By Leonie Helm
Life Reporter
Knowing how to get rid of dust in your home will not only make your home look and feel cleaner, but it's important for our overall health. The United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that on average, Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors, "where the concentrations of some pollutants are often 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations."
They also assert that people who are often more susceptible to the adverse effects of dirt and pollution often spend even more time inside, the elderly and the very young, and those who are immunocompromised.
It's no wonder then, that cleaning hacks are proving ever popular on social media platforms such as TikTok, where the hashtag #CleaningHacks has over 6.3 billion views.
One video that went viral on the platform was user Carolina Mccauley, whose video on how to keep your home dust-free has been viewed over 900,000 times.
In the video, Carolina suggests mixing two cups of water, one-quarter cup of vinegar, one tablespoon of olive oil, three drops of dish soap, and citrus essential oil in a spritz bottle, and spraying it onto a microfiber cloth.
She used it on dusty areas to completely remove dust, suggesting if you use the concoction monthly you can enjoy a dust-free home forever.
While some users thought the hack was 'genius' and 'life-changing', others were skeptical about the ingredients used in Ms. Mccauley's dust-repelling invention.
One said: "Nah definitely not using oil, it would attract dust and make it stick so it is harder to dust off."
While a second commented: "Oil?... But it attracts dust!? Or am I wrong? No hate here."
UK-based cleaning expert, Lynsey Crombie, known as Queen of Clean to her 284 thousand Instagram followers, agrees with the comments, telling Newsweek: "Oil is a big no-no. Oil is a big dust magnet and will attract make dust in turn making it harder to remove and messy. Certainly should not be used to dust furniture."
According to Lynsey, "The best way to tackle is to very simply use a damp microfiber cloth, twice a week in high traffic areas and once a week in less traffic areas."
She offers these top tips for keeping dust out of your house, including:
- Regularly vacuuming and cleaning will keep dust at bay
- Not wearing shoes in the home is a good way to keep dust at bay and using good heavy-duty door mats
- Keeping clutter at bay helps keeps dust at bay, dust likes mess and will settle more so in messy, cluttered areas
- Having hardwood flooring or tiles, instead of carpets, is a great way to keep your home dust free
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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