The air in many homes across America is full of substances that can be detrimental to the health of the inhabitants of the home. Cleaning chemicals, new furniture, paint, plastics and VOCs can all contribute to poor indoor air quality. Another contributor to poor air quality is the presence of dust.
What is Dust?
Dust is caused by the presence of living organisms, humans included. Dead skin cells, hair, pet dander, dust mite excrement and minute fabric particles all contribute to dust in a home. While most people may not have a severe reaction to dust, excessive dust can cause allergy problems in sensitive individuals, especially asthmatics and those with compromised breathing.
There are several things that you can do to keep dust down in a home.
• Dust and vacuum regularly. To keep dust under control, be sure to vacuum and dust on a regular basis. Stagger your cleaning so that your entire living space receives attention at least once a week. Pay special attention to out-of-the-way areas such as under sofas and beds; dust bunnies often take up residence in these places. If the ceiling fans in your home are stationary during the winter, be sure to dust them before turning them on in the spring or summer. Ceiling fans should also receive a dusting on a regular basis when they are in use to remove the dust from the edges of the blade.
• Bathe pets often. Pets are a main contributor to the amount of dust in a home and should be bathed often to keep the amount of loose hair and dead skin cells down. How often you bathe your pet will depend on whether it is kept indoors or outdoors, whether it has oily or dry skin and whether the pet has a skin condition. Frequent baths will help remove excess hair from your pet, creating a dramatic decrease in the amount of ambient dust in your home.
• Consider the purchase of a HEPA filter vacuum. You may also wish to purchase a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner. HEPA is an acronym for High Efficiency Particle Arrest. These filters effectively remove dust from the air your vacuum expels during operation, thereby decreasing the amount of dust you are forced to breathe.
The Air Filter
To help improve the air quality of your home, you can also consider the purchase of an air filter. Air filters, or air purifiers as they are sometimes called, are an excellent option when it comes to keeping the indoor air clean.
If you have just purchased new furniture or repainted your home, you may be able to especially benefit from an air filter. Paints, new furniture and conventional cleaning products often contain substances that can be harmful to the health of those who breath them, leading to cancer, reproductive harm and other health problems. While many people may be unaware of the deleterious effects of these chemicals at the time of their exposure, they may find themselves suffering from health problems later in life.
We talked to V-Face about this subject and they added, “Keep in mind that the place where you sleep at night should be as healthy as possible. Your body does most of its detoxifying at night. If the air you’re breathing is clean, you support your body as it cleans itself out in preparation for a new day. If you can only afford one air filter, consider placing it in your bedroom.”
The rate at which you should replace your air filters will depend on your sensitivity level, the amount of work your filter is required to perform and the manufacturer’s instructions. Some air filters may not require changing for several years. If your home is especially dusty or has significant amounts of off-gassing, you may want to consider changing it more often.
