The vertical distribution of house dust mite allergen in carpet and the effect of dry vacuum cleaning

BackgroundCarpets are large reservoirs of the dust mite allergen Der p 1. The effect of vacuum cleaning on the distribution of Der p 1 in carpets is poorly understood.MethodsSamples were cut from 7 used household carpets, all over 5 years of age. From each carpet, 10 samples were left untreated, 10 vacuumed with an upright vacuum cleaner, and 10 vacuumed with a canister vacuum cleaner. Each section was then cut into 3 horizontal layers: the top 2 mm, the remainder of the carpet pile, and the carpet base. The mass of Der p 1 as a proportion of carpet volume was then determined.ResultsThe concentrations of Der p 1 in each depth layer varied considerably between the 7 untreated carpets. In the top layer, Der p 1 concentrations were (median; 25th–75th percentiles): 41.9; 28.3–92.6 pg/mm3. For the middle layer they were similar (38.1; 22.4–108.5 pg/mm3), and for the carpet base, higher (212.4; 98.8–456.2 pg/mm3).In most cases, cleaning using either type of vacuum cleaner resulted in no significant reduction in allergen concentration throughout all depth layers. A subset of carpets showed an apparent increase in Der p 1 concentration in one or more layers following vacuum cleaning. In all tests Der p 1 was collected in the vacuum cleaners’ filter bags.ConclusionsThe depth-distribution of Der p 1 differs widely amongst used carpets. Vacuum cleaning changes the distribution of Der p 1 within such carpets but does not necessarily result in a reduction in the overall content.