Where dust comes from and how you can get rid of it
Table of Contents
○ Outside
○ You and your pet
○ Your possessions
○ Clean your floors regularly
○ Clean your bedding regularly
○ Vacuum carpets, curtains and upholstery
○ Clean and dust your electronics
○ Improve pet care
○ Remove your shoes before entering the house
○ Change air conditioning unit filters
○ Air purifier with HEPA filter
Dust is everywhere
Your house may be collecting 18 kilograms of dust per year *1.
And it’s everywhere.No wonder it sometimes feels like, no matter how much you clean, dust has a habit of turning up again and again (as well as hiding under the couch where you can’t reach it). So you might try ignoring its presence since it can seem impossible to know how to remove dust from your room. But dust can affect indoor air quality and have a negative impact on your health.
What is dust?
Dust is made up of a variety of components, including: hairs, dead skin cells, body parts of dead insects, dust mites, bacteria, clothing fibres, animal dander, food particles, pollen, and bits of plastic*2. Dust also collects pollutants from around the home*3 which can have a greater impact on your health than you might think.
*1 https://www.today.com/health/dust-your-home-can-make-you-sick-here-s-how-t110831
*2 https://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i7/Tracing-chemistry-household-dust.html
*3 https://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i7/Tracing-chemistry-household-dust.html
Negative health effects from dust
Since we spend most of our time indoors, we’re more vulnerable to dust’s negative health effects.
These effects include:
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Eye irritation
- Asthma attacks
- Hay fever*4
Dust has also been found to carry harmful heavy metals, pathogens, and carcinogens. Some of the chemicals that dust collects can also be toxic to the reproductive and nervous systems*5. The trouble is that dust is really easy to disturb and circulate around the home – meaning that you could be repeatedly exposed to those pollutants.
*4 https://www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/F_I/Health-effects-of-dust
*5 https://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i7/Tracing-chemistry-household-dust.html
Where does dust come from?
It might feel like it’s turning up out of nowhere.But because dust is made up of many things, it comes from a few sources:
Outside
Around 60% of the dust inside your home actually comes from outside*6. Pollen and soil, as well as outdoor pollutants, are carried into your home through your shoes, clothes, and hair. As you’d expect, they also come in through cracks, windows and doors*7.
You and your pet
Dust is also made up of bits of you. Your dead skin cells and hair form a small percentage of dust. It’s commonly thought that dust is made up mostly of dead skin cells, but that actually isn’t the case. It’s just a small part of what makes dust.And your beloved pet also contributes with its dander.
Your possessions
From food particles to dryer lint and clothing fibres,*8 dust is also made up of a wide variety of your belongings and the products you use.
The most dangerous components of dust are the chemicals released from construction materials as well as cosmetic and cleaning products*9.
*6 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028114023.htm
*7 https://www.marthastewart.com/8302592/how-to-prevent-dust
*8 https://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i7/Tracing-chemistry-household-dust.html
*9 https://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i7/Tracing-chemistry-household-dust.html
Where does dust collect in the house?
- Furniture
- Blinds and curtains
- Bedding
- Indoor plants
- Walls
- Ledges
- Books
- Computers, keyboards, tablets and phones
- Bedding
- Air ducts and filters*10
*10 https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/dusting-polishing/places-you-should-dust-at-home
How to make your room dust-free
There are a number of simple steps you can take to make each room dust-free:
1.Clean your floors regularly
The best way to clean the floors is by using a vacuum at least once a week.This is really important if you have carpets at home, since dust mites often gather within. If you have wooden, tiled, or marbled floors it’s a good idea to follow vacuuming with mopping. This removes any remaining dust and prevents it from settling.
2.Clean your bedding regularly
Your bedding can be one of the top places where dust gathers. And a third of your pillow’s weight could be made of dead skin, dust mites (and their faeces)*11. Knowing that should be enough motivation to wash your bedding at least once a week (and in hot water too). That’ll solve the problem. Your pillow might feel lighter afterwards.
3.Vacuum carpets, curtains and upholstery
When you’re vacuuming, don’t just stop at the floors. Make sure you also vacuum any rugs, carpeted areas, curtains, and upholstery. Dust and dust mites love to make their home within the fibres of these places – and they can often be missed. Dust mites love these areas because they eat dead skin cells that collect on the fibres. By vacuuming and getting rid of the skin cells and dust mites, you’ll be preventing allergic reactions in your home.
4.Clean and dust your electronics
Dust tends to settle in the grooves, cracks and crevices of your electronic devices. Give them a good, regular clean and you’ll not only reduce dust, but also ensure that your electronics continue to work well.
5.Improve pet care
Groom your pets regularly in an area of your home that can be easily cleaned after finishing.That way you’ll be making sure that the dander, pollen and other pollutants don’t spread throughout your home.
6.Remove your shoes before entering the house
Soil, pollen and other outdoor pollutants are brought into the home on your shoes. Since 60% of dust comes from outside, it’s a good idea to set a house rule that no shoes are worn inside of the house.
7.Change air conditioning unit filters
Air conditioners can be the source of a lot of dust and allergens – if they’re not regularly maintained. Over time, filters become dirty. If the filters aren’t cleaned or replaced regularly, they could be spreading more dust and other pollutants around the home – making the situation worse. They also only recycle the air within your home; so if you have poor indoor air quality, they won’t improve it*12.
8.Air purifier with HEPA filter
Air purifiers are specially designed to remove contaminants from the air including dust, dirt, pollen, mould, and bacteria.There are many kinds of air purifiers, but the ones with HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters remove 99.95% of pollutants that float around your home.So, they’re a great solution to use in combination with regular cleaning to keep your house as dust-free as possible.
*11 https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/06/your-pillow-full-bugs-dead-skin-dust-mites-and-their-feces/352108/
*12 https://porterchester.edu/news-events/does-my-air-conditioner-purify-air
nanoe™ X
nanoe™ X cleans the air of your home. It inhibits and breaks down the things that cause dust: allergens, pollen, pet dander, mould, insect waste, certain bacteria and viruses and pollutants that come from outside.It uses hydroxyl radicals (natural reactive molecules) which attach themselves to these contaminants – breaking them down.
It works 24 hours a day, so you can breathe easy and relax, knowing that it is maintaining a cleaner environment in your home.A healthier home for you and your family.
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