Omg, seriously, my house is dusty ALL THE TIME!!! The house isn't old, and we've had the ducts cleaned when we moved in 4 years ago. I can dust, and the next day it's back. What in the world can I do!?
Vacuuming at least every day cut down the dust in my house. Sometimes we vacuum twice - I have a Roomba.
Have you changed your furnace filter lately?
1. Change the furnace filter. Get the "good" kind that filters the smallest particles.
2. Brush or bathe your pets before you vacuum/dust.
3. Clean out the vacuum's canister and filter before you vacuum.
4. Vacuum and dust while running the furnace fan so everything you put into the air gets sucked through the filter.
The bottom line, though, is getting a good filter on your system will make a tremendous difference.
Some places are just dusty. In NYC, your windowsills accumulate a thin layer of sooty grime. Its ambient and there is nothing you can do about it except be vigalent about your clean up.
Meanwhile, tips to make your dusting less challenging include-
declutter. get rid of the dust collectors.
consider getting matte finishes (not shiny varnishes).
consider getting neutral colored furnishings (a black sofa is a dust beacon).
don't dry dust, but wipe down surfaces with a damp rag.
take your shoes off when you enter your home.
take a look at your landscaping, see if some strategically planted shrubs or hedges can help.
good luck to you and yours,
F. B.
I feel your pain! For me, it's a never-ending battle!! We have a very long gravel driveway and it's as if the dust from it just penetrates the walls and goes everywhere in my house!! Summer is even worse when/if I have the windows open! I never had this problem when we lived in a house with a concrete driveway.
I use the Swiffer Dusters all the time; sometimes I'll even mist them with plain water so they pick up even more of the dust.
Good luck!!
When people take a dust rag (dry) or feather duster, etc, and "dust"...really, you're just shaking all the dust back up into the air. It will resettle right back where it was. ;)
I dust with a damp rag (not wet), which will absorb the dust, and then I wash them. Once I can see dust on the rag, I take a new one. I have a lot of dust rags!
It also helps to work top to bottom...start at the ceiling, with the fans, and move down in each room. Finish by vacuuming, making sure your filter is clean.
I dust once or twice a week...twice if I'm having company, once if I'm not.
Do you have ceiling fans? If so, that is your culprit. Ceiling fans spread the dust around to every single nook and cranny in every room. The day we removed all of our ceiling fans is the day my house became much cleaner. We bought decorative stand fans to keep the air flow in the rooms and we don't leave them on ALL of the time. The dust is where ever the air is blowing. Now, my dusting has been cut by about 75% - no kidding!
we have old carpet + a dog (who pretty much shed-free) + a wood stove insert for our fireplace....which is the BIG culprit here.
Daily dusting sucks. I hate the wood stove insert.
I use a very good vacuum, I shampoo 2x/year. We keep the dog groomed. & I hate the days my DH cleans out the ashes. Oh, & we do regularly change the furnace filter...about once a month.
I have lots of dust because the cat fur clogs my furnace filters.
Have you ever had your ductwork professionally cleaned? You would be shocked at what gets blown out, even if you have a filtration system.
