This is a question that has been plaguing me for a while - weird, I know, but I have been curious to find out why some houses get dusty quicker than others. For example, I know someone who has no kids, barely electronics and no animals yet accumulates dust at a rate of about 8 times the speed my home does that has a TV in almost every room, two computers, a kid and two dogs. Also, why does it seem to be worse in some rooms in the same house than others?
Dust can be a major issue affecting things like allergies, asthma, and breathing. Dust can, if allowed to grow indefinitely, play a negative role in the health of your lungs, even going as far as causing inflammatory infections, which can be either temporary or life-long. So my initial quandary - wanting to know why some houses accumulate more dust than others - is perpetuated by the fact that a significant amount of dust can be detrimental to ones' health, so I decided to do some research. Additionally, in finding out why dust accumulates rapidly I can also find out how to stop it from accumulating. First, though, I think we need to understand exactly what dust is.
What Is Dust?
Dust is a particle made up of many different things: bacteria, pollen, pollutants, mold, animal dander, hair, fibers, dryer lint, insulation, dust mites, cigarette smoke, paint particles, and skin flakes to name a few. It accumulates in areas throughout your home where there is very little displacement or traffic. For example, picture frames, tops of cabinets, windowsills, and ceiling fans are where you'll find a significant amount of dust most of the time.
Electronics also play a large roll in accumulating dust, but for different reasons. Although we are constantly touching the Xbox or using the cable box, your electronics always seem to have a significant amount of dust. This is due to something called Electromagnetism. Without getting too scientific (because I would get completely lost), electromagnetism is the function of positive and negative charges. So when dust particles are in the air and float by a TV or a DVD player, the positive charges from the Xbox induce a charge in the dust particle, pulling the negative charges closer to it, and pushing the positive charges away. The TV then attracts the negative side, pulling the dust particle to it. So not only do electronics play a large role in accumulating dust, dust is actually very bad for your PlayStation or cable box and must be as dust-free as possible. Easier said than done, right?
Where Does Dust Come From?
Although your electronics play a huge role is harbouring dust, they don't actually create dust, as most people think. So then, what creates dust and how can we avoid it?
There are a lot of factors that go into the creation of dust particles, but below, I will list the biggest culprits:
Your furnace
Your bedroom
Any carpets or rugs
Weather
Your Dryer
Pets
Although there are many more things that create dust in your home, these are the handful of places where dust is either harbored, created, or distributed. Though it has not yet been definitively proven as to the exact place that the very first phase of the "dust cycle" begins, the areas above are definitely a few of the offenders.
Allow me to create a fictional scenario that can help explain a version of a dust cycle. Let's start with the bedroom. In your bedroom, you probably have at least one blanket and at least one pillow. Perhaps you have two pillows, maybe four. And maybe you even have a sitting chair, which also has a throw blanket and two decorative pillows.
It's 10 pm and you're going to bed, although you quickly realize you forgot to make the bed that morning. So you throw your bed pillows onto your chair along with your bedspread. You pull the sheet out from under the mattress (it was only half on there anyways) and flick it so you're able to get it to the top of the mattress from your current position at the end of the bed. Air gets trapped beneath the sheet for a few seconds before the sheet falls lifelessly back onto the mattress, almost completely straight. You then straighten out the sheet, and grab your bedspread. Again, you flick it so that it reaches the other end of the bed and flatten it out. You then grab your pillows and gently toss them into their correct position. Now your bed is perfectly made and you can go to sleep comfortably.
Except, what you did when you flicked your blankets and tossed your pillows was throw all your dead skin cells (gross, I know), any dust mites that may have taken shelter there (doubly gross) and perhaps even some dog or cat fur into the air. Although it's so minute you will probably not see anything (unless the sun is shining and then you'll see it all), but now all these tiny particles need to land somewhere. So they land on the places that are either enclosed (because they can't go any further) like your Precious Moments collection on your bookcase, or onto the first available surface like the top of your headboard, your jewelry box, or top of the mirror on your dresser. And whatever doesn't find a new home on an inanimate object will cozy itself up within the fibers of your carpet or rugs.
So now, for the next few days before you vacuum your room (and depending on the type of vacuum you have, you may still be left with quite a bit of dust in the fibers of the carpet) every time you walk, every time you move an object, every time you flick your blanket, you're sending more and more particles into the air. Now, let's say one day when you're flicking your blanket, the air exchanges pops on and suddenly all the air-born particles are being forced through the grates into your ducts and into your furnace where they get trapped (and die) in your furnace's filter. After a few months (or a few weeks depending on the amount of dust that accumulates in your home) that filter will get full and it won't be able to hold on to any more dust. So what happens? The dust gets sucked into the furnace and the next time it kicks on, that dust is being sent back through your ducts and being blown through your vents into every room in your house. Pretty scary, huh?
Other factors, like weather, play a major role as well. While you're outside, and completely unaware, pollen, sand and dirt are collecting on the tiny little fibers on your clothes and then you bring them inside where they are sent through the air with the whole cycle creating anew.
So How Do I Avoid Dust?
There are a few ways you can avoid the accumulation of dust that don't involve completely renovating your home (ie: getting rid of your carpets - I don't know about you but I prefer to get out of bed in the morning to a soft, warm carpet than a cold, bare floor). I will list a few below:
Wash or replace your bedding once a week and try to vacuum (and maybe even sprinkle a little baking soda) your mattress at least once a month.
Vacuum your carpets regularly (if you have cats or dogs, vacuuming every few days is probably the best bet) and have them professionally steam cleaned at least once every 6 months.
Wash your curtains once every 8 weeks
Use a duster that traps dust and doesn't send it flying everywhere else
Dust and wash your ceiling or floor fans once a week
Change your furnace filter once every 3-4 months - more if you're living in a construction zone, have animals, or older carpets.
Vacuum your couches, fabric chairs and ottomans once a week
Wash your throw pillows and throw blankets once every two weeks - depending on how often they're used.
And if all of this seems like a lot of work you can always try calling your trusty neighborhood cleaning company to do it for you! :)
I hope you enjoyed this dust education article! It's always those every day things that we have accepted as a part of life that I begin to question and I thought that I could pass along this knowledge to you!
Have a great, dust-free day!
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