Dust seems to come from nowhere and accumulates everywhere. You clean and vacuum your home, and the next day dust reappears as if by magic. It's a sad fact of life that house dust doesn't ever go away, but you can cut down on the amount of cleaning you have to do when you understand where the dust in your home is coming from.
Some dust wanders into homes from outside like an uninvited guest. Energy Star lists fine debris in outdoor air of the biggest sources of house dust, which comes in through the doors, windows, and cracks in the house structure. To help keep your home clean, seal cracks in door and window frames, walls, crawlspaces and weatherstripping. Another source of household dust is dirt tracked in on footwear, so ask your family to take off their shoes and boots at the door and wear slippers at home.
It isn't nice to think about it, but some of the dust in your house is flakes of dead skin from people and animals. Your cat or dog also sheds hair or fur, which traps dust and creates dust under your furniture.
Carpets, rugs, furniture, bedding, upholstery, curtains, and anything else in your home that slowly wears down is a source of house dust. As the items are used, tiny and larger particles of soft furnishing fibers break off and join the dust layer. Vacuum carpets, rugs, and upholstery as often as possible to minimize dust collection. You might think that dust collects only on furnishings made up of soft fibers, such as carpeting and rugs. However, other furnishings like knick-knacks, plants and mini blinds are dust traps as well.
Old or poorly maintained furnaces and air conditioners contribute to dust in houses. If your home air and heating systems haven't been cleaned or maintained and you haven't changed your air conditioning filters for a while, they could be spreading dust in your house. Cracked and leaking air ducts are another source of dust, either from the HVAC system itself, or by allowing dust to enter the home from outside.
Dusting can feel like a never-ending chore, but you can reduce the amount of dust that appears in your house. For more advice on reducing dust or on whole home air cleaners, purifiers, and other indoor air quality systems and components, contact Ragsdale for expert advice.
Receive updates, current news, promotions, and industry tips.