Deteriorating Building Materials. Over time, some building materials used in older homes can break down and deteriorate, releasing dust and particles inside the home. Here's a few examples of building materials prone to breaking down and releasing particles, making old houses dustier: Insulation.
We find in older homes dust is a much bigger issue than in newer construction. Older homes tend to be leakier and let in more outside air. Again, in an older home, the windows and the seals around them have deteriorated and more dust is allowed into the home.
Your home's air duct system might be the culprit in sucking dust in from a dusty place or area in your house. An ordinary house loses a percentage of the air through the ducts or holes around fittings. It causes dusty air by spreading it to your home.
Unfortunately, keeping your windows open will not reduce the amount of dust in your home; in fact, doing this could increase it. There is a lot of dust in the air outside, which is comprised of dirt, sand, pollen, spores,'bits' of insects and a great deal more.
Vacuum often to reduce dust mites, ensure to do rugs and get under beds and couches. The Australian Asthma Handbook by the National Asthma Council Australia suggests using a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. Regularly clean carpets and couches. Wash curtains and dust window coverings.
All you need is vinegar, olive oil, and a touch of soap to recreate my grandmother's dust-repellant spray recipe. The coating the spray leaves helps more dust propel off surfaces and onto the floor, which means you'll have to clean those hard to dust places a little less.
Do air purifiers remove dust or not? The short answer is yes, most air purifiers on the market are designed to remove large dust particles from the air. Many feature mechanical filtration, which is a method of capturing pollutants on filters.
Invest in an Air Purifier
By using an air purifier, you can trap those dust particles before they have a chance to settle. Be sure to get one with a true HEPA filter; which according to the EPA, can remove at least 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and any airborne particles with a size of 0.3 microns.
In order to keep your home's air quality top notch, you should be dusting at least every other week, if not weekly. Choose a time each week, like Wednesday after you pick the kids up from soccer practice, to dust your house, or dust a certain area each day.
Ideally, you should dust your home regularly. If you don't dust every week, you should at least dust every other week. However, there's actually a difference between a regular dusting and the dusting you do during spring cleaning. The items you deep clean are ones that are less noticeable.
The general concensus is somewhere between once a week and once a month for a dust, and every few months for a deep clean / dust. The difference in time frames is due to the factors listed above. If you have a lot of furniture or live in a dry climate, you might need to dust more often.
You don't have enough ventilation.
But if your filter is dirty or clogged up with pet dander, dirt, or other air pollutants, it won't do a good job of collecting new dust that pops up—which would end up settling on your bedroom's surfaces. The fix is simple: Change the air filter.
True HEPA filters are effective at removing ultra fine particles (think: dust, dander, pollen, mold and other common allergens in the home). The industry standard is that the unit must be able to remove at least 99.97% of particulates measuring 0.3 micron diameter in a lab setting.
Increased moisture in your indoor air soaks the airborne dust particles, making them heavier and unable to stay suspended. While humidifiers don't get rid of dust, they do reduce the amount that remains airborne in your home.
All you need is vinegar, olive oil, and a touch of soap to recreate my grandmother's dust-repellant spray recipe. The coating the spray leaves helps more dust propel off surfaces and onto the floor, which means you'll have to clean those hard to dust places a little less.
White distilled vinegar is a great (and inexpensive) solution to get rid of dust. Because the vinegar cuts through grease and grime, it can also help to naturally lift off more dust. Plus, vinegar adds disinfecting benefits to the surface that you sprayed it on.
Yes, baking soda is a good cleaning agent. Baking soda acts as a cleaning agent because it is a mild alkali and can cause dirt and grease to dissolve easily in water for effective removal. Because baking soda is a pure, natural product that is also a food, it is non-toxic, unlike many other household cleaners.
Keep Windows Closed to Keep Dust Out
Keep your windows closed as much as possible during peak traffic hours. Dust does not come in much during the early morning hours when there is still dew and morning mist outside, so make sure you use this time to open your windows for fresh air.
So how often should you open your windows? It's recommended that you do so once a day, for at least five minutes. Fifteen to 20 minutes is preferable. However, when you open them is also important.
Keeping a window open reduced concentration of carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and some particulate matter in participant bedrooms. People slept better. Keeping a door open also reduced carbon dioxide concentration, without a direct correlation to improving sleep.
When windows are kept closed and there is insufficient air circulation inside, condensation can form on the panes. If ignored, this moisture can create serious problems. Mold, bacteria, and other toxins can start to build up and possibly cause illness in those living in the home.