Dust is a constant irritant both from a cleaning standpoint and for your body. Did you know that dust isn’t only visually unappealing, but can be laced with chemicals from appliances, electronics and cleaning products? It’s also a serious trigger for allergies and asthma.
What is dust really?
It’s a common misconception that dust is simply made up from our dead skin cells. Household dust actually varies in composition and can be quite different from one home to the next. In addition to skin cells dust can be made up of pollutants, animal dander and waste, insect waste, food particles, pollen, soot, soil, dryer lint, paper particles and more.
The size of dust particles
Dust particles are measured by the micron (one micron equals 1/25,400 of an inch). The dust that you can see is about 10 microns in diameter. Those are the big particles. The more dangerous type of dust, the tiny particles that can lodge in your lungs and wreak havoc, are about .3 microns in size. In comparison, a sharp pencil dot is about 200 microns in diameter.
Is dust really dangerous?
Yes, dust can be a health hazard especially under these circ*mstances:
- When people develop a sensitivity to dust particles (indoor allergy, especially to dust mite particles)
- For those with compromised lung function or immune systems
- When the dust contains tiny particles that are harmful to human health (e.g. silica dust, asbestos fibers or heavy metals).
- When contaminants such as bacteria or viruses attach themselves to dust particles and become an exposure hazard
- When dust contains toxins from cigarette smoke or other pollution sources
- When dust contains remnants of household chemicals or flame retardants
- When you have infants, toddlers and pets. They spend more time close to the ground, where dust settles or stirs. Crawling children who transfer things from hands to mouth may ingest 10 grams of dust per day.
How do you remove dust from the air?
Eliminating airborne dust particles needs to be an important part of your cleaning routine. The problem with dusting is just how easily house dust can become airborne. Avoid dry-dusting with feather dusters or dry cloths and attack dust-removal on a regular basis. Using an AllerAir Air Purifier like the AirMedic Pro 5 Air Purifier with a True Hepa filter will help remove dust from the air continuously, the air purifier is designed to be used 24/7 on low speed. The Pro 5 air purifier is an air scrubber, which not only cleans the air in the room, it is also exchanging the air many times per hour. The pre-filter on the air purifier traps larger dust particles, while the True HEPA filter filters the finer dust particles.
Some tips to consider:
- Dust properly.Clean surfaces with a damp cloth or sponge. Start on the top and work your way down to avoid suspending too many dust particles into the air. Be wary of some popular dry-dusting cleaning products that contain toxic chemicals to attract dust.
- Clean bed linens more often.Clean yoursheets, pillows and pillow cases at least once every week in hot water.
- Vacuum regularly. To avoid stirring up more dust, it is best to use a vacuum with a built-in HEPA filter. Change the filter regularly. Some people get by with vacuuming only once a week. Others, especially homeowners that have dogs or cats that shed, may need to vacuum more often.
- Mop the floors. Use a wet mop to clean the floors after vacuuming. Make sure you use a non-toxic cleaner. Experts also recommend using warm water with a dash of soap or vinegar (the smell evaporates quickly).
- Keep dirt out. Place high-quality doormats in front of your doors and let everyone take off their shoes as they come in. This will cut down the amount of dirt that is coming in and turning into dust. A lot of the dust in our homes comes from you bringing it in from outdoors.
- Maintain your home. You can minimize the amount of particles entering the home if you weatherproof doors and windows and seal up any cracks and crevices indoors to avoid dust from accumulating in hard-to-reach areas.
- Use HEPA air filters. If your home uses forced air heating and cooling, make sure you use high-quality filters and change them regularly every few months or at least every season. It may also be a good idea to use a room air purifier. An AllerAir air purifier with a combination of Super HEPA and activated carbon provides the best overall protection from dust, allergens, chemicals, odors and more. Ozone-generating air purifiers are not recommended since the ozone irritates the lungs and they do not remove dust.
- Skip the clutter. Keep your home tidy and try to minimize clutter. It will speed up the dusting process and keep dust traps under control. While you’re at it, get rid of carpets (they are major dirt collectors) and avoid fabric-covered furniture when it is time for a change.
- Eat at the table. This may seem a bit of a strange tip, however it certainly helps to remove dust from the air in your home by staying in the same place to eat your meals. Moving around when eating causes more food debris to fall on the floor, which attracts more insects, which means more insect parts and food debris, and all this ends up as dust.
- Choose non-toxic products whenever possible. This will reduce the amount of airborne chemicals in your indoor air and that settles on dust particles.
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