Dust.

It’s the bane of everyone who tries to keep a clean house.

It’s the barometer my mother used to see if I did a proper job of cleaning my room or if I just raced through it so I could watch Gilligan’s Island and Hogan’s Heroes re-runs until dinner.

And no matter how well I dusted, a week later, I needed to dust again.  And again.  And again.

So where does all this dust come from?

According to science, and those who have time to count, 1000 dust particles per square centimeter settle around your house every hour.  A lot of that dust comes from you!

See, some dust consists of human skin. It is estimated that you can shed about 1.6 pounds of skin flakes every year. And that’s just you. That doesn’t include plant pollen, animal hairs, textile fibers, paper fibers, minerals from outdoor soil along with a myriad of other things. It’s easy to see how the dust piles up.

And it’s not just an ugly reminder that you may be lapse on your house cleaning. Dust can affect your health by interfering with minor bodily functions like breathing…

So, is there a way to control the amount of dust in your home?

Well, here are some tips to get you headed in the right direction:

- Carpets are a major holder of dust. If you truly want to remove a lot of dust from your house, tear out your carpets and go with tile, LVT, linoleum, or hardwood flooring.

Even tearing up your carpeting and putting in area rugs will help, but the rugs will hold a lot of dust as well.

If that is too drastic, make sure you vacuum several times a week. My carpet guy says you should vacuum at least once a week for every beating heart in your house. So you, your spouse, two kids and a dog would equal 5 vacuums a week. It will not only help with the dust, but your carpet will last longer too.

Imagine that…

- You know all those knick-knacks you keep on the shelves, the ones that require a lot of dusting. Hmmm? Exactly. They are dust magnets. By getting rid of the fake crystal statue of the piece of cheese that says ‘I Love Wisconsin’ on it which you received as a birthday gift from aunt Velma will help reduce the amount of dust and dusting in your home.

Lights, lamps, and chandeliers are also major dust hangouts.

- Keeping your furnace filter clean goes without saying, but upgrading your filter will help you control dust.

The next time you are shopping filters, look at the MERV rating (MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value and basically the higher the MERV rating the better the air filtration).

If you are using the standard filters, like the kind you get at the store for a couple of bucks, look to up-grade to a media filter, or better yet to an electronic filter. There are filters out on the market that can nab up to 99% of pollen, pet dander, dust, mold spores and such which will definitely cut your dusting duties down.

- Have your duct system inspected. Leaky duct work can suck in air from some nasty places and distribute it around your home. Have your HVAC company check to make sure your ducts aren’t leaking and seal the ones that are.

- Get your ducts cleaned. This is especially true if you are moving into new construction. Nothing says dirty ducts like a new house, and you should get them cleaned before moving in.

Then, get them professionally cleaned every 5 years’ish or so. Remember – a professional duct cleaning company has to have an HVAC license to operate. Don’t get caught with a glorified carpet cleaner working on your ducts.

- Make sure you clean under furniture and under and behind appliances.  I know it’s yucky under the fridge and behind the washing machine, but do it.  Or better yet, have your significant other do it.

- Wear gloves when you dust.  Gloves lightly sprayed with dust cleaning stuff will help capture even more dust while you dust.  And try using a dryer sheet to dust with.  It not only makes a great dust rag, but it will also eliminate static making it more difficult to dust particles to stick to the furniture.

Remember, you will never get rid of dust completely.  In fact, in time you become dust yourself.  But with the above tips, you can help to cut down on the amount of dust, leaving you a cleaner and healthier home.