A dusty house is a matter of concern. It does not just kill the aesthetics of your house, it’s bad for your family member as well.
You may do everything to keep your house neat and clean. Yet when you notice dust everywhere, you can’t help but ask yourself why is my house so dusty?
Well, there are plenty of reasons for that. So, in this article, I will explore those reasons including what to do to solve the problem.
Reasons Why You Have House Dust
- Dust can circulate through air.
- Your house has molds.
- Dust trapping carpets.
- Dust harboring furniture & curtains.
- You keep the doors & windows open.
- Dead skin cells.
- Leaking HVAC ducts.
- Pests and animals.
Of course, there are more other ways how dust gets into your house. I will cover all of them. But now, let’s talk about that dust-causing in detail.
1. Dust Get Inside Through Air
Being lightweight and microscopic, dust can float around in the air. You can spot such tiny dust particles looking at the light shining through your window or doors.
No need for wind or anything. They just can float around for apparently no reason. So, it’s how it can get inside easily.
When there is a shift in the air currents, you will notice such specks of dust more clearly.
For example, any change in the air current will stir up the clouds of dust sitting on your floors and you will notice them floating.
Just walking around your home can shift the air current. The same is true when you turn on the air conditioner or your ceiling fans.
So, how do you get a hold of this floating dust?
Well, the most effective way to control such dust is by adding an air purifier to your house. That will keep them in check the best way possible.
This is how the air purifier can solve the dust problem…
The air purifiers can suck in air from your house and trap the dust particles effectively via a complex filtering process.
So, it reduces the dust and keeps the indoor air quality clean. I would recommend adding more air purifiers depending on how many rooms you have.
You probably have air purifiers installed. So, why it’s dusty inside still?
Well, it happens when your air purifiers are not working properly because their filters are clogged. With clogged filters, they can’t remove dust from the air.
You need to change the filters often to keep the air purifiers running properly.
2. Molds and Organic Materials
Almost every house has mold problems and you won’t even notice them most of the time. It’s nearly impossible to visually locate molds inside the house.
So, that’s another reason why is your house has so much dust. Because mold releases spores in the air and such spores in the air make your house dusty.
Now, the air purifiers can take care of the spores but they can’t solve the mold problem. But you must keep mold growth and reproduction in check.
So, how do you do that?
As the air purifiers won’t prevent or kill the already existed mold in your house, you should have microbial spray.
Use that microbial spray to regularly clean your house.
So, the microbial spray will kill the mold but to prevent molds from growing back, you need to reduce the humidity level of your house.
Since mold loves a dark and humid environment to grow and spread, reducing the humidity level of your house should prevent their growth.
If the area you are living in currently is naturally humid, you should get a dehumidifier. Another way to cut the humidity level is by running your air conditioner.
Another contributor to mold growth is your leftover food and food crumbs. You need to keep these in check and keep your house cleaner to deal with this.
Mold grows faster when it can keep a hold of organic material. Keeping your house clean will keep them starving and potentially prevent them forever.
It may sound like a lot of work and not everyone is up for spending time cleaning their houses, but this is something you should do to prevent health hazards of your family members from the molds.
3. Rugs Are Dust Monster!
There is no house without rugs and when there are rugs, there will be dust. It’s the universal truth!
I am not trying to scare you but a household rug can accumulate up to 10 pounds of dust each year. Now, ask yourself why there is so much dust in your house.
When you step on the rugs full of dust, you will be blowing the dust into the air. All of your family members will breathe the dust-enriched air as a consequence.
The only way to get rid of dust from your rugs is regular vacuum cleaning. You should vacuum clean at least once a week.
But that’s only the job half done…
Plenty of dust will be clinging to the fibers of rugs and vacuum cleaning won’t be able to suck out all those clinging dust.
So, with regular vacuum cleaning, your rugs need to be professionally cleaned as well. Or you can use any expensive carpet cleaners to do it yourself.
Whatever you do, make sure to clean in such a way every once a month with regular vacuum cleaning.
4. Shower & Grooming
Remember how mold can worsen the dust issue? Well, every time you take a shower, the water in the air can lead to mold problems as well!
When you are done with your hot shower, you can’t see your surrounding clearly simply because of the fogginess. These fogs have water.
So, every time you take a shower, you release water into the air and the water settles on everything. So, molds get a boost for their reproductions.
Besides, mold can grow on literally everything you use like toothbrushes, spoof sponges, etc. that come in contact with water that way.
So, keep everything dry immediately after you use them to break the circle.
Apart from mold issues, grooming and cleaning can release other particles into the air. Whenever you use your perfumes, spray-on deodorant, or hair spray – you release such tiny particles.
All of them release harmful gases into the air you breathe and worsen your house dust problem.
You can’t stop using them. But you can use hair gel or deodorant stick to keep the problem in check.
5. Leaky Doors & Windows
I think the most important job of such windows and doors is to keep the outside dirt and dust outside, right?
But they can’t do their job if they become leaky. I am talking about gaps around your doors and windows.
That’s how the outdoor pollens and dust can get inside easily. If you live nearby a gravel road, you already know what I am talking about.
And don’t forget, that’s also a huge energy loss!
So, do yourself a favor. Fix those leaky windows and doors. It’s easy. Just apply caulk to those gaps to keep the dust from blowing in. You should replace any worn weather-stripping around those doors and windows as well.
6. Dust Harboring Furniture & Curtains
So, rugs and carpets accumulate dust like crazy but that’s not the only place where dust can settle. Your furniture and curtains cab harbor dust like crazy too.
And you shift the air current when you sit on your chairs and open your curtains to let the sunlight in and disturb the dust. That’s how it gets into the air and float around everywhere in your house.
When the dust keeps floating, it can settle on other surfaces inside your home. So, in addition to vacuum cleaning your carpets and rugs, you need to do the same for your furniture to reduce the dust collection.
You should vacuum clean your upholstery every once in a while to keep that dust collection in check. For your draperies, having them dry cleaned every year is a must!
Also, as the fabric curtains collect more dust and are difficult to clean, you should change your fabric curtains with blinds. You will find it easier to dust your blinds regularly.
7. Leaking HVAC Ducts
The HVAC ductworks need to be properly sealed and completely leak-free. When it’s not leak-proof, it will allow the dust to circulate everywhere inside your home.
It’s hard to find any leak to the HVAC ductworks but if you notice more dust after you run the air conditioner or furnace, you can guess something is wrong with the ducts.
I would recommend calling a professional duct technician to have a look at your HVAC and let him find and fix the issues. But before that, you need to check other issues as well.
8. Dirty HVAC Filters
This is another reason for having a dusty house. Yes, it makes sense to suspect the faulty HVAC ductworks if you notice a lot of dust after you run the furnace.
But before you call the HVAC technician to fix the ductwork, you should inspect whether you have dirty HVAC filters or not.
As a normal course of operation, it’s perfectly normal for those filters to collect dust particles while pulling air through the system. Sometimes, they get dirty faster than normal.
The solution is pretty easy. Just replace those dirty filters and be done with it! The best time to replace the HVAC filters is during the summer.
This is the time when there are increased dust particles in the air. Besides, it’s recommended to replace the filters at regular intervals.
Just give it a try and check whether it can solve your dust problem or not. Don’t forget, those filters are your first line of defense against dust.
And never go for the cheaper filters. With larger holes, cheaper filters do a bad job filtering air and the dust can pass through them easily.
You should get high-quality filters with a higher MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating. They are highly efficient to trap the outside dust before they can even enter your house.
But make sure you know the differences between MERV 11 and MERV 12 ratings to avoid any misunderstanding.
9. Inefficient Dusting
If you are dusting inefficiently like using a duster or cotton cloth, it will agitate the dust and cause more problems. Duster or cotton cloth can’t trap or remove the dust, they will spread the dust around instead.
This is why houses of some people are still very dusty even they clean the ceiling fan and AC filter regularly.
You need to rethink your course of action and come up with a better plan to deal with your house dust problem.
For example, dust will always fall from higher locations like fab blades and shelves on the floor while cleaning. So, you need to start from the top and lastly vacuum clean the floor.
Maintaining that order is crucial to prevent undoing your hard work of cleaning.
Also, while cleaning high-up shelves and similar higher locations, you can use vacuum attachments. The suction of the vacuum will eliminate the dust better that way.
Of course, dusting plays a great role in removing dust but you need to use microfiber cloths for that instead of basic dusters.
Try to dampen with a microfiber cloth with clean water or any cleaner so that it can hold the dust particles better. The dust will stick to the damp cloth and won’t spread while pushing.
Also, clean the microfiber cloth regularly too!
10. Human Dead Skin Cells
Believe it or not, dead skin cells are a major source of dust in your house. So, when you touch any dust, you may be touching dead people too!
Like animals, humans shed dead skin cells a lot. And when you sleep, a lot of dead skill cells end up on your bed. This is probably the reason most people use bedsheets on their beds.
That’s why washing bed sheets every week is crucial. That way you can contribute to keeping the dust at a minimum.
11. You Pets Bring Dust
Pets love to roam around the house. That’s how settled dust gets into the air and your house becomes dusty all the time. They love to play outside and bring dust inside as well.
Besides, all the pets shed hair and skin flakes all the time on a regular basis and worsen the dust problem.
So, how do you deal with this problem? Should you get rid of your pets?
No!
But there are no shortcut ways to reduce dust from pets as well. You can only keep your pets clean and house. There is nothing more you can do about it.
Of course, some air purifiers can take care of pet hair and danger but there is no alternative to hard labor. So, give your pets a regular bath and use a pet brush.
Have your pets professionally groomed. You can’t have pets if you hate brooming, sweeping, mopping, or dusting regularly to keep your house neat and clean.
12. Your Shoes!
So many homes have a ‘No Shoes’ policy. It may seem rude but it’s a good policy to keep your house clean and dust-free.
The shoes of you, your family members, and guests not only bring dirt but other germs as well inside the home. No matter how clean and nice those shoes look, they bring dirt inside!
The dirt eventually becomes dust as you keep walking and your humble abode becomes dusty!
That’s why it’s a must to keep shoes at the door. Keeping shoes outside of your house will prevent the spread of dust inside and improve indoor air quality.
How Harmful Dust Can Be?
We would stop breathing if we could see what’s in the air with our naked eyes! Dust is just part of the problem.
So, yes, dust is harmful to you and your family members. There is no doubt about it. But how harmful can it be?
Well, for starters, it makes breathing difficult.
As you have seen above, the dust has many sources like pollen and air pollution. But did you know around 3.8 million people die of household air pollution every year?
That’s according to World Health Organization (WHO)!
The dust in the air contains toxic elements that can leave long-term health effects when exposed for a long time. Lead, sulfur dioxide, mercury, VOCs, etc. are some of these toxic chemicals.
And don’t forget, dust contains fungi, bacteria, and viruses as well that can make anyone sick.
You do not get sick right away after exposure to such dust. But some people feel dizziness, headaches, and various respiratory problems for a short time.
Dust can cause long-term damages to our health too like low lung capacity and immune system, bronchitis, lymphoma, etc.
As I have mentioned earlier, spores from mold get mixed into the air as well. There are tons of mold variations and most of them don’t have any serious negative effect on health.
However, due to the presence of bad mold spores in the indoor air, people may suffer from asthma-related symptoms, respiratory illness, hypersensitivity, etc.
You will notice the effect more visibly if you have family members with allergies. Upon exposure to such dust, allergic people suffer the most.
Allergic people can’t tolerate pet dander, mold spores, pollen, and other tiny particles that are available in the dust. When exposed to such matters, they show runny nose, coughing, breathing difficulty, skin rashes, and other symptoms.
So, even if you don’t face any long-term consequences, you will face allergies and irritations as a short-term effect.
I am not an alarmist but do you know dust accumulation can cause a fire? It’s rare but it happens. Dust accumulation around heaters, electronics, electrical sockets, and home appliances can be a fire risk!
Besides, dust will damage your home appliances much faster than you can imagine. You should not let dust to accumulate around such stuff.
Hiring Professionals For Dusty House
Most people don’t even think about it. But hiring a professional cleaning service is certainly a good idea if the house dust situation gets beyond control.
They have the right equipment and expertise to do so. They won’t just remove the dust good, they will recommend you something to prevent the dust in some better ways too.
Upon assessing the overall situation and condition, a professional can accurately tell you exactly what causes excessive dust in a house.
Your HVAC system plays a great role in keeping your house dusty or clean. Over time, your HVAC system will get dirty and only a professional can give it a thorough clean up.
You can’t simply reach to ductworks of your HVAC system. A professional can. Also, if you have a problematic HVAC system installed, the professional can fix it up for you.
And remember I have recommended getting an air purifier and humidifier?
Do you know how many brands are out there? How do you determine the right capacity of a humidifier or air purifier?
Well, no one can recommend a better one other than a professional! They have all the expertise to recommend you the best one. So, hiring a professional is never a bad idea when the situation gets beyond control.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Particles settled in the rugs and carpets, dirt from pet paws and your shoes, etc. are some major causes of dust in your house.
Well, that’s how dust gets into your house from the outside. But if you run your air conditioner keeping the windows open, that will reduce the floating dust from the air.
Yes. It’s more harmful to people with allergies. Dust can cause asthma attacks, wheezing, dermatitis & other allergy-related problems. Prolong exposure to dust may lead to more serious long-term health problems.
Yes. Air purifiers can significantly reduce the dust inside your home if you use it regularly. They won’t completely remove the dust particles but there will be less floating dust for sure.
Closing Remark
I don’t wonder why is my house so dusty all the time nowadays. That’s because there is nothing to wonder about it. I have learned all those reasons the hard way.
But now, you have learned as well including how to get rid of such dust, right? So, get back to action and keep your indoor air clean to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Resources:
- Reducing Hazardous Dust Exposure.
- https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/ajrccm/136.6.1429?journalCode=arrd
- Chemical aspects of the toxicity of inhaled mineral dusts
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