I Can't Control All The Dust

By

Jron7667

Household dust is composed primarily of things like human skin and hair, waxes, pollen, mold, fungi, lichen, tiny particles of wood, paint, fibers from fabrics such as wool, nylon, rayon, acrylic, foam rubber, sheet rock, plant and vegetable matter, insect parts, industrial emissions, heavy hydrocarbon waste from your oil or gas heater, even tiny bits of metal debris from door hinges or any place where metal and friction meet, lots of food waste, and loads of paper fiber...

There is a reason why dust seems to reappear just days after it gets cleaned up and it's not because you're doing a poor job cleaning. Especially in the winter, when the humidity is low, there's a lot of static charge. It's really strong. When you wipe the dust off, it'll come back and deposit on it. 3M and Scotch Brite has developed a statically-charged wipe cloth to more efficiently pull the dust off the surfaces, and Swiffer has made billions of dollars selling its statically-charged wipe cloths.

By Brenda (Guest Post)

You may want to look into having your ducts cleaned out if you have forced air heat. Dust and dirt settle in the ducts and then blows out whenever the heat or AC comes on

By

cookwie

Ask the doc about using Singular. I have found it to be VERY helpful in controlling allergies and asthma.

By Diana (Guest Post)

Dust is also caused from skin particles

By kelly (Guest Post)

Is your furance or A/C unit on?
I was told to put cheesecloth on my furance and cold air returns before I sand my hard wood floors. I wonder if it would also keep the dust from being blown around your apartment.

By Paula W (Guest Post)

Hi Nikki. I know nothing firsthand about asthma but know that it must be really scary to see your child struggling with it. This is just a thought. The dust you're describing sounds like what we experienced about 15 or so years ago when we were using humidifiers that I think had "sonic" somewhere in the name. Whenever we used them, there would be a fine white dust that would appear everywhere. Maybe minerals in the water? Just a thought. But, maybe you're right in that your building has a toxic environment and the central heat/air is the culprit. Maybe it's due for maintenance. I assume you've discussed with the manager? Best wishes and prayers for you and your precious son!

By nikki (Guest Post)

Thank you so much. We have been dealing with this since my son was 15 months old. We have not a single stuffed animal , no curtains, we do have a cloth couch , but we cannot vacuum as it pulls dust mites to the surface and he is allergic to dust mites. We did not have this problem back in our house, I clean every other day, but if you saw what was floating in the air you would just fall over. When the sun shines in the dust particles look like snow. It is frightening. Like I said we have purifiers in every room that are maintained every 2-3 months. Could it be something in the building creating this horrible dust? We moved back to NY figuring it would be better for my son and in turn his allergies here are worse then ever. The allergist says the 99 per cent of my sons success is controlling the indoor enviroment, now I have zero control over this dust.
Thanks again, Nikki

By

michala44

Nikki, dust is made from cloth or rugs. My son had the same problems yours is having. You have to get rid of curtins, and all excess belongings. You need to get rid of stuffed animals and things like that. Most people dont' realize dust is not dirt. It is from materials made of textile materials. You can switch to Roman shades. The are lot less likely to cause dust. If you have a cloth sofa, you have to vacumn in or get a cover and wash it every other day.Manly dont keep excess clothing. Good rule of thumb if you dont use it in two weeks and it is not seasonal then it has to go. No smoking around that kid. That is the worst. I saw my son struggle to breath so much and nothing is worth that.So lose all the excess. People cant wear or use but so much. Try not to keep it.. Have a yard sale. I used a rainbow as it used water to filter. It really works well. Other vacs seem to put the dust back out there. Artificial flowers , go, too much on the wall all that.. let is go..You will be much happier. After I did all of this. It was easy. This was back when those thick ruffled curtains were the rage and they were expensive but I learned tolove the sun coming in and the simplicity. It is the new look. Well one of them ..one i am happy to say , now that he is grown I still enjoy.. good luck honey. My heart goes out to you. Oh if he is on a prevetive med for asthma, talk to you doc. Do not give prevenitive and the acute meds at the same time. This only makes the attacks last longer. I found this out 20 years ago.If he is in an attack use only the inhaler. My son was allergice to everything.. Even human skin..sloughed off. He is 21 and has grown out of it. But always , always keeps and inhaler. He always will. Make sure there is not mildew around. Most with asthma will really get sick. Look around wet spots. Keep the sun in.. It kills it. Always talk with your dr about these things.. never listen to online without checking. hugs