Perhaps the Easter bunny brought you chocolate eggs, but I think I got dust bunnies instead. Hidden under the bed, I found balls of dust that are commonly called dust bunnies!
Dust bunnies are fluffy clumps of dust particles. According to a 2009 University of Arizona study, the dust found in homes contains “a mixture of organic matter such as shed skin cells and organic fibres, soil tracked in on footwear and particulate matter from the infiltration of outdoor air.”
According to the cleaning company Molly Maid, dust bunnies are common household nuisances that accumulate in hard-to-reach areas.
You may have noticed that dust bunnies tend to build up in certain areas of your home, such as under the bed or behind the door. This is because these are areas that you don’t see frequently, and therefore you don’t dust them as much. It might also be because of the way the air circulates in the room, creating a swirling pattern that gathers dust particles together into a ball. A tiny thread or a pet hair might gather other dust particles together, creating a ball of dust. It’s something like the way a snowball rolling down a hill becomes bigger as it moves along.
Professional cleaners offer these suggestions to reduce dust in your home:
—frequently vacuum with a HEPA filter,
—use microfibre cloths for dusting from top to bottom,
—wash bedding weekly in hot water.
Key preventive measures include: —change the filters in your heating system every three months,
—position floor mats at entrances,
— start a “shoes off” policy,
— use air purifiers.
Some furniture seems to attract dust. You can dust hard surfaces, such as the hall table, every day, and it still looks dusty. You might try Grandma’s recipe for a dust repellent. Combine vinegar, a dash of dish soap, and olive oil to make a dust repellent spray for your furniture. It creates a thin, shiny coat so the dust bounces off the surface you have sprayed. (I wouldn’t try this on your TV screen, though.)
Grandma also had a spring house cleaning routine that reduced dust in the home. She tied a cloth over a broom and collected the cobwebs that appeared in the corners of the room and along the ceiling. She washed the walls with vinegar and water to remove the dust that accumulates from heating the house during winter. Curtains were taken down and washed. Windows were shined with a vinegar and water solution. Rugs were taken outdoors to be hung on the clothesline and beaten until the dust no longer billowed out. The kitchen cupboards were scrubbed with soap and water, everything taken out and washed and put back on the clean shelves, newly lined with paper.
It is my opinion that spring cleaning was invigorated by the welcome return of the sun. During the dark days of winter, it was hard to see the accumulated dirt, but when the windows were thrown open to the spring sun, the accumulated grime of the winter became apparent, adding to the urgency for cleaning.
The hairs and dead skin cells that fall from our bodies and our pets form a large portion of the dust that accumulates in the home. This organic matter is food for dust mites. Dust mites are microscopic spider-like creatures (arachnids) that live in household dust. Dust mites thrive in warm, humid environments. They commonly inhabit bedding, mattresses, carpets, and upholstered furniture. They do not bite or burrow into skin, but their faecal particles are a major cause of indoor allergies and asthma. To get rid of dust mites, focus on the bedroom by washing bedding weekly in hot water, covering mattresses and pillows with allergy-proof encasements, and maintaining indoor humidity below 50 per cent. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter, replace carpets with hard flooring, and reduce clutter. A homemade anti-dust-mite spray may reduce the allergen load on surfaces for a short period of time. Tea tree, eucalyptus, and peppermint oils are known natural repellents. Mix 2 teaspoons of essential oil and 2 teaspoons of white vinegar with water in a spray bottle and spray your furnishings every 2 to 3 weeks to help keep dust mites away. Keep pets off human bedding as much as possible.
Dust and dust mites are a common indoor allergen. Allergens are things that can trigger an allergic reaction. Allergens can cause a rash, stuffy nose, or other symptoms, such as wheezing or coughing. Symptoms of dust mite allergy are like those of hay fever, such as sneezing, itchy eyes, and runny nose. Many people with dust mite allergy also have symptoms of asthma, such as wheezing and trouble breathing.
Dust mites are a mighty big problem for some people and certainly nothing that you’d like the Easter bunny to leave you!
