Dust - how to eliminate it?

[WendyS]

It's the pain of my life. No sooner have I cleaned every surface than it's back again. Have almost given up on the duster which seems only to dissipate it, and rely on the suction brush on my vacuum cleaner to suck it up but still it comes ! Anybody got any magic answers?

[abilicious]

Anti-static polish sprayed on to the duster before you use it? Or damp-wiping? These work best for us, and we're asthmatics in our house.

[KARL]

The type of dust involved may indicate what is causing it. Much of house dust (apart from the skin we drop) is tiny bits of fibre from clothing, sheets, blankets, etc. Be aware that if the filtering in the vacuum cleaner is not efficient then the finest dust will pass right through it and dust will be fairly evenly distributed everywhere - dust settling more than very lightly above waist-to chest level is a telltale sign. Equally, flicking sheets, towels, clothing etc. out (as with getting it to settle over the entire bed) wafts any dust into the air. Beware of polishes and other substances to "dampen down" dust - all that happens is that it is more likely to be caked onto surfaces which eventually will show as pure filth. Finally, a bit of dust is entirely natural but same-day layering is a challenge to cleaning efforts and the source needs to be identified. I assume it is not coming from outside (quarry, cement or other factory, construction site, etc.)

[shaneystar2]

I damp dust or use one of those Pledge thingummys which you can chuck away afterwards . Bit like a feather duster but synthetic ..they are very good.
Quentin Crisp once said " After four years you never notice the dust "!! But I don't think I could leave it quite that long !!

[gessoo]

Like Shaney I damp dust with plain water on a cotton cloth well wrung out or I use the throw away ones that reduce static. I never use Pledge, etc. because it just puts a film over everything which encourages dust to stick to it and everything gets sticky and dirty (as Karl says). It's also quite bad for wooden furniture as it leaves a chemical residue.

Having said all that, I don't dust very often. My house is old with beams and impossible to keep dust free! Well that's my excuse!

[peanut]

I realise your problem lies not with being able to effectively dust but lies with the dust settling from the dirty air so quickly back on the surfaces you just dusted, right ? Check your furnace filter if it looks dirty, replace it. It may not eliminate your dust problem but it will sure help. Abra Kadabra.

[KARL]

It may not be immediately obvious to Europeans but peanut's suggestion is very appropriate where the heating is by "hot air", i.e. where the space heating (central or not) consists of a boiler/furnace through which air is blown and then (usually) fed through conduit to different locations in the accommodation. This system is widely used in North America but not common in Europe.