Many people have dust allergies. If you’re one of them, you want to control them ASAP. Here’s how to do that.
1. Reorganize Your Closets
Dust and closets are made for each other. They’re full of tiny little fibers from clothes and towels, even bedding. And, all that adds up. Every time you open the door, it’s a dust cyclone. However, you can’t totally prevent clothes from shedding fibers. But, you can make closets easier to keep clean. This will cut way down on the dust, too.
Clear plastic containers are the best at keeping dust at a minimum. They lock fibers in the container and keep dust out. Plus, you can see what’s inside of them, so there’s no mystery. They are better than cardboard and even better than letting everything flop around in the closet with no protection or containment, whatsoever.
2. Change Your Bedding Every Single Week
Your bedding can become a major source of dust, if you let it. Your cozy sanctuary at night becomes a major distribution system for dust (and dust mites). That’s because it collects skin flakes, hair, sheds its own fibers, and puffs out staleness with each toss and turn.
Take the blankets off, shake them out once a week, and smack the pillows. Wash or dry clean them to really get them clean.
3. Upgrade Your Furnace Filtration
Your furnace filter is probably old and dusty – contributing to the problem instead of helping to solve it. You can change your filter easily, but that might not be good enough. According to Academy Air HVAC, some systems need to be upgraded. You see, if your home has a heating or AC distribution system, the filter helps control the dust circulating around in the air by filtering it.
But, most of the visible dust will just settle on the floors and the furniture before it gets into the HVAC. Electrostatic filters connect to your ductwork and are pretty pricey, but they get the job done like nothing else. They can cost up to $1,000 though for a professional install.
If you have allergies, it’s usually worth the price, however, because the electrostatic filter will actively grab dust out of the air. If you don’t have allergies, or they’re not that bad, it should run you about $100 per year on a disposable filter. Fiberglass filters only trap large dust particles, which are the most popular kinds of filters.
Make sure you get a multi-stage filtration system and change it as soon as you notice significant dust on it. If you have a rechargeable filter, wash it, dry it, and then reinstall.
4. Use Dust-Minimizing Cleaning Supplies
You want to capture the dust, not spread it around. Don’t use feather dusters or dry rags. They are worthless. Instead, use damp rags or cleaning rags with an electrostatic charge. Only use vacuum attachments on surfaces that are difficult to dust with a cloth. These surfaces might be woodwork with intricate designs, for example.
5. Use The Right Vacuum
A good vacuum should use a HEPA (High-efficiency particulate arrestance) filter or something similar to filter dust before re-circulating the air back into the room. When it’s done, your air should be cleaner, not dirtier. Some vacuums don’t use filtration systems – avoid them.
And, if yours doesn’t, unfortunately, you’ll have to go out and buy a new one if you want the benefit. But, just because your vacuum uses a HEPA or similar filtration system, doesn’t mean it’s actually cleaning the air. Dual or triple-stage filtration might be necessary.
This is because not all vacuums use tight seals or incorporate filtration systems that work well with the design of the vacuum. Make sure your vacuum has been certified by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
6. Beat Your Rugs
Take your rugs out and beat them at least once a week. This will knock out a lot of dust and allergens that hide in them.
Dust usually settles on the floor in a home where there is no active air filtration system. And, if your home doesn’t have one, you better be cleaning the rugs on a regular basis if you want to control your allergies.
While it may seem impossible to completely remove all of the dust and dirt embedded, it is possible to remove most of it if you’re willing to spend 15-20 minutes beating it. Just make sure to hang it up in an area where the air will disperse the dust once it’s released before you start.
