few entry points.
However, the dry interior air in Adelaide helps the small particles of dirt to stay airborne for longer, allowing them to penetrate deeply into your home until the cooling damp air of winter sets in. When this dusty air finally meets with the dry interior of your home it can suddenly and aggressively form a thick and almost impossible to clean grime, often carrying mold spores and allergens into the air.
So effective Adelaide dust control is not simply another clean-up or tidying of your home and workplace between infestations of dust, it demands first an intelligent grasp of this cycle of dust to emerge continuously all through the year.
9 Ways Adelaide’s Climate & Adelaide dust control Invade Your Home
1. The Dry Summer Dust Bowl: Infiltration Through Windows and Doors
If you have been unfortunate enough to have experienced an ‘Easterly’ blow through the Hills during our infamous dry summers the fine powder of dust that the winds bring are almost weightless and end up traveling through the tiniest of gaps around your windows, through gaps under your doors and down your chimney.
The Effect on Your Home and Health: In addition to creating mountains of dirt on your windowsills the dust can create problems in your home and for your health. Not only can it make your home and furniture look filthy it can also cause problems for people with allergies and make your home feel heavy and claustrophobic.
Prevention Is Better Than A Dusty Clean. Weather-stripping the older doors and windows at your home could really make a huge difference to reducing the amount of dry, fine dust getting into your Adelaide home in the warmer months. Using a good quality caulk to fill any and all of the gaps could also prevent a large amount of the annoying, fine dust entering your home too. When cleaning your Adelaide home weekly with a damp microfiber cloth to dust will mean that the dry, fine dust won’t travel through the air and cause more of a problem, as opposed to using a dry feather duster that will only spread the problem and irritate people’s allergies even more.
Gifted Hands Cleaning Professionals, have specialized techniques and up to date equipment such as micro-dusting and industrial vacuum to remove particles from the smallest crevice within your home. No surface will be left untouched within your property to combat summer dust, and allow you to relax knowing your home has been deep cleaned and its air quality is of the best it can be.
2. HVAC and Air-Conditioning System Strain
Air conditioning in Adelaide draws in a tremendous amount of airborne dust, pet hair and pollen when in reverse cycle, particularly on very hot days or cold nights.
Dust, dander, and pollen are drawn into the intake of Reverse Cycle Air Conditioning Systems when in operation. In Adelaide’s extremes of temperature, these systems are used extensively and pull large amounts of air containing these elements into the system.
As the filters become clogged with the accumulated debris, the system struggles to push air through and as a result, operates at a higher level of efficiency to try and maintain the desired temperature. The end result is that a dirty air conditioner draws in dirty air and blows dirty air back out, creating a number of problems including increased running costs and exacerbating allergies.
Prevent any further damage by cleaning your return air vents using the brush attachment on your vacuum. It is also advisable to brush out any dust on your ceiling in areas close to your return air vents to prevent any damage.
Gifted Hands Cleaning provides comprehensive deep cleaning services. We can drastically reduce the amount of dust in your home which will in turn reduce the strain on your HVAC system during operation. Your air conditioning will be able to run more smoothly, cleaner and be far more efficient for you.
3. The “Tracking” Effect: Red Dirt and Abrasive Floor Damage
Many South Australians lead an indoor-outdoor lifestyle – be it to and from work, or to and from the house to the garden, local park or beach. Inevitably, we track loads of dry red dirt, sand and grit into the house on our shoes and the paws of our beloved pets.
The damage that this fine material can cause is massive. It acts much like fine grit sandpaper and will quickly strip the expensive timber or laminate floors of their protective finish, leaving them looking dull and with scratches. The sharp edges of the fine debris will also cut into the base of carpet fibers and cause them to bald, fray and discolour quickly.
DIY Solution: No-Shoes, Please! We recommend no-Shoes Indoors Policy, Heavily Abraded Doormats at every exterior entrance of your house (to be shaken weekly for best results), and regular (sweeping/daily vacuuming of floor) removal of ‘dry’ dirt (before it ‘wet’-translates into your hardest floor or grout/sanctum).
The Gifted Hands Solution: Most vacuuming of floors cannot get all the debris down in carpet piles and that is where the dirt and grit has done the most damage. This is where Gifted Hands Cleaning comes in. With our high suction floor cleaning equipment, with HEPA Filtration to trap 99.97% of all dirt and dust particles, we can remove all the hidden debris from your carpets and thoroughly mop all your hard floors to restore their original shine and help extend their life.
4. Winter Dampness and Hidden Mould Growth
As Adelaide moves from extremely dry summer months to extremely wet and cold winter months the indoor environment is constantly changing. Heating your home creates condensation on cold glass such as windows and exterior walls of your home. When combined with the dust from summer that has been settling in all the nooks and crannies of your home including window tracks and corners of skirting etc, the perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew is created.
Dust forms a food source for mould and when combined with condensation that builds up on surfaces as a result of warming your home, the perfect breeding ground for toxic mould and mildew is created.Uncovered Black Growth can form unsightly stains on your window sills and other areas of your bathroom grout. But more importantly the growth of this type of Black Growth can release massive amounts of spores into the air which can cause extreme respiratory distress in some people, including triggering severe asthma attacks and other severe coughs. In extreme cases this can also trigger off attacks of respiratory failure.
Even on the coldest of days maintaining adequate ventilation throughout the home is essential to help prevent mold and mildew from growing. The use of a dehumidifier in wet areas of the home in addition to the normal operation of the exhaust fan in the bathroom while showering and regularly wiping down of morning condensation on windows will all aid in the fight against mold.
Mold needs two things to grow: moisture and organic matter (such as dust). By undertaking regular domestic cleaning, particularly in the bathroom, kitchen and windows (where most of a home’s dust resides) one can assist in preventing the onset of problems such as mold and mildew in homes throughout Adelaide. Gifted Hands uses only Eco Friendly Cleaning Solutions that are just as effective at cleaning yet also safe for use around you and your loved ones.
5. Allergens and Asthma Triggers Multiplying
The Issue: We understand that the dust in your home is not just dirt, it is topsoil, pollen, human hair, pet dander and urban pollution. All of these particles are too small to see but cause so much irritation to the human eye and nose. In extreme weather Adelaide homes are often sealed up to keep the weather out and this allows the particles to multiply in the air and become trapped in carpets and soft furnishings.
Asthma, in particular, affects huge numbers of people around Australia and for people suffering from symptoms of asthma the last place you want to suffer with the effects of poorly managed symptoms of asthma is in your own home. While there are things you can do to manage asthma symptoms around your home, the sad fact is for a large number of people their homes act as a fertile ground for pollutants which lead to a range of often miserable symptoms of allergic reactions, from sneezing and itchy eyes to persistent coughs. Ultimately the effects of these control allergens can cause so much discomfort as to impact upon a person’s sleep leading to fatigue that further impacts upon a person’s quality of life.
The DIY Combat Strategy: Eliminate Allergens using HEPA: A good vacuum cleaner with true HEPA filters is a must. Using HEPA Air Purifiers throughout your home can also help, especially in bedrooms to aid in better sleep. Softer items such as plush toys, and throw blankets can also harbor allergens so wash them in hot water from time to time.
The Gifted Hands Solution: To eliminate these allergens from your home a great deal of care is required. Gifted Hands Cleaning provides a thorough dust removal service in Adelaide and leaves your home free of all allergens for you and your family to enjoy. We pay particular attention to those areas where dust and allergens accumulate and are hardest to get to. Under your bed, on top of your ceiling fans and deep within soft furnishings such as couches and armchairs all of these areas are treated by our expert cleaning technicians.
6. Upholstery, Curtains, and Soft Furnishing Degradation
Curtains are big air filters which absorb lots of dust that enters houses through windows. Upholstery absorbs human perspiration in winter and dust all year round.
Combat Strategy: Thoroughly vacuum all soft furnishings on a regular basis, wash curtains in the season (i.e. wash summer curtains in winter and vice versa) and allow an experienced cleaner to carry out an upholstery extraction clean as required.
7. The Proliferation of Dust Mites and Pests
Dust mites are worldwide in distribution. They thrive in warm, moist environments and their population peaks at different times of the year in Adelaide because of temperature fluctuations.
Combating the Proliferation of Dust Mites and Pests in Your Home. Wash your bed covers in hot water from time to time. Declutter your bedrooms and then seek the services of professionals who can give your sleeping area and the rest of your home a deep clean to control the proliferation of unwanted pests.
8. Window Grime and Baked-On Dirt
The Problem with Window Grime and Baked-On Dirt. The problem with dirt and grime on window surfaces whether they are exterior or interior is that they are a mix of rain from winter periods and dust from summer periods. The dirt and grime mixes with the water to bake onto the glass surfaces and can stop natural light entering rooms. Also the baked on grime can scrape the glass surfaces and cause damage in the long term.
Prevention: Use squeegees of good quality with suitable glass cleaning solutions for regular exterior window cleaning. Where possible clean windows in the early morning to avoid having to clean in strong sunlight as this can cause streaks to form.
9. Ceiling Fan and High-Reach Dust Avalanches
Ceiling Fans – The Unwelcome Spring Dust Explosion The dust that has accumulated in winter on the ceiling fan in your living room is suddenly released as a massive dust explosion the first hot spring day when you turn on the fan in order to air out the room.
Using extendable microfiber dusters before the summer weather hits is another option for dusting high ceiling fans or alternatively, pay to have them included in your deep clean as part of high reach dusting.
Why DIY Isn’t Always Enough: The Gifted Hands Cleaning Advantage
While maintaining your daily habits and a quick tidy up over the weekend is all well and good, Adelaide’s environment can be relentless. Keeping a home clean and healthy goes beyond sweeping the floor and splashing some surface cleaner on things from time to time. Just as the fine dust of summer days and the dampness of winter months penetrate into every nook and cranny of a home, so too the dirt, embedded carpet fibers and other debris of daily life penetrate into carpets and other surfaces of homes. Until all of that is removed through a deep clean, all of your DIY cleaning is just surface level cleaning and allows the tiny allergens, deep carpet grit and hidden mold to multiply.
As with any other home in Australia, the Gifted Hands Cleaning team have found that effective dust removal in SA homes is not just about making them look clean. All of our services are tailored specifically for the local homes and families, to ensure that every home is provided with the most thorough, deepest clean possible – in order to provide the best possible hygiene for their residents. Our team of experienced, and fully insured cleaners are able to complete a range of different services including our Deep Cleaning service and our Regular Domestic Cleaning.
Industrial Vacuum Cleaners – Dust Extractors. At Gifted Hands Cleaning we utilize HEPA Filter Vacuum Cleaners which pick up up to 99.97% of particles in the air including minute dust mites, allergens and even fine red dirt. This ensures that when we vacuum your carpet, and furniture, we are picking up 100% of the dirt and not just relocating it to another part of your home.
This is especially important for people who suffer from allergies or asthma as there will be no more re-circulation of allergens back into the air. All of our vacuum cleaners are industrial grade and the very best available for deep cleaning your home. We also use environmentally friendly, Deep Cleaning Solutions for carpets and upholstery that will penetrate deep into the fibers to break down and dissolve stubborn marks and stains caused by winter grime, and to sanitize damp areas and prevent mold and mildew growth. These solutions are 100% non-toxic and chemical free.
So, by handing the cleaning of your home over to Gifted Hands, you are purchasing the best cleaning of your home, plus superior quality of air within your home, plus the extended life of your furniture and carpets, plus so much more time to enjoy your life and Adelaide.
Conclusion
Living in the world-class city of Adelaide with its demanding environment and circumstances and extreme conditions of the Summer and Winter seasons brings with it extreme circumstances of dirty dust from the Gully Winds and damp and damp air in the Winter which can bring about many situations of unhygienic circumstances of dirt and grime in the home.
This not only brings about an unsightly environment but also brings about a decrease in the value of a property and causes health issues relating to respiratory problems to its inhabitants. Having a clean home is not just not about aesthetics; it is about health, safety and hygiene of you and your family. The diligent homeowner who attempts to keep a home clean and hygienic by their own endeavors needs to realize that there is no substitute for an expertly cleaned home.
Dust, dirt and pollen can make your home in Adelaide unhealthy to live in over the seasons. Don’t spend your precious time and energy on cleaning, let the Gifted Hands Cleaning team take care of it for you while you enjoy your life and protect your biggest investment. Please contact us on [Insert Phone Number] or Book Online Here for your free quote and to book a cleaning service for your home.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why is my house in Adelaide so dusty?Dust in Adelaide homes is generally attributed to a combination of climate and geography of Adelaide in general. The hot dry summers, the strong Gully Winds sweeping down from the Adelaide Hills pick up fine red dirt and agricultural debris and penetrate homes through the tiniest cracks around doors and windows. The dry air in the home then means that this fine particulate matter can remain suspended in the air for a long time before settling on surfaces.
How often should I get a house cleaned for dust control in SA? For effective Adelaide dust control in South Australia we recommend that homes are professionally cleaned every fortnight or every month, depending on your specific circumstances. If you live near a main road, have pets, are suffering from allergies, or your home has no seals then a fortnightly cleaning service is best to keep your home and indoor air clean. A monthly deep clean is usually sufficient for an average sized home with no pets.
How does regular cleaning help combat seasonal allergies? Cleaning cannot cure allergies but the process does aid in managing symptoms in your home. It is highly recommended that you employ the services of a cleaning company on a regular basis to thoroughly deep clean your home and eliminate all pollen, dust mites and other allergens from your carpets, rugs and soft furnishings. We at Gifted Hands Cleaning use only HEPA-filtered vacuums to do this work for you.