How to Keep Dust Free Home – 8 Easy Ways

It’s never fun to find dust in your home sitting on practically everything it can reach. No matter how much you clean it, it always comes back. It’s no secret that keeping your place dust-free is an on-going task and it’s easy to lose interest in it now and then. Dust, then, seems to accumulate faster. As long as you know the right ways to go about cleaning it and you’re equipped with the right supplies, it’s not a big task to get rid of all that nasty dust.

Best Ways to Get Rid of Dust in the Home

Dust is made up of all kinds of tiny particles that can be easily swept by the air currents. It’s usually dead skin cells from our bodies, plant pollen, fibres from clothes and paper and other dirt blown by the wind. Although it’s impossible to get rid of all of it, there are some easy ways on how to get rid of dust particles in the house.

1. Get the Right Cleaning Supplies

Dry cloth or a simple brush is the most obvious choice when it comes to cleaning and dusting. However these two don’t remove as much dust as we want them to, they mostly move dust around or suspend it in the air which later settles everywhere else. Many dust removal products available on the market do not do such a good job either. What you need to look for are high-quality microfiber rags which can retain the dust as well as good quality dusting wands. The dusting cloth should feel sticky; you should be able to feel the microfiber cling to your skin when you touch them. Avoid dusting wands that have feathers on end. Instead, look for the ones that have microfibers.

2. Use the Dusting Tools Right

Knowing how and where to use the dusting cloth or wand can make a lot of difference to your dusting routine. Unfold the dusting cloth and place it over a dusty item to cover as much surface as possible. Glide it over the object with light pressure and move it in only one direction. When the cloth gets saturated with dust, flip it over to use the other side. A high-quality microfiber dusting cloth traps dust in one sweep, and there is no need for repeated strokes to get it all.

A dusting wand is ideal to clean hard-to-reach places such as tall cabinets, ceiling fans, bookshelves etc.

Extend and flex the wand as much as needed to get as much reach as you need. With slow back-and-forth motion to clean the dust off the surface. Have a dusting cloth below to catch any dust that falls.

3. Clean From Top to Bottom

The highest surfaces should be cleaned first so all the dust that falls below can be cleaned subsequently. Start with the ceiling fan and move to the top of bookshelves and work your way down. Never use a feathered duster when cleaning something high above, it spreads the dust around. Vacuum everything below at the end of the cleaning session.

4. Remove Dust From Difficult-to-Reach Places

• Electronics attract dust more easily than anything else due to their minute electrical charges. TV’s, stereos, DVD players, videogame consoles and anything that runs on electricity gather dust in their air vents and crevices. Start with running a dusting wand across the appliances and use a vacuum cleaner to suck away the remaining dust. Some prefer to blow away the dust with pressurised air or a blower. Although it cleans the inside of the appliance, the dust only gets blown into a big cloud that engulfs everything around.

• Ceiling fans aren’t cleaned as often as the rest of the appliances in the house, and because of this, they tend to accumulate thicker dust. Cover the area under the fan as much as possible with newspapers as plenty of built-up dust will fall as you clean the fan. Dry clean the fan with a microfiber cloth once to get rid of most of the dust. Then give it another sweep with a damp cloth sprayed with a mild cleanser to remove all the stuck dust.

• Remove the dust behind and under appliances. This is the perfect hiding spot for dust bunnies that are hard to sweep; they are best cleared with a vacuum. Finally, mop the corners and the floor with a damp sponge mop to get rid of anything that’s left.

5. Keep the Closets Tidy

Closets are a significant source of cloth fibre which makes of most of the dust in our houses. Garments stored in the closets shed fibre regularly; therefore it’s good to vacuum the closet often. A better way to further reduce the dust confetti from cabinets is to store the stuff in garment bags or plastic bags and containers.

6. Clean the Carpets

Carpeted floors are exceptionally high maintenance as they are a magnet for dust and dust mites. They should be vacuumed every day and maybe more than once if there are people with allergies in the house. If you must keep your carpet, considering buying a vacuum cleaner that comes with a double-layered microfilter bag, even better, a high-efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA) to prevent dust from being re-introduced into the air. Hardwood, tile or linoleum floors are what you need if you want your house to have less dust. Also, avoid shag carpeting; they’re notoriously hard to clean.

7. Avoid Dust Sources

Your sheets, blankets, pillowcases etc. must be washed regularly to prevent dust build up. Choose materials that are washable. Fuzzy sheets will inevitably contribute to dust by shedding fibres, therefore try and avoid those. Dust from outdoors is common when you have kids. Although it’s easy to blame them for it, everybody gives a ride to dust particles routinely through their footwear. A doormat outside and a rug inside the door can stop most of this dust from entering, better still, leave all footwear outside the door. Keeping your house dry by using dehumidifiers and exhaust fans is a great way to avoid mould and mildew. These fungi colonies thrive in damp environments and release large amounts of spores that contribute to dust, bad odours and allergies.

8. Also, Try These

• Invest in an air purifier. Living in a dusty neighbourhood would need more cleaning cycles throughout the week. An air purifier can be very beneficial in such cases, especially if you have dust allergies or asthma. While they filter dust particles, they’re not effective against dust mites.

• Cover your mattresses in a dust-proof or zippered cover to protect it from dust and mites. Synthetic mattresses and pillows release the least dust compared to their organic counterparts.

• Keep your floor clutter free. Books, toys, clothes or any other stuff piling in one place is a magnet for dust.

• Change your vacuum cleaners filter every three months. If you can find disposable filters that can be replaced in a shorter span, that works more efficiently.

Keeping your house free of dust involves two things; avoiding what contributes to it in the first place and smart ways to clean when they do accumulate.

Also Read:

Steps for Cleaning Your Blankets at Home
Effective Ways for Cleaning and Organizing Your Closet
Tips on How to Make Your Home Allergy-Free