How do I control the dust in an old house?
I have an old house. I know from experience that old houses are just dusty. There is 100 year old hidden dust in every crack and crevice in this house and it does get stirred up!
I don’t have forced air heat, which is a good thing, but I don’t have any carpet at all to catch or collect airborn dust. I have hardwood floors everywhere which makes stirring up the dust very easy.
I dust all the time. I’ve tried ozone generating air purifiers and hated them. I use the vaccume cleaner attachments to suck up dust when I clean.
Any ideas for controlling the dust problem in an old house? Air filters? Hire a live in maid? I’m exhausted, what do I do?
1 CLOSE WINDOWS AND DOORS
Where you live and the time of year usually determine how much dust accumulates in your home. Although dust can’t be totally eliminated, it can be minimized by closing windows, shutting outside doors quickly, and keeping inside doors closed to help contain the spread of dust.
2 DUSTING
When you do a thorough dusting, don’t just move it around; remove it. A feather duster or dry cloth will simply rearrange the dust and move it into the air. Depending on the surface, you will need to use a slightly damp cloth, a furniture polish, or a multipurpose spray cleaner in order to pick up and hold the dust. I put old, clean socks over my hands and spray them with furniture polish and dust away. I also love micro-fiber cloths because they capture dust without needing cleaning agents. They do a great job of removing dust from computer screens, furniture- and even pets.
3 CONTROLLING DUST
To control dust, start from the top down and take these steps:
* Every month, dust, clean, or change the air filters in air conditioning and heating units. This can make a big difference (the more dust the filter traps, the less in your home).
* Wipe off windowsills often to stop the dust from getting further inside.
* With a long-handled brush, eliminate the dust and grime from ceiling fans and vacuum up any gunk that may have fallen to the floor.
* Vacuum the tops of china cabinets, bookcases, and armoires and then polish the surfaces. And don’t forget moldings and baseboards.
* Regularly vacuum (with the brush attachment) louvered doors, pleated lampshades, and knickknacks.
* Wipe down kitchen and bathroom surfaces daily to get rid of dust and grease, which spread throughout the house. Then clean thoroughly once a week.
* Stand in the center of the room and look at all the surfaces-coffee tables, the dining room table, side tables, and nightstands. During the week, do a 10-minute quick dust and polish. .
* Most drapes and curtains can simply be put into the dryer for several minutes on the air setting to remove dust. A clean, new paintbrush can be used to dust mini-blinds.
* Electronic and high-tech equipment computers, TVs, DVDs, stereos -are magnets for dust. Wipe gently with micro-fiber cloths.
Wash your curtains. I am surprised at the amount of dust that collects in curtains.
Keep your windows closed (you can open them from time to time, but make sure it is not high pollen,spore season by looking at your local weather on the internet. If it is dry and dusty outside keep them closed or it will be dry and dusty inside).
Damp sponge mop your floors daily until the dust level in your home drops.
Don’t merely dust your furniture. Polish it with furniture polish.
Don’t let vacuum cleaner bags gets full.
Change your filters as needed.
All your surfaces are open directly to air. Air contains dust. Carpet floors, cover tables, make sure curtains are clean. In other words change how you live or keep on dusting