WHAT is with all the dust in my house!? We are currently renting an older house, probably build around 1940-ish, and we've been here for about a year. No matter what, no matter how often I dust and replace our filters, the dust is CRAZY out of control. We get cobwebs like nobodys business. It's SO GROSS. There are dust bunnies EVERYWHERE (and I'm beginning to think they are plotting something)... any ideas on how to get rid of this mess once and for all? The constant dusting seemingly does nothing when it comes to preventing future dust bunny attacks. Help! Thanks ladies :)
To answer happymoms question, no cat, but we do have a dog (who barely sheds at all)... YES we have awful hardwood floors (which I despise) and yes we have a Swiffer, that the kids can use with ease :)
It's probably due to old leaky windows. I guess you could cover all of the windows with that plastic they usually have at Home Depot in the Winter time for drafty windows. That might cut the amount of dust coming in a great deal.
M.
I have no advice other than getting an air purifier, but I had to thank you for my morning chuckle! Loved the way you wrote this message. I have the same challenge. Home's not as old as yours, though. Swiffer products do help, making sure you're changing the filter on the vent, weekly cleaning schedule, and checking the air flow of the room, is there any circulation? I once got a maid service to do a deep clean; the house stayed clean longer though as fast as they cleaned they noted more dust building up. Hopefully you'll get some good responses. I'd love some ideas myself.
this year has been horrible for dust! We've lived here 20 years & this is the most dust I've ever seen. & you're right- it's gross!
We're still trying to identify the source.....so I truly wish you LUCK!
Our house was built in 1900 and until I starting going through with the hose/attachment end on the sweeper to get ALL corners/baseboards and along the ceiling, we had that issue as well. I do that weekly, when I do my normal dusting and sweeping. It helps tremendously.
I have the same problem and yes, I have 4 cats. I dust the cold intakes daily. If I forget I can just use my bare hand and wipe off a huge dust bunny in the making.
We just recently changed our heat and air to a modern one that runs 24/7. I heard it would be worse for awhile as a lot of the old stuff in the vents work their way up. NOW I know why they call them dust bunnies. I find some the size of soft balls floating around the house!
I do have 2 extra air filters running on top of the filter on the heat/air system. But like you, no matter how much I clean them, they are always full.
I sweep 3-4 times daily. I use a damp cloth to wipe down the couch and that gets a lot of cat hair.
I also believe in my house it's partly because I run a daycare 24/7 and have so many families coming to and from day and night. With 6 of us in the family, 4 kids all day, 4 kids all night, and 4 kids all weekend, parents coming twice daily for 8 families, it's a lot of dirt and crud being tracked in.
As far as cleaning the ducts... Ever since I read an article about children that get sick after the ducts are cleaned, I am afraid of it. I don't think it was ever determined if it was the chemicals they used or stirring up all the dirt that was in the duct work for years. But the kids from the article were deathly ill and it happened several times with the same duct cleaning company. No thanks. I just pick up the friendly little bunnies and move on. :)
our house was really bad too. since i got my new vacuum, i have to say it is much better. it's a riccar, and while it was expensive this machine sucks up everything and leaves nothing behind. old houses are naturally more dusty, at least i've noticed that, and hardwood floors definitely let the bunnies roll, but this vacuum has made a difference.
You probably won't be able to address it in a rental house. We had a lot of dust in our house and it was b/c it wasn't sealed well and b/c of the type of furnace we had. We replaced the furnace (not b/c of the dust), put in a whole house air filtration system/humidifier and encapsulated our crawl space. We have very little dust now.
Has anyone checked your duct work? If the house has been updated to central heat/air there may be a collection of dust in the ducts and/or a break in the duct work somewhere. Check the seals around doors & windows also to make sure there are no air leaks. Good luck!
I don't know if this has been suggested, but we had similar issues when we first bought our house. Finally, we had a duct cleaning company come out and they use high pressure air (so you're asked to step outside or not be home) and they clean all the dust that collects over time in the duct work. Take a peek at your air return vent and it's usually very scary! After they came in, it looked clean and clear. It didn't solve all the issues (I must admit to be a lack luster duster!) but it helped tremendously. You can also have them clean the ductwork in and linked to the dryer.
Well worth it. Just make sure they clean up after themselves around each vent!!
i saw on tv once a house that had loads of dust due to a loose air duct in their attic if you have central air/heat check the ducts and where they attach to the registers and the big intake machine. i hear the cheapest filters (those popular blue ones) work the most efficiantly becase it lets the air go trough them easier keeping the pressure of air flow at a nice speed. get the swiffer sweeper vac and go through your house once a day with it. i love mine.
Do you have cats? Our dust bunny epidemic stopped when our cat died :-(. If you have hardwood floors I suggest to keep the Swiffer at hand and go around with it daily.
My house gets so dusty that I can't keep up with it. I have a carpet shampooer that helps a little. In the summer, my windows and doors are always open so I know that doesn't help anything, but it gets so dusty in winter too. We don't have central heat or air, so I gave up trying to figure out where it comes from. I have things on top of my kitchen cabinets that get dust all over them.
Keeping up with it is a pain.
There's a thing called a webster you can use for the cobwebs. Vacuum and swiffer are good for the floors. Shake any throw rugs you have often.
One of my good friends has literally about 3 knick knacks in her house because she hates dusting so much. She's got dogs so keeping up with the floors is all she cares to handle.
You can try to find a portable air filter system and just move it from room to room. You take the filters out and vacuum them off or replace them. They really do trap a lot of dust and air impurities. They had one in my last office, I can't remember the brand, but I think my boss bought it at Costco maybe. It's tall and thin, doesn't take up much room and is quiet.
You might try that.
Best wishes!
#1 exterminator for the spiders/bugs
#2 perhaps the air ducts/vents need to be cleaned
#3 if there is any wall to wall carpeting, perhaps it needs to be cleaned (years of dust, pollen, animal hair, etc.)
Since you are renting, perhaps you can ask your landlord about this, or ask for a discount off your rent if you show him a bill paid for services for HIS house.
You may also be able to buy a better filter for the vents (heat/air conditioner) to help collect the debris as it passes through the system.
Finally, do you have the windows open? Perhaps you have pollen coming in from outside? I know in the Spring we have a lot of "dust" when the windows are open.
I hope these suggestions help you out.
