No matter how often you are cleaning your house, dust is an inevitable part of it. When you think about what dust really is, you will find out it is a combination of pollen, dead skin cells, insect parts, mould spores, ash, and more. It is attracted by a number of items and surfaces around your house and can quickly enter through open windows, doors, etc. In order to reduce the amount of dust around the home, you should understand which are the things that mostly produce/attract it, and avoid them. Keep reading to find common mistakes you should steer clear of to have less dust around your house.
1. Decorating with fuzzy floor coverings – While having tiled or hardwood floors makes it easier to vacuum and mop them, getting rid of dust in a minute, fuzzy floor coverings make it so much harder. They are a major dust producer and magnet. The fuzzier they are, the more dust that they accumulate in the air. They are also harder to clean which overall requires a lot more effort for cleaning your place. If you want to cover your floor in something but not attract a lot of dust, go for flat weaves instead of fluffy carpets. If you vacuum those on a regular basis, dust will be drastically reduced. If you suffer from allergies, or you simply want to go the extra mile, take your rugs out once every month or two, let them sit in the sun, and give them a good shake before bringing them back inside.
2. Dusting with filthy rags – If you have seen your mom clean the windows at home with an old t-shirt, do not follow her steps. Nowadays, microfiber cloths are available pretty much everywhere and will help you with window cleaning and glass surfaces without leaving streaks and lint behind. What is more,m microfiber cloths attract much more dust than regular rags. That will help you efficiently dust surfaces of all kinds around the house.
3. Skipping the doormat – Every time you walk outside, you collect a lot of dust particles, mud, dirt, and grime. Those stick to the bottom of your shoes and eventually end up inside your house. If you have a doormat, use it. If you do not have one, it is time to get it. By wiping your feet before you enter your house you will reduce the amount of dirt and germs that you bring inside. Another thing you can do to reduce this type of dust is to keep a shoe rack or a basket near the door and ask all your family members and friends to take their shoes off and leave them by the door.
4. Vacuuming with a dirty vacuum cleaner – When getting rid of dust, you should always start with the surfaces at the top of your rooms and work your way down. Once you have dusted all areas, some of the dust particles have ended up on the floor. This is when vacuuming comes in. However, if you are using your vacuum cleaner a lot and skip cleaning it, you will simply end up releasing the dust back into the room. If your vacuum filter is dirty and full of dust, all of it will end up being thrown into the air, as soon as you vacuum it. Clean or replace your filter to ensure efficient dust removal.
5. Letting the air get too dry – Dust and statics love each other. The particles get attached to surfaces much easier and you end up having a lot of grime and debris all over your place. To prevent that, aim to keep the humidity inside the house at 40-50%. Use a humidifier, especially in winter when the weather is generally dry. If you do not own a humidifier, you can keep trays full of water on top of your radiators, which will release moisture in the air and prevent dust from getting too comfortable.
6. Neglecting blinds and curtains – How often do you clean your blinds when dusting? Probably not as often as you should be. Blinds and curtains are powerful dust magnets. Especially because they hang right in front of windows which when open, let in a large amount of dust and pollen that eventually gets stuck to your blinds. To prevent dust buildup on them, you can use a amp microfiber cloth to give them a quick wipe when dusting. You can also use a dusting attachment for your vacuum. Make sure you tackle your curtains as well. Do this once a week and thoroughly wash both blinds and curtains once every month or two.
7. Forgetting the air filters – When you use your air conditioning or heating system, you are allowing large amounts of outside air to enter. The filters in your HVAC system prevent dust and pollen from entering the air. However, when not cleaned regularly, those stop being as efficient as they should be. Change your filters monthly, or if you have a reusable one, give it a thorough cleaning with soap and water once a month. Make sure you allow it to completely dry before putting it back into your appliance.
8. Covering shelves with items and clutter – Not only does it make it harder to dust your shelves, but excessive clutter will also attract a lot more dust. Avoid keeping a lot of items on your shelves or other surfaces. When dusting, remove all of them and give them a thorough wiping when dusting. If possible, it is best to keep any decorative objects in glass door cabinets or keep them on trays that will help you to quickly remove them when dusting the shelf they are on.