Household dust collects on surfaces and soft furnishings. Some of its components, including house dust mites, can trigger allergic symptoms in susceptible people. The sections below explain common sources of dust and practical ways to reduce its build-up. Read NHS allergy guidance.
What is Dust?
In general, dust is a collective term consisting of microscopic particles that collect on every surface of an enclosed space. The contents, both organic and inorganic, can vary.
Where does dust come from?
At home, the most common types of dust are human skin cells (dander), cigarette smoke, dust mites, mould spores, fabric fibres, pesticides, paint particles, insect parts, pet dander, bacteria, pollen and many more.
Often there is also construction debris and heavy metals that can be quite dangerous in larger quantities.
When on the outside, dust is generated from a mixture of microscopic particles from various rocks and plants, usually caused by wind lifting them up.
Contrary to a musty smell, dust is easy to tackle.
How Can Dust Affect Your Health?
The worst impact of dust on human (and pet) health is dust allergies. There are people with inborn dust allergy (which is basically an allergy toward one or more of the dust components), and there are those who unlock the allergy much later in life.
Dust can irritate the airways, and house dust mites can trigger allergic symptoms in some people. Symptoms do not establish a diagnosis or prove permanent lung damage. If you have persistent breathing problems, seek medical advice. Read NHS allergy guidance.
The most common allergy symptoms caused by dust are:
- Sneezing;
- Stuffy nose;
- Teary eyes;
- Coughing;
- Tightness in the chest;
- Shortness of breath;
- Itching;
Long-term respiratory problems are also a common effect of long exposure to household dust. And, this kind can get rather dangerous for your continued wellbeing.
Young kids, infants and elderly people are more susceptible to developing long-term health problems from breathing air with high levels of dust.
Keep floors and accessible surfaces clean, particularly where young children play, and wash hands before meals. Read the EPA guide to air cleaners.
The causes can vary – from pollen to dust mites, to the common pet allergy. Sometimes infestations of mice, rats or cockroaches can lead to a problematic allergy as well.
How to Reduce Dust in Your Household?
It is not realistic to remove every particle of dust from a home. Focus on reducing build-up and addressing identifiable sources, especially where someone has an allergy.
Follow these steps to reduce dust in your home and ensure a healthy IAQ (Indoor Air Quality):
- Dust accessible surfaces with a suitable damp cloth and vacuum with equipment appropriate for the floor. Follow the material’s care instructions.
- Wash bedding regularly at a temperature permitted by its label. NHS allergy advice recommends 60°C and above for suitable bedding; do not use an automatic 90°C setting on every fabric.
- Keep ventilation and accessible window areas clear. Curtains do not reliably prevent dust mites entering through a window.
- After renovation, confirm that dust-producing work has finished and the residue and cleaning method have been assessed. Do not rely on a universal one-day wait or an assumed percentage of dust returning.
- An appropriate air cleaner may supplement source control and ventilation; it does not replace cleaning or resolve damp. Read NHS allergy advice.
Why You Need an Air Purifier?
Depending on where your house is situated, there are different degrees and types of air pollution. At home, dust is usually generated by shedding skin, from fluffy clothes and carpets and all the bacteria that inhabit them. In most areas, dust, as well as air pollution levels, on average, which are no cause for alarm.
However, make sure there aren’t any local sources of air pollution such as chemical factories, wet basements or old fluffy carpets.
If that’s the case, you might need to look for additional help in order to keep the air safe for breathing. This additional help comes in the form of air purifiers.
These are the most common types of air purifiers:
HEPA filter
A correctly sized particle-filtering air cleaner can supplement source control and ventilation. Check its clean-air delivery performance and filter replacement instructions; it does not remove every pollutant.
HEPA filters capture particles rather than gases. Noise and maintenance depend on the actual device and operating speed.
Electrostatic filter
Electrostatic devices collect charged particles. Do not assume they remove gases or are superior to a particle filter; compare the actual device’s performance and ozone emissions. Read about ionisers and ozone.
Follow the manufacturer’s cleaning and maintenance instructions for any air-cleaning device.
Ionizer
Ionisers charge particles, which can settle on surfaces. Some electronic air cleaners can produce ozone, a lung irritant, so check emissions and avoid devices intended to generate it.
An ioniser should not be relied on to remove gases or odours, or to resolve an allergy or damp problem.
Photocatalysis
Do not choose a photocatalytic cleaner on a claim that it removes everything. Review independent performance information and emissions; no air cleaner replaces dealing with pollution sources and ventilation.
In order to take care of your family’s well being, it’s your responsibility to keep the dust in relatively healthy boundaries. This requires time and some additional equipment. But, of course, you can always rely on professional home cleaning help as well.
If the dust follows renovation work, read how to prepare for cleaning after the builders leave.
