How to Dust Less for a Healthier Home

 

We all have that never ending battle with dust. Why is it that as soon as we think we have it conquered, it returns to constantly haunt us? If you have allergies especially to it, you know it can become even more of a problem. The less that you have of it in your life, the healthier, happier and cleaner your home will be. With that said, here are some ways that can help you dust less.

Dust-Busting 101–Prevention

To get the upper hand on dust, a formidable enemy, you need to rethink dusting. Instead of just waiting when you notice dust, you need to take preventive measures first, which greatly helps give you more control over it.

The worst dust-catching objects are knickknacks. Though I love beautiful vases, figurines, and ornamental pieces to display in my livingroom and bedrooms, these objects tend to attract more dust. To better my health, I limit the number of knickknacks per room. In fact, I found working around a few bigger pieces is an ideal way to dust less.

If you have a lot of small figurines or knickknacks that you like to display like a salt and pepper shaker collection, a curio cabinet that has a glass door is better than out in the open on a shelf, adorning furniture or in an unprotected display cabinet.

When I was a small girl, I was fascinated by the beauty of small perfume bottles.  My relatives knew how I loved the shapes and artful designs and would save their small bottles from their perfume sets just for me. I would carefully arrange my perfume treasures that amounted to a sizable collection on a long mirrored tray in my bedroom. However, my mother always made it my job to dust each one if I wanted to display them all. Since I loved watching how the light from my window hit the bottles when I was in bed, I never seemed to mind keeping them free of dust and as pretty as possible. I had more time when I was young unlike as an adult. Therefore, I like to display less is a better option.

For the bedroom what I found helps get a better handle on dust is investing in allergy-reducing covers to encase the mattress and pillows. Make sure the protective covers that you are considering have microfine fibers and wash them at least twice a year. These specific fibers can help cut down the exposure to dust mite allergens.

Another help to dust less is protecting the entrances to your home. I found that heavy, rubber-backed doormats with a tight weave parked outside of all the doors helps keep the house cleaner without bringing more dirt and dust inside.

You also may want to consider getting an air purifier for your home that can zap dust before it has a chance to fall. Two choices are available with an ionic air cleaner or a fan-powered cleaner. The difference is the ionic cleaner operates with negative ions to capture the airborne molecules of dust. This sounds great, but the problem is it becomes negatively charged from the process. As a result, the ionic treated dust seems to become magnetic in how it collects other pollutants and contaminants in the air. Not only does it compromise the air that you are breathing with additional contaminants, but it produces ozone. On the other hand, the fan-powered cleaner catches the dust and filters it.

Something else that can help is remembering to change your furnace and air-conditioning filters regularly. The best way to keep track for me is marking a day each month on my calender to take care of that task. When shopping for new filters, your best bets are picking up the pleated ones with a higher MERV (minimum efficiency rating value) that is suitable for your furnace.

Drapes and carpets do pick up more dust than ones such as wood, metal or plastic blinds. If you about to redecorate, you may want to consider new choices from those alternatives.

Fabric softeners and dryer sheets make the clothes smell so nice, but they also deposit an oil-based film that can build up over time and even catch fire. What I use since learning about that is Purex Complete Crystals Softener, which doesn’t embed into the fabric. It gives the clothes a lovely fragrance and helps them look new.

Reducing static in the air that draws dust also helps. Therefore, you want to get a humidifier or even place bowls of water by air vents is a way to control static to dust less.

What I am suggesting may not completely end your war with this common household enemy, but it can help you dust less!