Are you kicking up the dust way too much this spring?

We’ve been cooped-up in our cozy cubbies all season. 

Sure, this winter wasn’t a “bear” when it comes to the cold, but with each sunny springtime day we begin to exhibit post-hibernation behavior: We begin to dig; but we’re not digging for grubs and roots.

We’re digging into boxes and stored away papers. Digging in the closet to grab our spring togs and storeaway our winter gear. 

We dig through the shed and pull out the rakes. We dig through the attic. We dig through the storeroom. We dig through the basement. 

All of this digging leaves us breathless. But it’s not from the work, it’s from the dust!

Many seasons of dusts can pile up and are easily sent airborne with the slightest disturbance. With all of this stuff we’re moving around, we stir up an indoor dust storm. It’s a storm of mold, pollen, dander, dust mites, fibers, sawdust, drywall dust, lead dust, and asbestos dust. You’d be astounded if you could see the dust cloud filling your lungs. Those dust bunnies can turn into a bear.

When you start with dusty tasks, it might just knock you off your feet. In fact, you might have the hardest sneezing fit you’ve had all winter. Dusty tasks can lead to you having to grab an inhaler, or worse, you could find yourself sick for several days after dust-stirring activities.

Dust is a problem to your healthiness; there are precautions you can take when tackling those dust bunnies:

☑️ Be mindful of dust-stirring activities that you are about to begin (indoors and outdoors).

☑️ Be kind to your lungs. Wear a snug-fitting “rubber” mouth-and-nose respirator when doing dusty tasks. Wear an N95-grade paper mask as long as you can get a good fit to your muzzle. 

☑️ Wear protective eyewear. 

☑️ Take it outside if you can. Rugs, drapes, chairs, end tables. Dry brush, beat, compressed air wash, or wet wash to release the dusts outside, back to the wild.

☑️ Contain the work space. Keep other rooms clean from dust you’re stirring up while you’re working in one section of the house. Use painter’s tape to seal air gaps at closed doors to other rooms. Seal the air ducts closed with plastic and painter’s tape. Hang plastic as a room partition. Seal the partition to the ceiling, floor, and walls with painter’s tape. 

☑️ Put the work room under negative air pressure. Use plastic and painter’s tape to secure a box fan (pointing to outside) into the work room’s window to blow dusty air from the work room directly to outside.

☑️ HEPA vacuum. Collect the micro-dust rather than let it escape through a low-grade collection bag. Micro dusts can travel deeper into the lungs.

☑️ Damp“Swipe” rather than Wipe.

Swipe: With a dampened cloth, one motion is a “swipe.” Too keep collected dust trapped onto the cloth, immediately fold the cloth in an expose another clean cloth section to do another swipe with. Once you get the hang of it, you can get four to eight swipes from one heavier duty paper towel. Recycle or dispose of that one and tear off another.

Wipe: Wiping back and forth with the dirtied section of cloth will just spread the dust around and work dust deeper into the surface of what you’re trying to clean.

☑️ Go to those hidden surfaces that don’t get cleaned very often. Collect-up dusts from behind and under big furniture pieces, behind and under drawers inside cabinets, detail trim on walls and furnishings, duct air filter grills, kitchen stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, clothes dryer, fan blades, rugs, carpets, drapes, blinds, books, and boxes. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll find there.

☑️ Do your best to reduce clutter. Minimize interior surface area since dusts settle on all surfaces. It’s nice to not have to clean as many items and to not have so much stuff in the way of trying to clean what’s behind and under it. Make next cleaning time go easier and more quickly.

☑️ Containerize. Seal groups of things into plastic boxes. Takes much less time to clean the exterior of a 6-sided container than it is to clean every..little..convoluted..surface..of..each..of..the..30..smaller..individual..items. Label the boxes to more quickly find what you’re looking for.

☑️ Triage your space. Determine if you need: better filters, duct cleaning, humidity control, crawl space work, or mold control. 

Protect your lungs from excessive dustiness. Take the right precautions now so those dust bunnies you deal with now, don’t become a bear this allergy season. 

Your house is unique. So is the target you’re aiming at. One-size solutions do not fit all. “A Healthier Home” can identify a dust control strategy that will work best for you.