How to Get Rid of Dust
Have you ever seen a dust mite up close? Of course you haven’t- dust mites are teensy little creatures which are microscopic. They come from the same family as ticks and spiders. Ick. I know, you’re grossed out already! What do dust mites have in common with dust in your home, other than their name? These tiny creatures feast on dust, and do very well in dusty homes and other environments in which large amounts of dust are present.
Dust & Dust Mites
While there are many people allergic to dust itself, allergies to dust mites can cause major issues in an individual. Symptoms of allergies to dust and/or dust mites are similar to seasonal allergies, and can cause major respiratory problems as well. That tiny creature that you can’t even see, could be making you sick- even worse, the dust in your home is ALSO making you sick!
Ways to Get Rid of Dust
When trying to get rid of dust, it’s important to look at any potential causes for the presence of dust, and to find ways to make it easier to maintain a “dust-free zone.” It is absolutely impossible to completely rid your home of dust, but you can keep the dust to a minimum and thus lessen the potential for allergies or getting sick.
Rid Your Carpet of Dust
Carpeting is the number one area in your home that collects dust. If you can live without carpet, then this is an excellent way to reduce dust in your home. Hard flooring- tile, wood, linoleum- is much easier to keep clean and dust-free than carpet. The wonderful part about hard flooring is, even if you have rugs, you can wash them easily and removed dust from them this way.
If you absolutely have no option but to keep carpeting in your home, it’s important to vacuum on a regular basis, and also to steam-clean your carpeting periodically. This will drastically reduce the amount of dust in your home, and a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter will help keep dust from being thrown back into the air while cleaning.
Invest in Air Purifiers and Air Filters
Air purifiers or filters are a wonderful option for helping to maintain low dust levels in your home as well. Keep your air conditioner filters changed before they get too dirty, and this will reduce the amount of dust in your home as well. Air purifiers with HEPA filters will also help to maintain cleaner air in your home, and will even REMOVE dust from the air in your home.
Groom Your Pets Regularly
If you have pets, make sure you brush, groom and bath them regularly. Make sure to vacuum furniture and floors often. Pet dander and hair are major causes of dust and dust allergies. If you can, keep Fido or Fluffy off the couch, and make sure you brush him/her regularly with a brush that “grabs” loose hair and dander, rather than having him/her shed all over the place.
Avoid Extra Fabric Around the House
Avoid furniture covers, “dust ruffles” on beds, and heavy draperies or curtains. Cloth furniture covers, dust ruffles and drapes or curtains hold dust and when moved around, cause the dust to be released back into the air. If you must have these things, make sure to wash them periodically, and of course, mini-blinds should be taken down at least once a month and washed in warm soapy water, or a water/vinegar mix. This helps remove dust and keep dust out of the air.
Wash Your Bedding
Wash your bedding in hot water, and add vinegar to your wash water. Vinegar is a natural dust remover/repellent. Another great way to keep dust and dust mites out of your bed is to buy a vinyl cover for your mattress. The vinyl cover prevents dust from seeping into your mattress, and can be washed easily in the washing machine, or even washed with a wash rag.
Clean Your Floors
Rather than sweeping or vacuuming your hard flooring, you can buy a small, portable “stick-type” vacuum or even a disposable cleaner pad-mop, these will help you to avoid throwing dust back into the air when cleaning. Vinegar is a wonderful natural cleaner, I know it smells, but it’s a great dust repellent. Mixing 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water will make a wonderful cleaner, or for particularly dusty areas, full-strength. Vinegar or a vinegar mixture, can be used on just about any surface area, and the smell will evaporate as the vinegar dries.
Don’t Clutter!
Avoid clutter like the plague, lest you feel like you’ve got the plague! Clutter is a major “dust-magnet,” and will make it extremely difficult for you to maintain a low-dust environment. Think about investing in book-cases or curio-cabinets with doors, or a glass front, this makes it easier to access or display your books or knick-knacks, but helps keep dust at bay.
Dust will never completely be gone, but you can maintain a fairly dust-free environment, and your allergies will thank you for it!
