Carpets have long been known to be a reservoir for the growth and accumulation of microorganisms and allergens, however, the effects of carpet fiber composition, construction, and carpet wear on dust mites and fungal growth have not been fully explored. Recent investigations have identified high surface area and the absence of a fluorocarbon coating as significant factors in the retention of dust mite and cat allergen on carpet. Although several investigators have studied the effects of acaricides and fungi on contaminated carpets a systematic approach to finding the best field combination of cleaning and chemical use has not been established.

The purposes of this research are to evaluate the interaction of dust mite and fungal growth on carpet, screen for effective acaricides that can kill dust mites, evaluate biocides that can kill both dust mites and fungi, conduct experiments that can determine the growth of these organisms on various carpets, and determine the most efficacious cleaning and biocidal regimens for abating dust mites and fungi in carpet. All experiments will be conducted in the laboratory. The major hypothesis to be tested is that surface area of a carpet and carpet wear will affect the growth and cleaning of microorganisms and allergens from carpet.

Although many attempts have been made to evaluate one or two techniques for eradication of dust mites, very few studies have focused on eradication of dust mites together with fungi. This study incorporates three important policy objectives: first, to identify carpet properties that could be adopted in homes to minimize the growth of clinically important allergens second, to find an efficacious cleaning and biocidal regimen that can be used to control some of the allergens in carpet that are known to trigger asthma, and third, to establish criteria for effective cleaning of allergens and microbes from carpets.