Do you know that dust buildup can cause serious health challenges, including life-threatening conditions like asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis? Although it’s almost an impossible task to prevent dust completely, we can show you how to reduce dust in your home.
So, if you dream of walking into an immaculate house without taking the time or effort, TLC Cleaning is ready to help.
Where Did All That Dust Come From?
A common myth about dust is that it comes from dead skin cells. While that’s true, these tiny particles come from both indoor and outdoor sources. They include road dust that sticks to your shoes, vehicle exhaust particles that get into your pet’s hair, decomposing insects, smoking indoors, cooking, and more.
Even if your house is closed up for a long time, dust will still find its way into it through cracks and crevices. Thankfully, there’s so much you can do about it.
5 Top Tips to Reduce Dust in Your Home
Here are the top five tips to eliminate household dust:
1. Lock it Out
You don’t want to bring dust particles from outdoors into your home. So, what should you do?
Placing doormats in front of your home’s entrances ensures that you and your guests wipe their feet before coming in. It significantly reduces the grime and dirt and prevents them from traveling beyond the mats. You can even adopt a no-shoe policy or invest in house shoes.
Also, you should consider locking doors and windows during allergy season and on windy days. If your house is close to a busy road, you should also lock up during peak traffic hours.
2. Change Bedding Weekly
Think about it, you sleep on your mattress every day and might even eat on it when you’re sick, reading a book, or watching a movie. If you also own a pet, your furry friends may leave some furs when they sneak in to say hello.
In those cases, your bedsheet is a collecting point for bodily fluids, oils from your skin, dead skin cells, pet hair, and dust mites. But you can reduce these by washing sheets and pillowcases weekly.
3. Vacuum Regularly
This isn’t the time to bring out that broom. Instead of collecting dust and dirt, it circulates them. For a change, you should get a vacuum cleaner that has a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. It’ll help to trap dust, debris, and allergens faster.
Meanwhile, your vacuum cleaner may become less effective if you don’t clean the HEPA filter. Most homeowners clean their vacuum filters once every three months. But if you’re vacuuming a high-traffic area, you should clean the filter monthly.
4. Invest in Air Purifiers
While you may already have a central HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning) system, adding air purifiers is the way to go. They not only eliminate odors but also trap dust, leaving you with cleaner air.
Air purifiers can capture up to 99% of microscopic airborne allergens, particles, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They’re available in different capacities, depending on the size of your room. Some also offer energy-efficient products that automatically shut off to help you save costs.
Whether you’re using an HVAC system or an air purifier, replacing the air filter on time ensures you breathe in quality indoor air and spend less time cleaning. You should change the HVAC air filter every three months and that of the air purifier every six to twelve months.
5. Get the Right Dusting Tools
Put down those feather dusters for a while, as they end up pushing dust around instead of getting rid of it.
Feather dusters must be made from genuine ostrich feathers, and you should know how to use them. Otherwise, they’re useless. Besides, they barely fit into modern living since there are improved dusting tools.
You should consider applying furniture polish to a microfiber cloth to capture dust successfully. Also, you can get a microfiber extendable duster for dusting ceiling fans, door frames, air vents, and the top of cabinets or bookshelves. The head is soft, reusable, and traps dust without applying chemicals.
Bonus: Dusting Hacks for Your Home
Here are some additional dusting tips for a dust-free home:
- Always dust from top to bottom so the particles can fall before you vacuum.
- Groom pets outdoors or on an old towel. It’s easy to pack up their furs, discard them, and launder the towel.
- Use a clean paintbrush to dust electronics like computers and TVs.
- Use the upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner to get rid of dust on your mattress.
- Slip a sock over your hand to reach those tiny slots between your window blinds.
- A lint roller is great for fabrics. You can run it over curtains, pillowcases, and lampshades to remove dust.
- Use hard cleaning products for stone and concrete floors.
Final Thoughts
Houses are structured differently; with our tips and conscious efforts, you’ll figure out how to reduce dust in your home. However, if you want to eliminate dust as much as possible but don’t have the time or you’re scared of allergy triggers, don’t worry.
You can contact us to do the dirty work. We always deliver with a touch of excellence!
