How to Reduce Dust in Your Home

One of the most common allergies people have is that of dust mites. These are small pests that hide in bits of dust around our house. Their dandruff and feces get into your sinuses and causes an allergic reaction, leading to sneezing, coughing, difficulty breathing and more. Even if you don’t have dust allergies, though, these pests can still affect you and cause some health problems.

So, you can combat their presence by getting rid of the dust in your house and keeping a cleaner environment for you and your family. We’re going to show you a few ways you can clean your house from top to bottom to reduce dust and breathe easier.

Vacuum Regularly

The most common place to find dust mites is in the carpet. They can embed themselves into the carpet fiber and be tough to remove, so be sure you vacuum thoroughly and regularly. It’s a good idea to vacuum once a week, at least, and then hire a professional vacuuming service a few times a year. By vacuuming on a regular basis, you make it hard for dust mites to take up residence in your home, and you ensure that less dust is kicked up into the air as you walk across the carpet.

Clean the Bedding

Bedsheets, blankets and pillowcases all house dust mites on a regular basis, and the more often you clean those, the easier you will be able to breathe. You’ll want to clean them every other week or so, as that will keep dust to a minimum and keep your bedding smelling clean and fresh. Be sure to clean not only your own bedding, but also that of your kids’.

If you decide to clean your bedding every week, then it’s a good idea to dust off or shake off the bedding on the weeks you do not clean it. This will make it harder for the dust mites to stay in one place and congregate.

When you do clean your bedding, it’s best to clean them in hot water to kill the dust mites as well as any bed bugs that may be there. You may also want to consider changing your bedding to hypoallergenic ones that will be more difficult for dust mites to take up residence in.

Wipe Instead of Dust

The idea of using a feather duster is an old one, and it is also outdated. Feather dusters don’t actually get rid of or reduce any dust. Instead, they just move it from the tabletops and shelves into the air and the floors. The dust is still there, but it is simply relocated. Instead of dusting, you should wipe your counters, shelves and furniture down with wet wipes or a wet cloth to get rid of dust. Be sure to wash out the rag as you work so that you are not using the rag to spread dust. This small change is an excellent way to reduce dust in your house, and it will definitely make the air easier to breathe.

You’ll want to make sure that you wipe down every surface that has dust. Don’t forget the top and sides of the television, all the bookshelves, the top of the bed, countertops, the sides and tops of cabinets and the tops and sides of appliances. The more places you can get rid of dust, the cleaner your house will be and the easier it will be to keep a healthy environment. You won’t see the pests you are cleaning up, but you will be making a difference.

You should do some wiping down every day and wipe thoroughly about once a week. This will keep your house looking and feeling clean and greatly reduce the dust mite population.

Get Those Hard to Reach Places

Not everywhere in your house will be so easy to clean. You will find it is difficult to dust behind your dryer, behind appliances, in your windowsills and other out-of-the-way places. Even your ceilings need a little love from time to time. Cleaning out cobwebs can get rid of some of the dust, and you may need to use a broom or a dry mop to get rid of cobwebs or dust on the corner of the ceiling.

If when dusting these areas you send dust flying into the air, then you may want to use a wet rag attached to whatever cleaning implement you use. This will absorb the dust and keep it from spreading around.

Clean the Ducts

The air ducts in your house are a prevalent source of dust and dust mites. These need to be cleaned out regularly as well, and it’s always best to use a duct cleaning expert to do that. The dust and vents in your home spread air throughout your home, which means that if they are dirty, then they will spread dust mites and other allergens in every room of the house. Having duct cleaning done by a professional company may not always be cheap, but it is worth it to reduce the amount of dust in your home and feel better. This is one of the most important parts of keeping your home as dust free as possible, and it is something that you should have done a few times a year. You can inspect your ducts and vents every so often to see if they are looking dirty and then just have them cleaned whenever they look like they are in need of a cleaning.

This probably isn’t something that you can do yourself, and you should entrust the work to someone who has the tools and training to clean out your entire ventilation system.

If you manage to do all the cleaning we have listed here, then your house is going to be much more pleasant to live in. Those with dust allergies will be able to breathe properly, and those who have no allergies will be healthier and sleep better.