How Do I Keep My House Dust-Free?
“I just cleaned yesterday,” you say as you wipe your finger across the coffee table and leave a streak in the layer of dust. What gives? Why does your home get so dusty, and what can you do to keep it a little cleaner? In this article, we’ll explore how to keep your house dust-free.
Why Does My Home Get So Dusty in the First Place?
Great question! What makes keeping your house dust-free so challenging is that there are many, many sources of dust. Pollen, bacteria, ash, smoke, dirt, rock, sand, skin cells (from humans and animals), hair, and fur might all be combining forces to make your home a dusty disaster. If you live in an area that’s windy or experiences a lot of wildfires, or if you have pets (especially ones that shed), it might be even worse.
Is Dust Dangerous?
We want to emphasize that to a degree, dust is normal and harmless. However, if you don’t stay on top of it, dust can be dangerous. The particles can agitate your eyes, throat, and nose. If they’re small enough, they can penetrate the lungs and bloodstream. Long-term, we’re talking about damage to your respiratory system, coughing, wheezing, eye problems, and hay fever. And if you have pre-existing conditions like allergies, asthma, emphysema, and chronic obstructive airway disease, those might get worse, too. At an extreme, long-term and excessive exposure to dust can even lead to bronchitis, lung cancer, and other serious diseases.
Okay, So How Can I Keep My Home Dust-Free?
When it comes to minimizing dust in the home, don’t just work hard — work smart! Let’s break down a few important guidelines.
1. Clean Strategically
Your cleaning habits matter! First, you want to ensure that you clean from the top down. That way, you’re not letting more dust fall to the floor after you’ve already vacuumed and mopped it.
Be mindful of high-traffic areas. These will need more attention than areas of your home that you don’t frequently occupy. If you have pets, plan to vacuum a couple of times a week. You can minimize your work by keeping them off the furniture. (Otherwise, you’ll need to wash/vacuum that, too!)
On a similar note, have a designated area for de-shedding and grooming your furry pals. When they come in from outside, wipe them down — including their little feet. Pets bring all sorts of germs and bacteria inside, carrying them on their fur and paws.
Wash your bedding weekly. Dust and tiny bugs love to set up shop in there. And avoid clutter as much as possible. This creates more surfaces on which dust can collect, creating more cleaning for you. Plus, once again, bugs love hiding in tiny, dark areas. If you let the clutter get out of hand, a creepy crawler might make an appearance.
2. Tap into the Power of Air Purification
You need to be proactive to prevent dust in your home but also reactive — because you won’t be able to control it completely. That’s where an air purifier can help. What should you look for in this kind of device, exactly?
Well, for starters, you want a replaceable filter, not a washable filter. You have to manually clean washable filters, which is dangerous and ineffective. Additionally, you want to look for an air purifier that uses a medical-grade HEPA 13 filter. This is a very powerful filter that’s capable of trapping even teeny-tiny particles, which means that the air you breathe is going to be that much cleaner.
And speaking of filters, you want an air purification system that has more than one of them. This is because different layers are needed to capture solid particles and gaseous particles.
3. Be Mindful of Ventilation and Air Flow
In many cases, airflow is a good thing. For example, proper ventilation is necessary to keep mold at bay, since mold thrives in damp environments (like the bathroom and laundry room). Similarly, if you have a gas stove or frequently cook with a wood-burning stove, it’s important to crack a window or door so the smoky air can escape and fresh air can come in.
However, there are other times when you should leave the doors and windows closed as much as possible. If the pollen count is high, or if you’re trying to prevent wildfire smoke from getting into your home, limiting air circulation becomes necessary.
But how can you know if it’s safe to have the windows and doors open? Check out AirNow.gov. It’ll tell you what the air quality is currently like in your area. If it’s poor, stay inside with the windows and doors shut. If you have to leave your home, consider wearing a mask.
Crystal Clear Air Purification with Sans
We spend most of our time indoors — around 90%. What are you inhaling? All sorts of nasty particles might be floating through the air you breathe, irritating your airways, making the kids sneeze, and being tracked through the house by the dogs. Here’s the good news: You now know that there are several things you can do to keep the dust in your home under control!
Sans provides air purification that you can feel. With three layers of defense — plus pulses of UV-C light — threatening airborne particles don’t stand a chance. It monitors the quality of your air in real-time and runs as needed, always whisper-quiet so as not to disturb you. The purifier will alert you when it’s time to change the filter so that your machine can always run optimally.
Ready to breathe easier? Shop with Sans today.