Excessive Dust in Your House: Causes and How to Fix It

Dust bunnies are everywhere — under the bed, on furniture, and behind appliances. No matter how much you sweep or vacuum, they keep coming back. And unfortunately, with the dust often come allergies.

Now, here’s the thing: dust doesn’t magically appear in a house. It has to come from somewhere.

If you’re wondering what causes excessive dust at your house and how to get rid of it, we’ve got you covered.

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What causes excessive dust in a house?

Where you live, the time of year, how many people share your home, if you have pets, and even how you clean all have an impact on how much dust is present in your house.

Generally speaking, everything that may dry up and flake off makes up the majority of household dust. Dust comes from outside the house through dirt, pollen, smoke, exhaust, and sand. At the same time, it accumulates inside the home from dirt, skin cells, and fabric fibers.

Here are the main reasons your house could have excessive dust:

Pet hair and dander

Pets also shed bits of skin and hair, much like we do. So, if you have dogs, cats, or other fuzzy creatures in your home, they contribute to the reason for excessive dust. 

Dead skin cells

Every day, humans shed millions of skin cells. But, while some of them end up in the bathroom when we bathe, some skin cells settle on surfaces in the house and contribute to dust buildup and the growth of dust mites.

Food debris

Crumbs, food particles, and cooking oils accumulate on kitchen surfaces, floors, and furniture, contributing to dust buildup.

Soil and pollen

If you, your children, or your partner spend much time outside, your home is likely to have a dust issue. Pollen, soil particles, and other outdoor pollutants can be carried indoors by people and pets, contributing to dust buildup. 

You may be unknowingly dispersing these dust particles when you come in from outside the house. The soil and pollen will float around before landing on your surfaces and furnishings. Also, if your windows or doors are left open, the wind can easily blow soil and pollen particles inside.

Renovations or home improvement projects

Renovations or home improvement projects can generate a lot of dust from cutting, sanding, and drilling. Even after the project is completed, the dust can linger in the air and settle on surfaces, contributing to indoor dust buildup. 

Air conditioner HVAC system

An air conditioner heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system sucks air in and then blows it out. The air passes through a filter to remove dust and airborne particles.

A dirty filter can prevent dust from being filtered out, allowing dust and polluted air to be blown throughout the house.

Humidity

High humidity levels in the house can contribute to dust buildup. In addition, moisture in the air can cause dust particles to clump together, making them more likely to settle on surfaces.

What to do about excessive dust in your house

Although it might not be feasible to eliminate dust in your house completely, the good news is that you can do several simple things to significantly lower the excessive dust in your home.

We’ve gathered recommendations from professional cleaners on Homeaglow for getting rid of excessive dust in a house. You may need to try out more than one of these techniques depending on the primary makeup of the dust particles in your home.

1. Pet grooming

Regular grooming of your pets is important for keeping their hair and dander under control. It will prevent hair, dead skin cells, and dust from building up. Brush your pets frequently to remove loose hair, and bathe them as needed.

A pro tip is to brush your pet's hair outside or in the bathroom to reduce the amount of dust they contribute.

2. Vacuum regularly

Vacuuming your carpet, furniture, and drapes regularly reduces dust and significantly enhances indoor air quality. If you have pets, you have to vacuum twice as often. 

If you notice your vacuum cleaner’s suction power is reducing, follow these steps to clean it.

A pro tip is to consider using an air purifier with a HEPA filter to capture pet allergens.

3. Use rugs and mats

Soil can be brought into your home on shoes and through open windows and doors. To minimize this, use doormats at entryways and remove shoes before entering the house. You can also place rugs or mats in high-traffic areas to trap soil before it spreads throughout your home.

4. Manage humidity level

The humidity level in your home controls the number of dust mites. When the humidity is low and the air is dry, your house becomes dustier. In contrast, excessively high humidity feeds mites and encourages mold formation.

Maintain humidity levels between 40% and 50% to help reduce the moisture-loving dust mites and eliminate excessive dust.

5. Clean food debris

Food debris can attract dust mites and other pests, contributing to dust accumulation in your home. To reduce this, promptly clean up food spills and crumbs, especially in kitchen and dining room areas. 

To help make cleaning your kitchen and dining room easier, we’ve published the same kitchen cleaning checklist and dining room cleaning checklists as used by professional cleaners on Homeaglow. 

6. Replace your HVAC system filter

Most HVAC system filters capture 80% to 95% of dust particles that are five microns or bigger. We recommend replacing them with a higher-performing filter that can collect over 99% of particles as tiny as 0.3 microns. 

This helps to stop germs, viruses, and odors from being dispersed. Also, remember that the filter should be changed or cleaned frequently.

7. Use a dust repellant

Mix 1 cup of water, 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar, and two teaspoons of olive oil in a spray bottle. Next, add five to ten drops of essential oil to the mixture, depending on how strong you want the aroma to be.

Spray the mixture over dusty areas and then clean it with a microfiber cloth. This mixture will keep your home surfaces dust-free and shining for longer.

Remove excessive dust from your home

In addition to the pro tips recommended in this article, cleaning your home thoroughly and frequently reduces excessive dust.

Using a checklist also helps you know where to clean and keep track of where you’ve cleaned. This is why we prepared different cleaning checklists for the dining room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, kid’s room, and living room.

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