Dust where does it come from? And is pollen residue the same as dust? What is the best duster for home use? And what are the best dusting techniques?
Today we’ll cover how to prevent dust in your home and we will explain the MERV rating.
Listen: Dust Where Does it Come From?
Watch: Dust Where Does it Come From?
Hey there, I’m Angela Brown, and this is Ask a House Cleaner. This is a show where you get to ask a house cleaning question, and I get to help you find an answer. You can find this and 400 other answered questions in this series on our YouTube channel.
Where Does Dust Come From?
There were some scientists in Arizona who did studies and they found that about 60% of dust comes from outside.
So, everything that you open, your windows, doors, or your garage, lets dust inside.
Dust is particles of air that have evaporated from rain and weather. So, let’s say that leaves have fallen and that kicks up dust, all that stuff comes inside your house.
Dust Can Come from Inside Too
There are other things inside our house that equate to the other 40%. There’s the stuff that we track in on our shoes. It’s the stuff that falls from our clothing, or stuff that comes from the fiber in our carpets. Even dust that the pets bring in.
So, what happens as the air conditioning kicks on, it throws out all this air for heating and then cooling.
Then it circulates all this dust around your house. and that’s why dust accumulates in your home because it’s been kicked all-around your house.
Air Filters Ratings for Dust
You can also suck up the air in those same air vents. In your air vents, you have air filters, and they have a MERV rating.
That stands for minimum efficiency rating value and goes on a scale from 1-20. 1 is crappy, and 20 is super scientific HEPA filter super clean.
So, the average home ranges somewhere between 9-16, that’s going to be your average. 9-12 is the standard, but if you have a lot of pets and you have extra dust and dirt, you might go with a higher rating.
Some Air Filters Need a Different Air Conditioning Unit
For some air filters, you have to have a specific air conditioning unit that will work with that filter. This is because the higher end filters are things that we use for like science labs, where the air is so clean.
If you would try to use that type of filter on a regular air conditioning unit, it would be ineffective.
As air circulates throughout your house, when the air conditioning kicks on again, it scoops that air up into the filter. And that’s one of the reasons we want to change our filters on a regular basis.
How to Get Rid of Dust in Your House
So, to get rid of dust in your house, there are a couple of things you can do. Number one is prevention. Number two is maintenance.
So, to prevent dust from kicking in, you can close your windows and close your doors to that not a lot of stuff gets in. There are people that open the windows and let the air circulate through the house when it’s cold.
But along with that comes a lot of dust. And during the springtime especially, you get a lot of pollen.
Pollen has a texture that’s almost like a fine glue. So, as it comes in it will just coat your vehicles, and you’ll come out and the whole top of your car will be covered.
When Dust and Pollen Get into Your House
So, as pollen comes into your house, that settles and it leaves a weird icky film on everything.
So, as a house cleaner in the spring and the summer, we leave notes with our clients because we live in the south.
We’re like “Hey guys, close your windows, because of that stuff sticks in the keyboards, and the remote controls. And it sticks on your television screen, it sticks on your counters, it’s just icky. It gets on your blinds, it gets in your carpet, and then that’s one of the triggers for allergies.
So, if you have allergies, you want to cut the dust and pollen in your home.”
Use Dusters to Solve Dust Problems
Another way that you can help prevent dust and help maintain it, is you can use dusters.
Use a microfiber duster, it’s kind of fun, it’s got a tiny handle. I wish the handle was a little bit longer, but it’s super fun and it’s easy to use. Plus, it’s great for things like stair railings.
This is perfect because it’s hard to get inside tiny units. This is great for pictures and bookshelves.
This goes around a lot of things that are hard to get to and it’s easy and then you can rinse this out and use it again. So, it’s reusable and it’s just one of my favorite dusters. It’s a microfiber duster.
Swiffer Dusters
The other duster that I’m fond of is the Swiffer duster. It captures stuff well in the fluffy parts.
Now, this is a disposable duster that we use for our customer’s houses. It just slides and fits right in the back of my pocket, so the handle is a perfect size.
It’s always within reach when I need it, I always have it with me. I’ve even been known to go places and still have this with me after cleaning.
One Use Dusters
These dusters are only one use per customer. The end just slides off and this part goes in the trash. So, this is not reusable, you just buy a new replacement piece to put on the handle for the next job.
The top-end also slides off and you can use this to slide it inside your big power duster. The one that you’re using for ceilings, tall window ledges, and getting cobwebs out of the corners of the room. And then when you’re done you just pop this back in.
How to Get Dust Off of Walls
These dusters are also great for walls. So, if you get cobwebs on walls, or if you get just dust that’s built upon the walls, you can use them.
They have a long face to it, which also microfiber and can be snapped off. So, you can take this one off as well, and then throw this inside the washing machine.
It’s the same concept as the Swiffer duster, but this one is reusable. I like this one because it’s just more user-friendly for things where there’s a big space that you’re dusting.
It’s also great for baseboards, where you don’t have to reach down as far, but you can get a big bulk of that with this duster.
It’s Almost Impossible to End Dust
So, dust, where does it come from? We track it in from outside, and we circulate it through our windows. It kicks in from the air conditioning vents, it circulates throughout our house.
So, it’s almost impossible to end the dust altogether. It’s even harder to get rid of dust and keep it away
But as I said, you can prevent it by closing the windows and keeping dust to a minimum. Then also using your dusters to maintain the space that you’re in.
*** Resources From This Show***
Large Red Flat Microfiber Hand Duster shown on show – https://amzn.to/2LBKM4c
Blue Microfiber Delicate Duster Washable Dusting Brush – https://amzn.to/2mFUh4a
Dual-Action Microfiber Duster Set with Telescopic Handle – https://amzn.to/2JWIQOL
Compact Electro Static Duster – 6.5″ inch Travel Duster with Carry Case – https://amzn.to/2Abfmgj
Chenille Microfiber Dust Mitt – Non-Scratch Double-Sided No Lint – https://amzn.to/2LMaTSU
Master Car Interior Duster Kit – https://amzn.to/2JWRXPw
Microfiber Delicate Duster – https://amzn.to/2JWFMSD
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