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I stopped vacuuming years ago because of my health issues. At some later date, I saw studies about how they can spread germs and throw particulates into the air

I stopped vacuuming years ago because of my health issues. At some later date, I saw studies about how they can spread germs and throw particulates into the air. I have a wood floor and no carpeting. Instead of cleaning a lot, we do all we can to just not let things get dirty/germy, like taking our shoes off near the door. I spend all my time online but own zero IoT devices. I'm really enjoying some of the comments here, like this one: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25224914 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25224914

wnevets 6y ago
> stopped vacuuming years ago because of my health issues. Did a sealed vacuum with a HEPA filter not work?
- DoreenMichele 6y ago
  That doesn't prevent it from spreading germs and I probably couldn't afford something like that. We kept a hand vac for a time and emptied it and washed the little bag thing immediately after every use. We also tried a few other things. I'm happy with my wood floors. I don't plan to go back to carpeting.
- p1mrx 6y ago
  Even with imperfect filtration, I imagine it's better to kick up some dust a few times a year, than let it accumulate and kick it up with every step.
  - DoreenMichele 6y ago
    If your condition is serious enough and incurable, not allowing dust to exist and wiping down wood floors instead of vacuuming is a better option than either of the two options you posit as the only possible outcomes.
    - mafuy 6y ago
      How do you deal with skin waste etc.? Reducing dust is certainly possible, but I thought it is just impossible to bring it even remotely close to zero to make vacuuming unnecessary.
      - deleted 6y ago
        [deleted]
    - p1mrx 6y ago
      There's a narrative difference between "I stopped vacuuming" (surprising) and "I replaced vacuuming with wiping" (mundane).
      - DoreenMichele 6y ago
        Maybe from your end it looks that way. It doesn't from my end. I've done a lot of "surprising" things, healthwise, over the years and there seems to be no means whatsoever to make people on the internet happy with how I talk about it. No amount of bending over backwards to signal "this was something really, really, ordinary, I swear!!!!!" is ever enough to protect me from people reacting with animosity and I almost never know if it's because they do recognize me and know something about my back story or if it's because they don't recognize me. For me, it's a no win situation and it's not possible for me to guess what the magic words are that will keep everyone happy and get me out of the corner with the dunce's cap for the crime of not dying years ago from my serious medical condition because I'm so incredibly rude like that.
        joefourier 6y ago
        For the sake of your own mental health, you should stop caring about what makes random internet strangers happy. There will be always a minority reacting with animosity to even the most milquetoast of content, and responding in frustration will only make it worse.
        6y ago
mattmaroon 6y ago
It seems really unlikely that vacuuming is worse for your health than not vacuuming. But maybe a good air filter and a roomba that runs while you sleep? I actually do that already but really because I’m lazy and don’t want to have to dust often.
- DoreenMichele 6y ago
  If you eliminate things that create dust, like books and carpeting and upholstered furniture, it doesn't get that dusty.
  - mattmaroon 6y ago
    “ More than just dirt, house dust is a mix of sloughed-off skin cells, hair, clothing fibers, bacteria, dust mites, bits of dead bugs, soil particles, pollen, and microscopic specks of plastic” Most of those have nothing to do with carpet or furniture. And it’s hard to imagine that whatever a vacuum does to kick them up is worse for you than just breathing them in all the time and disturbing them when you walk. But really, that’s a case for a robot vacuum because it can eliminate the stuff when you’re not there.
    - DoreenMichele 6y ago
      You are basically dismissing my firsthand experience. Maybe that's not your intent, but you start off It seems really unlikely that vacuuming is worse for your health than not vacuuming. I'm telling you from firsthand experience that I don't have a lot of dust and my health is better these days and I don't own a vacuum. I'm not asking you to give up your vacuum. If you want citations supporting the idea that vacuums can spread germs and particulates, here's one: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3811220/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3811220/ If you want to continue to imply that I'm wrong to choose to live without a vacuum cleaner, I'm done. That's out of bounds for debate. It's a personal choice.
      - mattmaroon 6y ago
toomanybeersies 6y ago
My house only has carpet in the bedrooms, and wood flooring everywhere else. It's so much easier to clean than a fully-carpeted house, no need to worry about accidentally spilling drinks in the lounge or accidentally tracking dog shit through the hallway. Much easier to fix any damage as well. Best of all, it's much less dusty than a carpeted house, since the floor isn't covered with a giant magnet for dust and crumbs.

wnevets 6y ago

> stopped vacuuming years ago because of my health issues. Did a sealed vacuum with a HEPA filter not work?

DoreenMichele 6y ago
That doesn't prevent it from spreading germs and I probably couldn't afford something like that. We kept a hand vac for a time and emptied it and washed the little bag thing immediately after every use. We also tried a few other things. I'm happy with my wood floors. I don't plan to go back to carpeting.
p1mrx 6y ago
Even with imperfect filtration, I imagine it's better to kick up some dust a few times a year, than let it accumulate and kick it up with every step.
- DoreenMichele 6y ago
  If your condition is serious enough and incurable, not allowing dust to exist and wiping down wood floors instead of vacuuming is a better option than either of the two options you posit as the only possible outcomes.
  - mafuy 6y ago
    How do you deal with skin waste etc.? Reducing dust is certainly possible, but I thought it is just impossible to bring it even remotely close to zero to make vacuuming unnecessary.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
  - p1mrx 6y ago
    There's a narrative difference between "I stopped vacuuming" (surprising) and "I replaced vacuuming with wiping" (mundane).
    - DoreenMichele 6y ago
      Maybe from your end it looks that way. It doesn't from my end. I've done a lot of "surprising" things, healthwise, over the years and there seems to be no means whatsoever to make people on the internet happy with how I talk about it. No amount of bending over backwards to signal "this was something really, really, ordinary, I swear!!!!!" is ever enough to protect me from people reacting with animosity and I almost never know if it's because they do recognize me and know something about my back story or if it's because they don't recognize me. For me, it's a no win situation and it's not possible for me to guess what the magic words are that will keep everyone happy and get me out of the corner with the dunce's cap for the crime of not dying years ago from my serious medical condition because I'm so incredibly rude like that.
      - joefourier 6y ago
        For the sake of your own mental health, you should stop caring about what makes random internet strangers happy. There will be always a minority reacting with animosity to even the most milquetoast of content, and responding in frustration will only make it worse.
        6y ago

mattmaroon 6y ago

It seems really unlikely that vacuuming is worse for your health than not vacuuming. But maybe a good air filter and a roomba that runs while you sleep? I actually do that already but really because I’m lazy and don’t want to have to dust often.

DoreenMichele 6y ago
If you eliminate things that create dust, like books and carpeting and upholstered furniture, it doesn't get that dusty.
- mattmaroon 6y ago
  “ More than just dirt, house dust is a mix of sloughed-off skin cells, hair, clothing fibers, bacteria, dust mites, bits of dead bugs, soil particles, pollen, and microscopic specks of plastic” Most of those have nothing to do with carpet or furniture. And it’s hard to imagine that whatever a vacuum does to kick them up is worse for you than just breathing them in all the time and disturbing them when you walk. But really, that’s a case for a robot vacuum because it can eliminate the stuff when you’re not there.
  - DoreenMichele 6y ago
    You are basically dismissing my firsthand experience. Maybe that's not your intent, but you start off It seems really unlikely that vacuuming is worse for your health than not vacuuming. I'm telling you from firsthand experience that I don't have a lot of dust and my health is better these days and I don't own a vacuum. I'm not asking you to give up your vacuum. If you want citations supporting the idea that vacuums can spread germs and particulates, here's one: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3811220/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3811220/ If you want to continue to imply that I'm wrong to choose to live without a vacuum cleaner, I'm done. That's out of bounds for debate. It's a personal choice.
    - mattmaroon 6y ago

toomanybeersies 6y ago

My house only has carpet in the bedrooms, and wood flooring everywhere else. It's so much easier to clean than a fully-carpeted house, no need to worry about accidentally spilling drinks in the lounge or accidentally tracking dog shit through the hallway. Much easier to fix any damage as well. Best of all, it's much less dusty than a carpeted house, since the floor isn't covered with a giant magnet for dust and crumbs.