5 Simple Tips to Reduce Household Dust

If you are sick and tired of finding household dust all over the place, even after you’ve cleaned regularly, you aren’t alone.

These tiny particles of pollen, dead skin cells, dirt, debris, and dander have the unpleasant little habit of collecting together – covering almost anything and everything in your home no matter what you do. What’s even worse is the fact that household dust isn’t just unsightly – it can also cause all kinds of hassle and headache for those that have allergies or respiratory issues.

Thankfully, there are a couple of insider secrets you’ll be able to take advantage of (insider secrets straight from professional cleaners that combat dust on a daily basis) that allow you to banish dust, dirt, and debris from your home once and for all.

We are going to break these down to 10 tricks in this post, giving you an almost unfair advantage in the war against household dust.

Go straight to the largest source of household dust to attack the problem before it gets any worse

Even though you’re usually going to find dust piling up behind photographs, on top of flat surfaces, and deep within your carpets, the biggest source of household dust is always going to be your bed and your mattress. 

Believe it or not (and this might gross some people out) come one of the largest contributors to household dust is the dead skin cells that slough right off of your body as you sleep. When you rub up against even the softest sheets and pillowcases, you’re going to peel off outer layers of skin. Those outer layers of skin are going to dry up and collect with other sources of dirt, debris, and dander to generate a lot of dust.

Getting your hands on quality bedding (especially allergen proof bedding) can go a long way towards cutting down on the amount of dust that your bed is going to generate. However, by sticking to a weekly cleaning schedule, this is going to be greatly beneficial in the long-term.

Invest in multiple sets of allergen proof bedding so that you’ll be able to effortlessly switch things out every seven days without having to wait for your laundry to be done to have your bed clothes back on and ready to go!

Clean forgot spaces more frequently to banish dust once and for all

The overwhelming majority of people are going to tackle their weekly cleaning routine the same way every time – hitting all of the major areas, vacuuming and mopping, and doing a bit of dusting.

However, the odds are pretty good that you aren’t cleaning out your closets, aren’t cleaning behind closed doors, and aren’t making sure that those often forgot spaces get cleaned at least twice a month to keep the dust in your house down.

It might add a little bit to your cleaning routine as far as time is concerned, but it’s definitely going to cut down quite a bit on the dust and dander that you have to deal with.

Keep your floors as clutter-free as possible (and say no to carpets)

This is probably a little bit of a no-brainer, but a lot of people are pretty surprised to learn that even just a little bit of clutter on the floor – especially if it’s old clothes world choose – can have a significant impact on the amount of dust created in your home. Make sure to check out our recent post on how simple decluttering can create a happier family environment. 

Try not to pile clothing, magazines, or pre-much anything else on the floor or you’re going to invite dust mites to the party and asked them to go wild. Sometimes this is it going to be effortlessly avoided, and from time to time things are just going to sort of pileup.

That’s why you’re going to want to make sure that you focus on clearing these piles of clutter away. Regularly take the time to vacuum or to dust, really trying to get up as much of the debris or dander as possible before it gets into the air (and eventually your lungs).

Secondly, if you have the chance, you’re going to want to skip out on carpets. Sure, they look incredible – and they also help to protect your hardwood floors – but carpets are ridiculously high maintenance and are an absolute magnet for dust and debris. This is where the bulk of the dust mites in your home are going to try and migrate (especially if you are regularly cleaning your bed clothes). You’re also going to have a real tough time pulling them out of the carpet without a pretty powerful vacuum.

Make sure that your vacuum cleaner is taking advantage of a HEPA filtration system and that it leverages cyclonic suction technology. That’s the only way that you’re going to be able to fight all of this dust and debris. Make sure that you’re vacuuming at least a couple of times a week as well come or the dust is really going to start to pile up.

Clean from the top to the bottom of every room

If your major focus is making sure that everything is just as clean as possible and that your rooms are all dust-free, you need to make sure you clean every space from the highest to the lowest point.

This means working from the top of all your bookshelves, the top of every window and then moving towards the bottom of the floor. Finish this up with either vacuuming or mopping. You’ll be able to push dust down when you take this approach, allowing anything that you miss to collect on the floor (which is the last thing that you’ll clean up).

Take advantage of cleaning tools designed to remove dust

As mentioned above, you’re going to want to make sure that you are taking advantage of vacuum cleaners that have built-in HEPA filters (high-efficiency particle filters) that are going to trap even the finest pieces of dust so that you don’t have to worry about breathing it all in later down the line.

Vacuum cleaners that leverage cyclonic suction technology (first pioneered by Dyson vacuums) are also going to be able to pull dust, dirt, and debris out of almost any floor material imaginable. The ones that use attachments for your furniture will be able to really help you cut down on dust throughout the house.

Of course, you’ll also want to look into purchasing microfiber dusting rags and cleaning towels. They work much better at trapping and containing dust than traditional cotton or paper towels can. Microfiber rags and towels are 100% machine washable so that you’ll be able save a significant sum of money compared to those that are disposable.

You should even be able to find microfiber cleaning solutions that attach to broom handles or mops so you’re able to reach hard to-get-to places around the home (especially those up high, behind large pieces of furniture. eg window blinds).

If you’re having a difficult time finding these microfiber cleaning cloths, look for those that are sold in automotive parts stores as “detailing rags”. They are often quite a bit cheaper than those sold expressly for cleaning around the house but do not differ in any significant way whatsoever.

Say Goodbye to the war on dust

At the end of the day, you have to realise that you are going to be waging a daily war against dust – and most of the time, you are going to be on the losing side.

That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t continue to fight the battle on a regular basis. It certainly doesn’t matter that you should throw the towel in and give up just because the dust (in some way, shape, or form) is always going to be there.

Instead, come up with cleaning routines that allow you to quickly and efficiently get rid of any dust that has already accumulated. Take advantage of smart cleaning solutions and tools that help streamline the process. Think about different changes you can make in your day to day life that will cut down on the amount of dust generated in your home to begin with.

Get rid of your carpeted surfaces (or cut down on the amount of carpet you have in your home), make sure that you are exfoliating your dead skin cells every week so that they don’t end up in your mattress, and make sure that your pets are regularly groomed to keep them from contributing to your dust problem as well.

Don’t open your windows when pollen is in the air (especially during the springtime, a temptation that is challenging to fight for sure), and always clean your home from the top down so that you’ll be able to get rid of as much dust at once as you possibly could.

Hopefully, now you’ll be armed with enough inside information to kick dust to the curb once and for all!

For a comprehensive household clean to rid your home of all traces of dust, call the Sydney home cleaning professionals, Simply Maid. We’ll have your home looking completely brand new in no time! To make a booking, simply use our online booking form or call us 1300 009 363.

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Karen Saunders

Content Manager at Simply Maid

Karen Saunders is a full-time Content Manager at Simply Maid. Her 8+ years of writing experience spans the fields of copywriting, sales copy, blogging, editing and paraphrasing. Some of her areas of expertise include house cleaning, health and fitness, lifestyle topics, home décor and interior designing, travel tips, dog-related articles, and product descriptions and reviews.

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