12 Easy Ways to Reduce Dust in Your Home
You’ve got smart systems in place for managing clutter all around your home. And you’ve got a daily cleaning routine down. The only enemy of a clean home from here? It’s dust. It feels like no matter what you do (or how often you clean), your bedroom is always dusty. In fact, it feels like there’s always a layer of dust waiting to settle on every surface in your home.
And that’s sort of what’s happening: Dust is just a common byproduct of everyday life. But contrary to popular belief, it’s not mostly dead skin — the majority of household dust comes from dirt, pollen, and other outdoor particles. The good news? It is preventable if you’re smart about it.
Aside from regular cleaning (yes, over and over again!), there are a few methods you can employ to keep the fuzzy stuff from settling over all your belongings. Keep reading to learn how to keep dust from taking over your space with the least work possible, so you can skip dusting duties — at least for a little while.
1. Keep it outside.
Because most dust comes in from outdoors, a good defense is your best offense here. Keep your windows and doors shut as much as possible during pollen season, and commit to a no-shoes policy inside. A good-quality doormat outside your home’s entrances can also go a long way in preventing dirt and grime from getting in.
2. Groom your pets in a clean space.
Regularly brushing (and even just petting) your furry friend produces errant hair and dust. If you regularly groom them outside, or in an easy-to-clean space like the bathroom, you can seriously cut down on your cleaning.
3. Pack up paper and fabrics.
Loose fibers from fabric and paper are common enemies if you’re looking to reduce dust in your house. Avoid tossing clothes around the room as much as possible and store any unused clothing or linens away in a storage box. Regularly recycle magazines, newspapers, and cardboard boxes — or better yet, collect them outside if you have the room, and break down any boxes by the curb instead of in your dining room or kitchen.
4. Change your sheets often.
Between the fabric fibers of your sheets and the skin particles from your body, your bed is basically a dust-generating machine. Keep sheets and bedding as clean as possible by washing them weekly and cleaning your pillows (they can go in the washing machine!), comforter, and mattress pads once a month, or at least every other month.
5. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter.
When you actually do need to clean, don’t make the job worse. A vacuum with a HEPA or high-efficiency particulate air filter will safely trap dust and other allergens inside the machine and keep them from being released back into the air.
6. Get an air purifier.
There are machines designed to collect and trap dust — basically doing the work of reducing dust in your home for you. Make sure your air purifier (just like your vacuum) has a HEPA filter, and place it near the door or window for optimal dust-dodging action.
7. Line tall surfaces with newspaper.
Hard-to-reach spots — like tall bookshelves and the tops of your kitchen cabinets — are a pain to dust. So don’t. Line the spot with newspaper and recycle and replace it every so often.
8. Declutter and cut back on fabrics.
Pretty simple stuff: The more trinkets and knickknacks you have around, the harder it’s going to be to dust them. So declutter as much as you can if your goal is to avoid dusting. You should also limit the number of textiles you keep out in the open (think: blankets and throw pillows on the sofa) to only what’s necessary, as fabrics not only trap dust, but can also produce it.
9. Dust your blinds with a sock.
To get into the hard-to-reach slots in between your vertical blinds, slip a fuzzy sock over your hand and use your fingers to get into the grooves of your horizontal blinds. You’ll be surprised at how much dust you’ll be able to reach, fast.
10. Use a dryer sheet to dust your baseboards.
Dryer sheets (new or used) can collect dust better than a cloth. To clean your baseboards, run dryer sheets along their edge and see for yourself how quickly it attracts dust particles.
11. Run a lint roller over lampshades and curtains.
A lint roller, just like the kind you use on your clothes, removes dust and dirt from any other fabric just as well. Use it on lampshades, curtains, pillows, and even the tops of chairs.
12. Use a dust-repelling spray.
Preventing dust from settling on surfaces is another great way to reduce dust. This dust-repellant spray, made of water, vinegar, olive oil, and dish soap, not only helps clean surfaces of dust but also extends the time between dusting sessions. While the dust will still accumulate in the atmosphere and settle on floors and carpeting, using the spray on furniture surfaces and baseboards keeps your house cleaner for longer and significantly reduces the amount of time you need to spend on weekly dusting.