Strange specks of material on carpet

[Paul Demers]

This is a strange one. Went to a upper middle class house to do an estimate. Customer asks if I can apply a pesticide to carpet when I clean. Goes on to explain that since returing from a trip to New York, these small pieces of stuff keep reappearing on his carpeting. Claims found a lot of them around his suitcase initially, but now have spread throughout bedroom and adjacent living areas. He has a pest control company come. They checked for bed bugs, although these flecks nothing to do with bedbugs, and found none. Pest control told customer specks of material were just small pieces of debris tracked in from outside. Nothing they could do for him.

Flecks of material vary somewhat but seem to come in about three different shapes. On shape is about 1/4 inch flat stringy looking thing with some thickness at each end. Looks like it could be a tiny piece of decaying leaf. Others are flat brown specks that could also be a piece of leaf. Other pieces are small, dark pelletts, about 1/8 inch long. Looks like these could be poop pelletts, but would have to be from a very small rodent or other.

Anyway. Man lives alone, takes shoes off before entering house. Claims he vacuums and vacuums and this "stuff" comes back after a day or two. I took about a dozen samples of this stuff and looked at them under a microscope. Flat pieces look like pieces of leaf to me. Pettets seem to have pieces of fiber in them. Nothing moving.

Carpet is loop. I assumed nylon, Don't think it could be wool, but didnt test yet. It is not polyester or olifin.

I am thinking some type of rodent problem, building a nest somewhere and pooping. I don't think could be carpet beatle related. Could also be contaminated air system. Customer does not believe rodent or air system related, as he claims he found lots of this stuff around his suitcase.

I have a pest control guy going to look at samples tomorrow, and plan on giving carpet a good flushing on Saturday.

Any thoughts on what might be going on ?

Thanks

 

[Bruce Humphrey]

Pictures?

 

[Royal Man]

The round ones sound like mouse poop.

 

[Paul Demers]

I will try to take a pic of my samples tomorrow, but I loaned out my SLR camera with close up lens, so I am not sure if pic will help.

Customer just called me again. He was just as his ex wife's house and found the stuff there too. He traveled to New York with his daughter, daughter lives with Mom. He stated again that he originally found "tons" of this stuff around and in his suit case that sat for a few days. He is on his way out of town now, and claims that by Saturday there will be lots of this stuff back on his carpet, unlike today as he had recently vacuumed.

I was thinking rodent but the fact this stuff was around his suit case didn't make sense, unless rodent was going to nest in suitcase.... dont think they do that ...? Now he says wife's house contaminated really has me confused on what is going on. He is really concerned having his 8 yr old daughter exposed to something he does not know what it is.

 

[Paul Demers]

Well, I just looked over my samples with a microscope. A couple of the pellet shaped pieces look like tiny rocks, but others look organic with very tiny fiber looking things coming out of them, so looks like poop to me. The longer pieces look like tiny pieces of leaves. In other words, normal stuff folks track in their homes.

The ground is very wet outside here in Pennsylvania, full of decaying crap from last fall. My guess is his air system is somehow full of junk, he has a heat pump in addition to furance, so I don't know if that could be a factor. As he takes off shoes before entering house, I am not sure what else to think.

I will check air system filters on Saturday when i Clean. I don't think there is any connection between the debris in his carpet and his travel, but he sure has convinced himself it's something he brought home with him.

 

[sarahreed00]

Was this problem solved? I was having the same issue and I wanted to know if it's similar to what I have encountered with my previous clients. Do you have sample photos? Thanks!