How to Reduce the Amount of Dust in Your Home

Breathing air that’s filled with dust can make life unpleasant, especially for people with allergies, asthma, or other respiratory problems. While you can’t completely eliminate dust from your house, there are ways to keep it to a minimum.

Give Your Home a Thorough Cleaning
You might be surprised by how much dust is hiding in your house. Homeowners often overlook areas where dust tends to accumulate, such as on blinds, lampshades, baseboards, light fixtures and electronic devices and under knickknacks.

Go through your house room by room. Start cleaning places that are far from the floor and work your way down. Take a systematic approach so you don’t miss any trouble spots.

Lift objects and dust underneath them. Use a microfiber cloth or a damp rag or mop to collect dust. Use a vacuum to clean furniture, curtains and blinds.

Clean the Floor
If you have area rugs, take them outside and beat them to dislodge dust particles. Vacuuming the floors should be the final step in your cleaning process. It will give you an opportunity to collect dust that was on the floor before you started cleaning, as well as any dust that you stirred up while cleaning other surfaces.

Stick to a Cleaning Routine
Once you’ve given your house a deep cleaning, focus on maintenance. If clutter has been a problem in the past, create an organizational system that works for your family, set clear rules, and have people hold each other accountable.

If you have pets, groom them regularly so that loose hair and skin cells don’t get stuck to your carpet, furniture and other surfaces. If you have a cat, keep its litter box covered.

Set aside time at least a few days per week to dust and vacuum. That will keep dust from piling up and will feel less overwhelming than cleaning your entire house from top to bottom.

Make Changes to Keep Dust Away
Use doormats so people don’t bring dust and dirt into your house on their shoes. Vacuum or wash the doormats on a regular basis. Having people remove their shoes before they enter the house is another effective solution.

Carpets can trap a lot of dust, dirt and pet dander, even if you vacuum regularly. You might want to consider replacing carpet with wood, tile, or another hard flooring surface.

Clean Your Bedding
Wash sheets and pillowcases every week, and launder blankets and comforters regularly. Pillows can harbor dust mites. Wash them by hand or in the washing machine or take them to a dry cleaner.

Use Filters to Keep the Air Clean
Filters can help your family breathe easier and stay healthy. Replace your HVAC filters according to the manufacturer’s recommended schedule, and consider using high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to trap dust mites, pollen, pet dander and other small particles.