Singaporeans are not cleaning their house thoroughly, allowing potentially harmful bacteria to thrive – study shows

Dyson announces the results of its annual global dust study that investigates cleaning habits and behaviours and delves into our understanding of household dust and the potential impact it can have on our well-being.

The study, undertaken by 32,282 respondents from 33 countries around the world revealed that 94% of Singaporeans are cleaning just as much, if not more, than they did last year to ensure their homes remain a clean and healthy space as many continue to be concerned about the cleanliness of their homes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, 46% of Singaporeans are only motivated to clean when their home was dusty or when there was visible dust and dirt on the floor, compared to 40% globally.

Year-on-year, there are positive shifts in people’s cleaning habits. More people are vacuuming some of the commonly overlooked spaces including their mattresses and sofas when cleaning the home. However, many people continue to neglect these spaces – 68% of Singaporeans do not vacuum their mattresses while close to 7 in 10 do not vacuum their sofas.

While 82% of Singaporeans understand that household dust can contribute to illnesses like asthma, only 30% are aware that dust mite faeces can be a trigger for allergies.  While it might look clean, a mattress could be a hot bed of microscopic life, impacting one’s wellbeing while they sleep. There can be millions of dust mites in a single mattress and the problem is a global one. Dust mites, their faeces, bacteria, viruses, pollen and other allergens make up the complex matrix that is household dust, which also exists in a mattress.

Beyond becoming more frequent cleaners, the pandemic also saw a surge in pet ownership and 50% of households across the world now own a pet. The study reveals that more than 1 in 2 Singaporean pet owners allow their dogs or cats to sleep on their beds, more so than the rest of respondents in other Southeast Asia markets. However, awareness of what may reside on their pets is low which is a concern.

• 8 in 10 pet owners are unaware that food residues can reside on their pets
• 8 in 10 pet owners are unaware that house dust mite faeces can reside on their pets
• 6 in 10 pet owners are unaware that viruses can reside on their pets
• 6 in 10 pet owners are unaware that bacteria and skin flakes can reside on their pets

People often think that pet hair triggers allergies. However, some allergies are triggered by allergens that can also be found in pet dander. While nearly half of pet owners in Singapore groom their pets at home at least once a week, and 8 in 10 of them only groom with a brush or comb. This reduces the amount of pet hair they shed around the home; but microscopic particles remain on their pets that can potentially be spread around the home.

Dyson’s research shows us that the best way to tackle dust is to remove it from the home completely. The Dyson Global Dust Study reveals that people feel that vacuum cleaners are the most effective in removing dust from the home, with the vacuum cleaner as the top cleaning tool by owners at 74% in Singapore, while a wet cloth comes in second at 71%.

This is why Dyson spent almost 20 years studying real dust – only by understanding the complex matrix of household dust can the brand better enable its vacuum cleaners to deal with the conditions they face in real homes.

Their engineers spend a lot of time developing the filters and seals to make sure that they capture not only the dust you can see, but also the dust you can’t. The brand wants to make sure that what has been sucked up remains trapped in the bin and is not expelled back into your home – helping to keep your home clean and hygienic.