air quality, cleaning and pet health

[Noah & me (GA)]

Obviously we don't use Pine-Sol on our floors etc. Hot water and a dash of vinegar gets ceramic tiles clean as new. Lately our furnace/AC filters have been turning black after just a few weeks. My first thought was black mold followed by what might have been a mild stroke.
We had two guys inspect the system today who assured us it was not mold. The very next question was "do you burn candles?" They had seen this many times before so it could have been much worse but I'm still an idiot for burning tiny vanilla scented candles where our cats live and breathe. The filters weren't dirty, they were BLACK.
Next week our ducts get cleaned, something we need to do every five years at a minimum.
Can anyone recommend a steam cleaner that doesn't crap out after one year?

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

Are you looking for a carpet cleaner? If so, I recommend the Bissell Proheat Pet carpet cleaner. I have two of them so I don't have to lug one of them upstairs when I need to clean the carpets up there. I have had both of them for years and they still do a great job.

Also, use soy candles instead of regular wax candles. They do not produce the soot that are in your ducts.

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

No carpets here but the grout in the tiles is disgusting. Thanks for the candle advice, it's just one tiny candle every three days.
We were advised to have our ducts cleaned right after the house was built. Out came the expected nails and drywall mud along with a very old sandwich.
Our newly built not quite a dream home was built in a rush. The builders don't sweep away dust and dirt because it would take a day to settle and mess up the painter's schedule. What we found when we pulled up the carpeting was beyond disgusting.

 

[Abby and Cassie]

We use wax warmers! I also like to make my own wax melts out of beeswax and safe scents for kitties, but that's a bit more work. We have a lot of cats (Combined households with my brother and we all had cats lol!), and the fur and dust everywhere is crazy. We got a few of the Honeywell air purifiers and they work fantastically! A bit pricy but I struggle with asthma and my mom has COPD and it's really helped I think. I miss burning candles though, they were so relaxing and cozy.