Dust is made of small pieces of dirt, pollen, particles from chemicals, plastics, smoke, ash, and salt. Disconcertingly, it is inhabited by mold, bacteria, and dust mites and may contain fragments of dead insects, insect feces, and skin and hair from humans and animals.

In homes, you will find dust between fabric and carpet fibers, in chinks between floor planks, and in every nook and cranny the tiny particles can settle.

You will even see it drifting through the air. Choose fully bonded and insured Jacksonville cleaning and home improvement services to help you keep dust under control.

Reasons Why Dust Could Be a Health Risk

Most of us are aware that what dust is made of can exacerbate allergies. Many people are allergic to mold, pollen, and dander (dead skin and hair cells from animals). However, even if you are not allergic to any of these, it’s uncomfortable knowing that dust can enter your body.

This occurs when you inhale dust particles or when they settle onto the food you eat. Chemicals from dust can even be absorbed through your skin. It may be a relief to know that ordinary household dust should not cause immediate harm to a healthy person. 

At the same time, dust can be particularly problematic for individuals living with respiratory conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). There are no definitive studies on the long-term effects of exposure to carcinogens in dust on human health; however, this may be a concern.  

How the Many Things Dust Is Made of Get Into Your House

As any homeowner knows, dust seems to appear as if by magic. However, the truth is rather more mundane. Sources of the different components that go into dust include:

  • Dirt gets tracked into your house, or fine sand or soil particles are blown in through open windows.
  • Pollen can drift through the air for thousands of miles. It settles on our clothes and bodies and blows in through open windows and doors. 
  • Your skin sheds around 1.5 pounds of dead skin cells per year, sloughing off around 600,000 dead skin cells per day. 
  • We all love our pets, but they do bring dust into the house on their coats, and they also shed skin cells and hair. 
  • Most bacteria found in dust are of human origin, but they can also come from spoiled food or dropped food particles, as well as animals.
  • Polluted air contains tiny chemical-laden particles that join the wide range of other things that dust is made of.  
  • Plastics break down into microplastic particles. There are concerns about their cancer-causing properties, and they are found in the air around us.
  • According to the report Dust Mites and Cockroaches from the National Institute of Environmental Health, tiny dust mites are attracted to skin flakes in dust. They cannot be seen with the naked eye, but they make themselves at home in soft furnishings, carpets, and curtains and are a source of allergens. 

As for mold and insect particles, any home that has insect pests or mold is sure to have more than its fair share of these dust ingredients. Even the household chemicals we use can end up as part of what dust is made of, adding worrying compounds to the cocktail.

What Dust Is Made of in Your Home Reveals a Lot About You 

You may have guessed that every household has its mixture of dust ingredients. A study showed that dust can reveal where you live and what your pet is. To test this, researchers asked homeowners to collect dust from the top of their doors and analyzed it. 

They were able to say whether men or women lived in a house and whether they had a cat, a dog, or both. Interestingly, the Eastern US had more dust originating from mushrooms, while the Western US had more fungal dust associated with plant diseases and decaying leaves.

The study primarily focused on the “indoor ecology” of dust, examining the organisms it contains. However, if it had gone further, it may have indicated everything from the aerosols commonly used in a home to personal care product preferences.

Dust Enters the Average Person’s Body Every Day

Although we may not like to think about it, a lot of dust enters our bodies all the time. A report in The Guardian says that the average small child “eats” around 60 mg of dust every day in its report titled Dust busters: what’s really in household dust and how to get rid of it. The recommended daily intake for adults is approximately 30mg. 

This is not even the full amount of dust that enters our bodies. We must still consider inhalation and dermal absorption to arrive at a total. However, figures like these are based on the average home and provide extra motivation to keep our homes spotless. 

Apart from cleaning our homes, we can reduce our dust intake by identifying and eliminating hidden sources of dust. For example, a Jacksonville air duct cleaning can address one of the sources of dust that many people are unaware of, thereby improving indoor air quality.  

Tips for Getting Tough on Dust

Apart from keeping ventilation systems clean, you can fight dust through regular cleaning using high-quality equipment. Unless they are well-maintained and of high quality, vacuum cleaners can actually spread dust and microorganisms around, thereby increasing your exposure to these particles. 

A rather shocking study on the microbial content of vacuum cleaner dust found that vacuum cleaners can redistribute dust, potentially increasing our exposure to germs. This does not mean you should not vacuum. Choose professional-grade equipment for the task. 

The old advice of cleaning your house from top to bottom still applies. Start high up and work your way down, cleaning everything, even if you do not see any signs of dust or dirt. Schedule regular deep cleans to remove dust hiding in carpets, upholstery, and curtains. A Jacksonville carpet cleaning service can deliver professional results.

There Will Always Be Dust, But Less Is Better

Since we are the source of much of the dust in our homes, a completely dust-free home may be impossible to achieve. However, we do know that very dusty environments and some of the substances that dust is made of can be harmful to us. 

Keeping ahead of the curve can be hard when you have a busy schedule. With First Coast Home Pros to help you, you can keep dust at bay no matter where it is lurking.

Whether you want a seasonal deep clean or would like more frequent help, our award–winning home cleaning and service experts are the people to turn to. Call us to find out more.