10 Simple Things That Will Reduce Dust In Your House

Dust isn’t exactly harmful, per se, but there are good reasons to try and keep dust at a minimum inside your home. Inside dust particles are dust mites, which are microscopic, spider-like critters that feed on the dead skin cells we continually shed.

According to allergy experts, dust mites play a role in why approximately 30 percent of the population suffers from one or more allergic disorders. So if you (or anyone in your household, for that matter) experience asthma or allergy symptoms, preventing dust from accumulating can be very much worth the effort.

If it sounds like a near-impossible task right now, it should sound a lot more doable once you’ve read today’s post! These 10 simple tips can go a long way toward reducing the amount of dust throughout your home (and they’ll make your regular cleaning routine easier too!)

10 Ways To Reduce Dust In Your Home

1. Keep Windows And Doors Closed

While fresh air is great, it can also be full of dust! Not even window and door screens can prevent airborne pollen and small dust particles from entering your home through open windows and doors, so keep them closed to reduce the amount of dust coming inside.

2. Change Or Clean Air Filters Monthly

Whether you have a central air conditioning system or individual A/C units, it’s important to change or clean the air filters regularly to remove trapped dust and dirt. (If you have a hard time remembering to do it, use the monthly arrival of your power bill as a signal that it’s time to clean those filters!)

For central air systems, consider replacing dirty filters with clean HEPA filters that remove at least 99.9 percent of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, and airborne particles. And don’t forget to clean or change the filters in your range hood, clothes dryers, and other appliances with air intakes regularly too!

3. Use Doormats And Remove Your Shoes

Placing washable or easily cleaned doormats inside and outside the doors into your home will go a long way toward keeping out the dust and dirt that can get tracked in by shoes and paws. Reminding everyone to take their shoes off at the door will also help a lot.

4. Add An Air Purifier

Air purifiers do more than eliminate odors from the air—they also capture dust. Most purifiers use a fan system that pulls air in through a filter that captures particles, then recirculates the clean air.

Air purifiers are available in a variety of sizes, capacities, and prices, and are well worth the investment if you have an allergy or asthma sufferer in the house. (My husband and kids who have seasonal allergies swear by their air purifiers for making life more bearable when pollen counts are high!)

5. Change Bedding And Towels Weekly

Since dust mites feed on dead skin cells, bedrooms and bathrooms are prime real estate to these critters. Keep allergens and dust mites down by washing your bed linens, towels, and bath mats once a week.

You can also reduce the number of dust mites in your sleeping area by encasing your pillows and mattress in protective covers.

6. Clear The Clutter

From the stack of papers on your desk to your grandmother’s collection of teapots on an open shelf, every item out in the open is continually collecting dust. Reduce the number of dust-collecting items in your house by getting rid of items that you don’t use or need, or by displaying collections behind glass to keep them dust-free.

7. Identify Dust Traps

Certain surfaces trap more dust than others, and while you probably won’t want to get rid of all of them, it’s important to at least identify them so you know what needs to be washed or cleaned regularly.

• Fabric upholstery: Fabric traps and releases dust much more easily than leather upholstery or non-upholstered furniture.
• Heavy drapes and blinds: These trap more dust than lightweight curtains that can be washed frequently.
• Faux plants: Dust has a way of clinging to faux plants, where live ones can be easily rinsed off.
• Faux fur: Throw pillows and throw blankets made of faux fur trap more dust than their lightweight counterparts.

8. Use Dust-Trapping Cleaning Tools

Using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter will help to trap dust rather than pushing it around or back into the air, as will an electrostatic duster like a Swiffer duster or microfiber cloth. Additionally, make sure to keep your cleaning tools clean so they can operate at full power and function.

9. Brush And Bathe Pets

They may be part of the family, but pets also contribute significantly to the amount of dust in our homes between dander and the particles they settles on their fur. Bathe and brush your pets frequently—or vacuum them, if that’s something your pet enjoys—and consider keeping your number of pets low if someone in the house is highly sensitive to dust.

10. Don’t Forget Your Clothes

If’s there’s dust on the shoulders of any clothes hanging in your closet, that may be a sign that it’s time to get rid of them. For items you want to keep, wash them before storing them in a breathable storage bag (which, ideally, should also be washable).

How do you fight dust in your home?