You know how much you love your cozy bed? Sadly, dust mites love it just as much. Without getting too gross, our bedrooms get so dusty because that’s where we shed a lot of dead skin (dust) and that’s why dust mites live there (more dust). Bed linens, including pillows and blankets, need to be cleaned often to keep the dust from piling up.
You can actually limit the amount of dust in your home by simply tweaking some common habits.
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Monitor Your Vacuum
You can vacuum all you want, but if your machine is spewing that dust right back in to the air or not sucking up the dust, you won’t ever get ahead. That’s why it’s important to know whether you should dust or vacuum first. If your vacuum has a bag, be sure to change it when it fills up. If you vacuum is bagless, empty out the dirt cup after every use. Clean or replace filters often and if your vacuum has a belt, check to make sure it’s in good shape. If not, replace it.
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If you have a forced-air HVAC system, put changing the filter on your monthly to-do list. It’s easy and takes very little time, but it will help greatly with dust control.
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Clean Your Blinds, Shades and Curtains
All window blinds, shades and curtains trap lots of dust. Why? It’s all that surface area. You can dust the blinds one blade at a time or remove them from their mounting hardware and wash them or have them professionally cleaned. Dusty shades can usually be wiped down with a damp cloth. And, curtains can be washed or professionally cleaned depending on what they’re made of.
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Groom Pets Outdoors
We love our pets, but they do contribute to indoor dustiness. When your pet’s fur needs brushing, it’s best to take them outside and make sure the windows downwind are closed.
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Contain Workshop Dust
If you have a woodworking shop in you home, you probably already have a dust collection system set up. However, if you do occasional projects involving cutting and sanding wood and you have a shop vacuum, you can still do a pretty good job of collecting the dust.
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Cut the Clutter
If you’ve crossed the line into pre-hoarder territory, it’s high time you got rid of a whole bunch of stuff. All of those knickknacks, gewgaws and doodads collect dust. Unless you plan to be diligent about keeping them clean, they are adding to your dust problem. If you can’t part with some treasures, at least box them up and rotate which items you have on display at any given time. You’ll have fewer things to dust and there will be less dust in your home. Make sure you know the difference between clutter versus hoa
