Here's How Often You Should Really Be Dusting Your House
For many people, keeping a clean house, especially disinfecting high-traffic areas, has been at the top of the to-do list through the recent pandemic, mainly due to the concern over COVID-19 spreading (via Unicef). As time has passed, perhaps the house cleaning has dropped down the priority list a bit, but if you live with seasonal allergies, dusting is still a chore you should stay on top of.
The Mayo Clinic reports that dust and pollen allergies can range from mild to severe, and working to limit exposure is the best way to avoid the unwanted symptoms. Aside from the health benefits of a clean home, a dust cloud on the mantle is not aesthetically pleasing, which is another reason to minimize the dust in the home.
HGTV recommends dusting with a microfiber cloth and vacuuming using a HEPA filter to reduce dust mites and debris from the home, but just how often should you be focused on cleaning?
Dusting for health and happiness
The experts at Sparkle & Shine of Melbourne, Australia, say dusting is a crucial part of cleaning your home because, aside from allergy and respiratory reactions, harmful elements, like bugs, can live in the dust. Sparkle & Shine recommends dusting the home regularly, at least every other week but once per week is preferred.
Deep clean dusting, which includes less noticeable areas like ceiling fans, under furniture and the top of the refrigerator, is recommended every three to six months by director of business development at Pro Housekeepers, Jennifer Rodriguez (via Best Life). Rodriguez shares with Best Life that "Going any longer may start to cause allergies or respiratory problems to those living in the home." According to the Mayo Clinic, completely eradicating dust from the home is not realistic, but minimizing it can help decrease allergy and respiratory symptoms.
Psychology Today reports results from a study showing those who keep a clean house are healthier, happier, and more active than those who don't. While dusting may not be your favorite house cleaning chore, make some time to tackle it, at a minimum twice a month, not only to improve health and happiness, but also because, well, a clean house is just nice to live in.