How can I Eliminate Dust from my Home?

home garden

It often seems that we've no sooner finished cleaning dust from our homes when it starts to settle once again. No one wants a house full of dust. In addition to being unsightly, it also contributes to uncomfortable situations such as asthma and allergies.

So, what are the best ways to remove dust from your home?

If you'd like your house as dust free as possible, simple surface dusting isn't going to do the trick. Dust doesn't only rest on visible surfaces. It embeds itself in fibers and and builds up into bunnies under the bed. Your job is to identify all the places dust hides in your home and deal with them accordingly.

Carpets are a breeding ground for dust and other allergens. One of the best ways to cut down on the dust in one's home is to remove carpeting. Area rugs are better, but they, too, harbor dust. If this is not an option, carpets and rugs must be vacuumed regularly. At least once a week, more often if you have that kind of time. Cleaning the carpet regularly will also help.

Keep in mind that knick-knacks, candles, books, or anything sitting on a shelf or table on a regular basis will attract dust. If you're looking to eliminate the amount of dust in your home, consider whether these items are necessary to keep on display.

Even rooms without carpeting accumulate dust on the ground. One place that can't be overlooked is under furniture. If you look under your bed, you'll probably notice a dust bunny or two. Consider this to be the situation under every piece of furniture in your home. These areas need to be cleaned regularly. Use the hose and other attachments on your vacuum to make it easier to get into these areas.

An air filter or purifier will help to remove airborne dust particles from the air. There are models in all sizes and price ranges so you should have no problem finding one that best suits your situation.

When cleaning surfaces such as table tops and shelves, try wearing gloves instead of using a cloth or rag. This will keep fingerprints off the surface and enable you to get into crevices a little easier. If you spray furniture polish on gloves or dust cloth, it will enable you to pick up the dust easier. A dryer sheet makes a wonderful dust cloth, using one will not only pick up dust, it will eliminate static making it harder for dust particles to adhere to the surface.

There are places you wouldn't think of that should be vacuumed regularly. Stoves and refrigerators should be moved out and cleaned behind. Use the hose attachment to vacuum the appliances themselves and remove all the dust from vents and coils. These vents and ducts need to be cleaned of dust on a regular basis. A shop vac is great for this task.

Don't forget ceilings, especially the corners. They're hard to reach but a dust mop or Swiffer will help. A dust cloth sprayed with furniture polish or dryer sheet draped over a broom will also help to remove dust from these high areas.

Lights, lamps and chandeliers are all magnets for dust. Don't overlook these in your dusting ritual.

If dust in the home has become an issue, you'd be well advised to do your best to eliminate the amount of dust in your home. Dust will never completely disappear, but by following some of the above mentioned steps, your home will be as close to dust free as possible.

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4
I have heard about HEPA filters, but after speaking with an expert, says that better for your vac is a catcher on your hose that prevents particular sized material entering your vac at all. It's like a demonstration catcher that you may have seen on various infomercials to demonstrate their vacuum ability. This combined with any (barrel) vac attached at handle of hose will prevent build-up of particles and be easier to reduce dust and easier to empty too.
- anon32243
3
As for the question above, I am no expert but I do know that some of what comprises dust is, in fact from our skin. That is why you should launder your bedding in hot water because dust mites feed on those particles off skin that come off of us. There are other things in dust though, a lot gets blown in or tracked in from the outside so trying not to wear shoes in the house helps too. Your friend should relax, there's nothing you can do about normal human "shedding"...besides maybe scrubbing her skin in the shower with a loofah. Anyway, regular and thorough vacuuming with a good vacuum with a HEPA filter should suffice!
- anon27146
2
Someone told a friend of mine dust comes from the shedding of your skin in your home. Is this true??

My friend is eighty years old and was getting her home treated for pests and the pest control man told her dust was caused from shedding of her skin and she should change her living habits. She is a very clean person and this has her very paranoid about the dust in her home. Please let us know if this is true so I can help calm her fears.

- anon19496
1
I don't know if air filters really work - it might just end up being one more thing to collect dust!
- knittingpro

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Written by Deborah Ng


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