Before I get into the facts, I should set the premise up.
Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I am not germophobic or dust-phobic. I am not sure if dust-phobic is even a word, but you know what I mean, right? However, I don’t want dust to sit on my couch or make my family sick. So, I am open to ensure dust and dirt don’t bother me, my family, or my guests, anymore. The only problem was, I didn’t know how – until a friend of mine came to visit me and told me that my air conditioner was the problem, more specifically the air ducts, they were leaking.
I thought I buy an HVAC system; I get the air conditioner installed and only worry about them when I need AC maintenance & repair. But maintenance of Air conditioning units goes way beyond. If the AC and the vents are not properly maintained, then dust and dirt will be the least of your problem.
Then I dug a little deep, and I found out how many things I’m doing wrong and how they are causing the dust buildup. Here’s what I learned –
5 Reasons For Dust Buildup In Your Home
1. Your air ducts have leaks
The first thing I found out about the dust in my home is the leaks in my air ducts were the culprits.
You can never guess how a small leak in the air ducts can cause a swirl of dust in your home. If you have the same situation in your home, check whether you have a leak in your air ducts or not. When you find it, you will realize how much dust is sitting inside the vents.
Before things get any worse, you must attend to it. The best option is to call for air duct cleaning and repair services and get the leak fixed.
If the leak is very small, then you can handle the leak with simple duct tape. But if you still don’t see any improvement in your overall condition, you must look for other possible reasons why there is this much dust sitting in your room.
2. You must be dusting off your house in the wrong way
When I found that I was dusting off the room the wrong way, I thought this could not be possible. How can someone dust the wrong way? It’s just dusting.
Then I read more about it. Found out, we are really doing it wrong.
When we think about dusting, we think about dry dusting. Dry dusting doesn’t do anything but moves the pollen, dust, and dirt from one place to another.
The right way to do this is wet dusting. Wet dusting is like moping but not to the extent of making the whole space wet as you would do with your floor when moping. Wet dusting is much more subtle.
You can look for a professional cleaning service in your area or you can do it yourself. There are plenty of wet dusting agents available in the market. You just buy one and dust yourself to be free from all the dust and debris.
3. You are not cleaning the air ducts regularly
I talked about air duct leak fixing previously. But there are other mistakes that we make with our heating and cooling systems, more specifically, the air ducts.
Apart from AC repair costs, you also need to bear the air duct cleaning cost and get your vents cleaned every once in a while.
Unlike the leak repair, it’s something you shouldn’t DIY.
Apart from dust and leaks, you should also attend to the air ducts when you see molds in duct. Remember, mold removal is important if you want to make sure your family is safe from the infestation.
4. You are letting shoes in your house
This might seem a bit weird to put it on this list, but yes, shoes bring dust into your home. It is a no-brainer actually, but we often fail to realize this.
These shoes in your house don’t only bring dirt, dust and debris, and they also bring germs that pose health threats to your family.
5. You are not mopping the floor frequently
Another prominent reason why your home becomes dusty over and over is the fact that you are making the same mistake with your floor cleaning as you did with your home furniture.
Dry dusting doesn’t help. It just moves the dust from one part to another. Again, the best option is wet dusting. But if you have carpets in your house, you must look for carpet cleaning services. But if you don’t have carpets or anything, you can clean your floor yourself. You would just need some floor cleaner and a mop.
Bottom Line
Now that you know what mistakes you make that let dust to build up again and again, you can now right your wrongs and fix whatever problems you have with your heating and air conditioning systems or your dusting methods. Also, make sure you rely on the professionals for air duct-related work if you have no technical knowledge on to attend air ducts and air conditioners.
Remember, dust or debris is not something you should take for granted. These can cause lung diseases like asthma. Also, if the dust sits for long, germs and other harmful microorganisms can grow and pose a threat to kids and adults in your home. That’s why you should never let the dust cover your house. Also, it is not just about health hazards. If your HAVC system is collecting dust for a while, then it will affect the performance of the air conditioning units. So, by not attending to the air conditioning services and not prevent dust buildup, you are putting your and your family’s health in danger as well as affecting the performance of your HVAC system.
See the summary of this article here in an infographic – 5 Reasons For Dust Buildup In Your Home [Infographic]
