Even if you keep your house perfectly clean and tidy, dust is an inevitable issue you will have to deal with all the time. The particles of dust are constantly moving and appearing around us, as they are made of dirt, pollen, skin cells, hair, fibers, mold spores, chemicals, ash, etc.
Cleaning the dust is important for everyone’s health, especially for people with allergies, asthma, or any other problems with breathing.
Not only that keeping your home clean from dust will improve the air quality and your overall health, but it can extend the life of your appliances, furniture, and electronics. Getting rid of dust is simple as it can be, but it requires patience and consistency. Regular cleaning at least once a week, including dusting, vacuuming, and washing your bedsheets is all you need.
Still, let us revise a few simple tricks that will help you fight the dust and make your life easier.
1. Stick to the Routine
When it comes to cleaning dust, routine is the key. Cleaning your home regularly, at least once per week is a must to keep the dust out of rooms and the indoor air clean. Think about your weekly schedule and pick a time you will dedicate to cleaning your house.
Of course, if you sometimes skip a day, that’s ok, but try to make it up soon. After all, remember you are doing that for your own good, and if you dust often, the cleaning goes much easier than when you’re putting it off for a while.
In general, this is how you could plan your cleaning:
Daily: Swipe the dust if you see it on your furniture, or simply clean the surfaces that are frequently in use like your dining table, desk where you work, coffee tables, or places near the windows and doors.
Weekly: This is the cleaning you shouldn’t skip. Clean the dust from all furniture and surfaces in your home that you can easily reach. That includes all the desks and tables, but also bookshelves, picture frames, lamp shades, and all decorative items, as well as plants, electronics, and home appliances.
Monthly: Once a month try to expand your cleaning and reach out to the frames of windows and doors, top of the wardrobes or the fridge, ceiling fans, drapes, and mattresses, as they hide more dust than you can imagine. This can take a bit more time, but it’s important to properly clean the dust that hides on these less visible spots.
Yearly: At least once a year organize a big deep-clean of the house and try to reach all the spots to remove all those heavy layers of dust that have been untouched for so long. Move the furniture and vacuum behind and underneath it, and don’t forget the windows, ceilings, and walls. It might sound crazy but lots of dust gets stuck on flat surfaces like those, so don’t miss to clean your walls, especially if there is a person in your household that suffers from asthma or allergies.
2. Vacuum or Dust First? — What Order Is the Best?
Have you ever wondered whether you are cleaning your house in the right order? Even though there are no written rules, the general suggestion is to always clean your home from the top to the bottom, meaning that dusting the shelves and the furniture first is a good idea.
Even with the best duster, some particles of dust will land lower, and finally to the floor. Vacuum the dust off the floor after that to avoid doing it twice or ruining your efforts.
In the past, vacuum cleaners were kicking lots of dust back into the air, so it’s a common belief that dusting should be done after vacuuming. However, nowadays vacuum cleaners are made with multiple filters which keep most of the dust particles locked inside.
3. How to Clean the Dust Effectively?
Besides trying to clean the dust regularly, make sure you are using good microfiber cloths and dusters, as that’s the perfect material for collecting dust. Vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters are the best for containing dust, and remember that sweeping isn’t nearly as effective for removing dust.
If you like, you can also use any multi-surface dust spray, and finally, water when mopping the floors or cleaning the windows.
The most effective way to clean the dust in your home is to clear up the rooms, shelves, and tables from clutter before dusting, and shake out the cloths whenever they get filled with dust. Don’t forget to empty or change the vacuum bags and filters from time to time, too, as they won’t suck in much dust when they’re full.
4. Use Doormats and Take Off Your Shoes
Every time anyone enters your house, they bring dirt on their shoes inside. Simple indoor and outdoor mats are already a great help to keep the dirt out or at least at the door. Even after wiping your shoes off at the entrance, take them off and leave them there.
Entering your home with the shoes on can only spread dirt, dust, and bacteria, so getting used to taking them off will make your home cleaner and a healthier place to live in.
5. How to Clean Carpets and Sofas?
Carpets, sofas, cushions, curtains, and other fabrics in your home all gather and contain dust, so it’s very important not to forget to clean them, as well. Carpets can look very nice and create a warm and cozy atmosphere, however, no matter how often you vacuum them, they’ll still contain some dust that rises in the air with every step you make.
Many suggestions say that for a dust-free home, you’ll have to get rid of your carpets too, and if anyone in your family suffers from allergies, that could be a really good idea.
Still, if you’re not ready to give up your carpets and rugs, shake or beat them outside at least once a year, like in the old days, and you’ll see just how much dust your vacuum cleaner missed to extract.
Sofas and armchairs can be vacuumed, and even better if you have the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner. Remove all the pillows and vacuum them thoroughly whenever you can. Lots of such furniture will have removable covers that can be washed separately in a washing machine or at dry cleaners. That is a very good and practical option to keep your sofas clean, and you should use the chance to do it at least once per year.
The same goes for curtains and window coverings, vacuum them monthly and wash them at least once a year to get rid of the invisible layers of dust that have been sitting there for a while.
6. Clean the Bed Sheets Weekly
You probably know that washing your bed sheets once a week is a must. Even if it doesn’t look dirty, while you sleep, your bed and bed sheets soak up sweat and other bodily fluids, dead skin particles, hair, etc, which makes a perfect home for mites and various bacteria that can cause allergies and breathing problems.
It sounds pretty gross, but if you wash your bedding regularly, you will maintain the needed hygiene and prevent dust in your bedroom. However, washing bed sheets isn’t enough. Dust mites can live inside your pillows and blankets, too, and you can get rid of them by washing them in hot water every couple of months.
7. Use Water
After vacuuming, mop the floors with water to get rid of absolutely all pieces of dust and dirt. A wet cloth or a mop will reach and collect everything you missed while dusting and vacuuming and can also remove the stains off the floor.
Water also works on all other surfaces, so consider using a damp cloth after dusting your furniture from time to time, as well as when cleaning your indoor plants.
A simple bucket of warm water will do wonders, however, you can also choose from several different dust and floor cleaning products specialized for all types of surfaces to add and mix with water. Make mopping your weekly routine and do it every time after vacuuming to make the cleaning complete.
8. Consider Getting an Air Purifier
There will always be some dust floating in the air until it finds a place to land on your floor or the furniture. To grab those dust particles before they settle in your home, you can consider investing in an air purifier.
They can remove about 99% of airborne particles like dust, pollen, bacteria, or mold, so it is a very good option for people suffering from asthma and allergies. They can be found in different shapes and sizes, can be big whole-house units, or portable and small air purifiers that can clean a single room.
However, if you decide to get one, make sure it has the HEPA filter which can only truly stop those tiny particles from getting back into the air inside your home.
9. Get Rid of the Clutter
Let’s admit it, we tend to collect unnecessary things in our homes. Whether we hide them in storage or expose them on our shelves as beautiful decorations, they often just stand there untouched and — collect dust.
If you have a problem with getting rid of dust or suffer from allergies or other breathing issues, check and rethink what of your beautiful decorations you really need. If you figure it’s time for a change, get rid of some unnecessary dust-collecting stuff.
Otherwise, just don’t forget they are there, and that you need to move them and dust them every time you do the cleaning. Besides, keeping your things and clothes tidy will make it so much easier to clean the space around them.
10. Keep the Windows Closed
Letting the fresh air into your home is absolutely necessary, and on warm days feeling the soft breeze from the outside is just wonderful. Still, if you are trying to keep your home as dust-free as possible, you’ll need to control the habit of keeping the windows open for a long time.
The air from the outside brings dust, dirt, pollen, and all sorts of airborne pollutants. You have probably seen the dark layers of dirt buildup on your window sills and blinds, so you can imagine all that getting inside your home when the windows are open.
Keeping the windows closed rather than open all the time will reduce the amount of dust coming from the outside, and help you maintain your house cleaner and healthier.
