Dust is a natural and unavoidable by-product of our environment. Excess dust can decrease the overall air quality (IAQ) throughout your home, resulting in respiratory and allergy problems. There are many factors that can affect IAQ, but taking control of household dust is one place to start.
The following are several ways you can take control of household dust and improve the air quality inside your home:
- Clean indoors regularly – Make it habit to clean your indoor spaces regularly. Sweep hard floors, vacuum carpets and dust shelving and other items at least once a week.
- Change bedding weekly – Bedding is a significant source of dust because of cloth fibers and dead skin cells. Bedding should be changed every week and replaced with bedding that has been thoroughly laundered in hot water.
- Change the air filter – The air filter in the furnace, heat pump or air conditioner helps to keep dust and other contaminants out of your indoor air. It traps these particulates as air circulates through the HVAC system. Check the air filter monthly, or according to the manufacturer’s specifications, or as soon as dust begins accumulating.
- Clean rugs outside – It is best to clean throw rugs, sofa cushions and similar upholstery items outside if possible. For large rugs in particular, it will be difficult to shake out accumulated dust. It is counterproductive to try to shake dust from any rug while indoors. An effective method is to place rugs over a clothesline or fence and beat with a strong broom or stick to remove even more dust. Remember to use a dust mask or effective covering to avoid breathing in dust.
- Cleaning Supplies Matter – Use cleaning cloths or mop heads with an electrostatic charge. This allows the material to pick up dust and hold it rather than just spread it around. For cleaning products, try to choose those with no or few volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can further reduce air quality.