Yellow Dust In My House (Update)

By

CLOVER433

YES I DO BURN A LOT OF CANDLES. THEY ARE ALL YANKEE CANDLES.

By Diana (Guest Post)

DO YOU BURN A LOT OF CANDLES? i HAVE BEEN TOLD SCENTED CANDLES LEAVE A RESIDUE BEHIND.

By

CLOVER433

The carpets are 3 and 5 years old, and none have rubber backing. At first I thought it was the white carpet, and they even replaced it. Then when I scrubbed my green rugs and the water was yellow I saw that was not the problem. I do have natural gas but in the basement were the furnace is nothing is yellow and the carpet down there is not yellow. The walls and the ceilings do not turn yellow. The house is very well insulated. I have very high ceilings and in the winter my heating bills are like nothing. No one in the house has any trouble breathing of has had any trouble breathing. I live by a ford stamping plant, but I'm not sure if they burn anything. I was thinking could it maybe be the stuff you sprinkle on your rugs before you vacuum-like carpet fresh? Also I have used electric potpourri pots with liquid potpourri for years. I threw all on them out, and I am not going to use them ever again. On my fireplace where I had a potpourri pot its yellow. So maybe this is the problem. Any one use these pots with liquid potpourri? Thank you all for all the input and feedback. It is really helping me. Thanks so much.

By

2oma

I didn't see anything about when you bought the carpet or if you did buy the carpet. I tend towards the breakdown of the carpet pad as an answer. Pollen usually causes other problems and not just carpet color changes.
I also think you should talk to the health department because this does sound like a biohazard of some sort especially if your breathing is affected.
The suggestion to talk to an Ag college is good, too-- especially if they have a biohazard degree. They might be interested enough to do an analysis.
Bless you and good luck

By

Allison

Could it be spores from some kind of fungus?

By Sandy (Guest Post)

Wish I knew what to tell you. I have a small country store which had the same problem when we bought it. Since then, we have insulated the attic and walls, new wall paneling, new carpet, less windows, probably better sealed doors, new heating and air conditioning and vents. No more problem!
Maybe things need to be sealed up better in your home--good luck. I hated that junk and it bothered my breathing.

By

sandy63

wow. that is surely more than pollen. yes i agree call your agriculture office or the like. ask them if other people have this problem. if it is dusty it could be in your air and therefore breathing it. that is very strange.

By

PICO

Do your carpets have a rubber back? Sometimes when carpets get old the rubber back turns yellow and crumbles into dust. This could be the problem. Shampooing your carpet may make the problem worse.
Try to pull up a corner of the rug where no one will see it and check. The corners may not show it because they have had little or no traffic. But I would try to get to a well used part of the carpet and check.
Hope this helps and keep us posted on how you make out.

By (Guest Post)

I'm wondering if you live near some sort of refinery or mechanical plant where they fire things. Maybe it's residue from something nearby. You should call your local health department and ask them about it the air quality in your area.

By sUE (Guest Post)

Do you have gas heat? Do the walls change color, the ceiling, or just the floor? It sounds as if natural gas is leaving a residue when being used, this happens a great deal in older heating systems even though the duct work is cleaned.

By

CLOVER433

Oh also no one smokes in my house. And it is not stains from a pet. When I had my vents cleaned I asked them about it, and they looked at me like I was crazy. I went over a spot on that rug over 20 times and it looked clean. Until the next day that is. I am going to replace that carpet because I don't want to spends days or even weeks scrubbing it. I was thinking maybe it could be my carpets? I will soon know when I buy a new rug from a different place. Any advice?
Thanks you all for your input.

By

Luvyabye

Wow, SherryLynn! I don't have a clue what the yellow dust could be. Have you spoken with neighbors to see if they have the same problem. My concern is that if it's all over the house, then it becomes a health issue because you are breathing it, too. Could it be something the house itself is "shedding" or giving off. I honestly can't even imagine what it can be but I think you should try to find someone to analyze the dust. God bless you and help you to find a solution.