Dusty Dilemmas in the Home

In order to enjoy a dust-free environment in your home, it's necessary to understand what actually causes the all too frequent dust build up that takes up so much precious time to be rid of. However clean your home, you'll never banish dust entirely. To achieve a totally dust-free home you would have to extract the very air you breathe from every room. House dust is omnipresent in the air in all homes throughout the globe and comprises of any number of substances, some of which are quite harmless and others not.

Every living thing inside your house will be a contributing factor to the amount of dust build up in the home environment. You could rightly say that the dust found in your home is quite unique to you and your family. Do you ever notice when you've been away on vacation that dust accumulation has been minimal? This is because household dust comprises mainly of dead skin flakes, dandruff and hairs, fibres from clothing and various other detritus that are shed wherever living things are present.

Outside you would not detect any dust accumulation but in an enclosed space, tackling dust is a constant battle. The more people and pets you have in your home, the more dust will settle on horizontal surfaces. Biblically aware folk may already be mindful of dust from God's stern words to Adam: 'Dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return.'

Dust is everywhere it will even occur in closed cupboards because there are always particles of dust in the air whenever you open and close a cupboard and dust can still be blown in through inferior seals, gaps and vents. Take off a woolly jumper while the sun is shining through a window behind you and you'll see the dust particles as they drift downwards.

Many people are unperturbed by dust and will simply choose to ignore it even if they can scrawl their name in it but others won't let it settle. Everyone has different standards of cleanliness when it comes to house dust but an unfortunate few may even experience severe allergic reactions to it which others in the household may fail to recognise or understand. Respiratory problems and skin reactions can both be caused by house dust if it is left to accumulate which makes life unbearable for sufferers if it's not removed. Even something simple like emptying a vacuum cleaner bag into a garbage bin can mean experiencing breathing problems and skin rashes if the wind blows dust back at you. Curiously, dust undisturbed may not always present a problem to such people and may only cause symptoms when released back into the air or if it falls directly onto their skin.

If you have a dust allergy or other breathing-related difficulties, get rid of your feather dusters like the one in the picture above as these will just redistribute dust in the home rather than banish it; thus you'll unwittingly be making your condition worse. Investing in the most powerful vacuum cleaner you can afford will ensure that dust-related allergies are kept under control. The house dust will be sucked up immediately before it can go back into the air but check the filter remains fully functional or you'll just be making more work for yourself. Pick one of the ten best vacuum cleaners available and make life easier.

Dusting with a damp duster in also effective for getting rid of light coverings of dust on windowsills etc as this will not affect your breathing and will keep the dust out of the air.

Feather pillows and duvets are particularly bad news for allergy suffers and are a hotbed for the proliferation of dust mites. Opt for man-made bedding in order to reduce the amount of dust and mites in your home, if you know you'll be affected adversely. Don't suffer in silence; become aware of all the relevant dust allergy information that may apply to your condition.

Apart from the occupants of your household bringing in dirt and grime on their shoes, there will also be dust blown in from the outside which will be exacerbated if you live near a busy road or an arid part of the world. Whatever particles are floating in the air in your locality, some will inevitably find their way into your home and be a constituent of the dust found there.

Open coal or log fires will also contribute to dust build up in the home as will plant materials and fibres shed from paper and soft furnishings. The amount of dust in a room can even alter the acoustics; notice how clear everything sounds in a freshly cleaned room.

Homes of the future will hopefully be built with dust filtration systems as standard which will be capable of extracting dust from the air before it has a chance to settle, thereby reducing the frequency of thorough vacuum cleaning, but until then, householders still need to enforce more traditional methods of keeping dust in the home to a minimum.

Carpets - particularly deep pile ones are natural dust traps so perhaps (especially if you're an allergy sufferer) it might be wise to consider other floor coverings such as laminate or wood. You can always have a super-sized rug which can be taken outside to clean.

Pets - much that we love them - can aggravate allergy problems as much as dust and if you have a long-haired variety of cat or a dog with a shaggy coat you'll know how hard it is to keep your home free of pet hair.

When cleaning, always dust from the top down and reduce the amount of clutter lying around. The fewer surfaces there are, the less you'll have to clean so adopting the minimalist approach is always best.

Air purifiers can be useful for allergy sufferers but natural ventilation is always useful. Open your windows on a fresh bright day but close them when it's windy and there are leaves blowing around.

Ensure mattresses are encased in protective coverings and that bedding is changed frequently; this step alone can reduce dust build up in bedrooms - don't forget to dust under your bed!