Dust is everywhere and that dirty film seems to reappear mere hours after vacuuming or dusting it away. There’s no way to eliminate it completely but there are ways to stop dust from accumulating so fast and reduce the total amount of dust in high-traffic areas. There are the obvious tactics such as removing shoes and keeping windows closed, but there are other factors that contribute to dust including high humidity and unbrushed pets.
Read more: How to Speed-Clean Your Kitchen in 15 Minutes or Less
Below you’ll find some quick tips for reducing dust in the home. For more spring cleaning tips, check out these 14 cleaning tools that’ll make you excited to wash up and peruse the best air purifiers for 2024.
An open window will fill your home with dust in a hurry.
High-traffic homes and those with pets and children are likely to accumulate more general dirt, and that includes filth and grime in microscopic form, aka dust.
If you live in a rural setting, you’re also more likely to track dirt into the house from outside. But urban dwellers aren’t safe from dustbowls, either. If you live on a busy city street with loads of foot or car traffic, dirt and dust become agitated and airborne, and some of it will inevitably find its way inside.
Find somewhere to store your dirty shoes, preferably in a mud room or outside the front door.
Shoes are typically the biggest catalysts for dragging dust into the house. Try to take them off before stepping in and leave them in the mudroom if you have one. If you leave them inside by the door, that dirt has still breached your home and some of it will eventually find its way to all your nooks and crannies.
2. Brush pets regularly and clean paws before entering
BlueAir Blue Pure 311i Max was the best air purifier for removing solid particles from the air.
HEPA air purifiers don’t just filter out germs and bacteria, they remove dust particles from the air and reduce the amount of it that accumulates in the home. Set one up in the higher traffic rooms and be sure to change the filter regularly.
CNET tested more than 15 air purifiers in our lab in Kentucky. Of the models we put through the wringer, the $230 BlueAir Blue Pure 311i Max removed the most particles from a smoke bomb we set off in a controlled chamber. It’s also energy-efficient and compact, making it an easy pick for the best air purifier in 2024.
4. Ditch the duster and use a microfiber cloth instead
Vacuuming is key but equally important is emptying the dust bin regularly.
Using a vacuum with a HEPA filter won’t prevent dust from accumulating, but it will remove more of it when you do clean. Pick a model with a dust-buster attachment so you can clean all those nooks and crannies as well as the floor.
Just as important as vacuuming is emptying the vacuum dust bin regularly. Vacuums mostly remove dirt but a full dust bin can release it from the machine’s cracks and crevices, too. Try to empty the bin outside since dust and dirt are bound to go flying the second you open the compartment.
Read more: Here’s the Right Way to Vacuum Your Home (and It Isn’t the Back and Forth Method)
