How to Get 99% of the Dust Out of Your Home

How to Get 99% of the Dust Out of Your Home

We all know that air pollution is a problem. We can see the smog hanging over cities, and we know that car exhaust and factory emissions are harming the environment. But what many people don’t realize is that air pollution can also have a direct impact on our health. Dust, smoke, odors, and certain viruses and bacteria can be suspended in the air you breathe, even when you don’t see them. This can cause respiratory problems, headaches, dizziness, and other health issues. So it’s important to be aware of the air quality in your area and take steps to protect yourself when necessary.  But how can you get 99% of the dust out of your home?

It’s definitely frustrating when you spend all that time cleaning your home, and the dust just comes back in a couple of hours. But don’t worry – there are some things you can do to make your cleaning routine more effective. Here are a few tips:

Start at the top and work your way down 

When it comes to cleaning your home, there is one cardinal rule that you should always follow: start at the top and work your way down. This rule applies to every room in your house, from the living room to the bathroom. So grab your step ladder and follow along.

You should start at the top because dust tends to collect in high places, such as on ceiling fans, light fixtures, kitchen cabinets, the refrigerator, and the tops of door frames.

Other items at the ceiling level are your air supply registers. If they haven’t been cleaned in a while, you’ll see the same color dust as the dust that cakes up on your air return filter. The filter caught most of the suspended dust in your house, but not all of it. That dust on the registers clings to the metal and builds up over time.

Once you’ve tackled the dust bunnies up top, you can move on to the next level of surfaces:

Dust prevention hack #1

Feather dusters may seem like a great idea at first, but in reality, they just worsen the problem. They create a magnet for more dirt and leaves, which will settle around your home with nowhere else to go! To get rid of this unwanted debris, use moist wipes or damp cloths to clean the higher areas of the house without making matters worse.

Wipe down your windowsill and drapes/blinds 

One of my favorite business personalities on YouTube is Angela Brown Cleaning. She has a ton of helpful hints for getting your house super tidy. The video she has on cleaning those wooden or faux wood blinds is next level. You might think taking a rag or duster will do the trick, but if you follow Angela’s helpful tips, you be ready for the next step in getting your house dust free. Here is the link to the video on How to Clean Your Blinds, and this is the link to her actual YouTube channel – Angela Brown Cleaning

Dust prevention hack #2

We’ve been taught that fresh air is good for us and that it’s important to open the windows to let in a breeze every once in a while. However, many people don’t realize that this can actually be doing more harm than good, at least when it comes to dust. That’s because dust gets in through the windows and doors in the form of mold spores, pollen, and airborne pollutants that can create a buildup on your windowsills. So, if you’re trying to keep your home dust-free, it’s better to keep the windows closed. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should never open your windows. Just be sure to do so on days when the air outside is relatively clean.

Next up: The television 

What room doesn’t have a television these days, right? Over time, a lot of dust can accumulate around televisions. While it may not be noticeable at first, eventually, the buildup can become quite noticeable, especially when watching in HD. (Get it? Wink!) Fortunately, you can do a few things to reduce the amount of dust that collects on your TV. First, make sure to dust your TV regularly with a soft cloth. Be sure to avoid using abrasive cleaners since they can damage the screen.

Cleaning the TV with a lightly damp soft cloth will collect the dust better than using a duster and just flipping the dust further down to the ground. The less we have to vacuum off the ground at the end, the more thorough the job will get done.

Keep the shelves in your closet clean 

Take the stuff off of your shelves in the closet (from the top down) and give them a good wipe down. If you haven’t reached up there in a while, this is a great place to eliminate dust in your house. Using a damp terry cloth will do better than a microfiber towel. Shelves can be just rough enough to snag those softer cloths.

If it’s been a while, you might want to cover your hanging clothes with a sheet so the dust doesn’t just fall right onto them.

Midway down now – Bookcases

Anyone who loves books knows that they can quickly become a source of clutter. Books have a way of taking over a space, whether it’s a stack of hardcovers on the nightstand or a pile of paperbacks on the coffee table. But while it may be easy to let the bookshelves get dusty, taking the time to clean them can make a big difference in the overall appearance of your home. The good news is that cleaning bookshelves don’t have to be a time-consuming task. A quick dusting with a microfiber cloth or clean paintbrush will remove most of the dirt and grime. You can remove the books and vacuum the shelves with the upholstery attachment for a more thorough cleaning. Either way, knocking the dust off the bookcase shelves will reduce the amount that can affect your air quality.

“National Clean Out Your Bookcase Day” is February 20th 

Books can quickly take over your home if they’re not properly organized. A bookcase is essential for keeping your books organized and dust-free. Still, it’s also important to regularly purge your collection to get rid of books you no longer want or need. Set aside a day each year to declutter your bookcase. Start by taking everything off the shelves and sorting through your books. Donate any books you no longer want or need, and then put the rest back on the shelves.

Take this opportunity to reorganize your bookcase to be more functional and aesthetically pleasing. For example, you might want to organize your books by genre or author. Or, you may want to create a “to be read” section to help you keep track of the books you still need to read. Whatever system you choose, ensure it works for you and helps you keep your bookcase organized.

Furniture, nightstands, coffee tables 

Like most people, you probably don’t think much about the dust that settles on your furniture. After all, it’s just dust, right? Wrong. Dust is actually a mix of different things, including human skin cells, pet dander, and bits of fabric. And while it may not seem like a big deal, dust is harmful to your health. Studies have shown that exposure to dust can trigger allergies and respiratory problems. It can also aggravate existing conditions like asthma. So how do you keep your furniture dust-free? The best way is to clean it regularly with a vacuum cleaner or damp cloth. You should also try to avoid using harsh chemicals, as these can damage the finish on your furniture. After hitting these items in your house, you can move on to the final phase!

Vacuuming/Mopping 

Many people don’t realize how important vacuuming is to the overall cleanliness of their homes. Not only does vacuuming remove dirt and dust from carpets and upholstery, but it also helps to remove allergens that can cause respiratory problems. Vacuuming can help prolong your carpet’s life by preventing the buildup of dirt and grime.

Vacuuming must be done regularly, at least once ahttps://iwaveair.com/ week, to ensure that your home is clean and free of allergens. To get the most out of your vacuuming, move the furniture around and reach all areas. And don’t forget to empty the bag or canister when it becomes full.

If you have pets, you may need to vacuum more often to remove pet hair and dander. A good vacuum with a HEPA filter cleaner will go one step further for leaving your carpets and upholstery looking clean and fresh.

Once you have done everything you can to get rid of the dust off all of the surfaces in your house, add an I-Wave air purifier to your HVAC system. When the fan is on, ionization will eliminate dust, single-cell DNA and RNA, and multicell bacteria and keep mold and spores from developing in unseen parts of your house. You can get an I-Wave installed by one of our professional technicians at Fox family Heating & Air. They last about 15 years and are self-cleaning every three days. So there’s nothing left for you to do to maintain it. And there are no extra costs associated with maintaining the effectiveness of the air cleaner. Unlike Ultra-Violet bulb cleaners, the I-Wave doesn’t have a light bulb that needs to be replaced every couple of years. Those bulbs can cost an extra $400 every time you change them.

With an I-Wave Air Purifier, the price you pay upfront for it is the only time you’ll ever reach into your wallet.

I hope this has given you a different take on indoor air quality for your home. From an HVAC technician’s point of view, if you can just keep that dust in check around your house, a quality air cleaner, and we think the I-Wave is the best one, is the way to go.

The “Lag of Season” – Why it Stays Hotter Longer into the Summer

"Lag of Season" – Why it Stays Hotter Longer into the Summer
As anyone who has ever stepped outside on a hot summer day knows, the air can take some time to heat up. The same is true for the atmosphere as a whole. Though the summer solstice marks the longest day of the year, it is not necessarily the hottest. That’s because it takes time for the atmosphere to absorb the Sun’s energy and convert it into heat. Similarly, midday is not necessarily the hottest time of day. That’s because it takes some time for the Sun’s rays to travel through the atmosphere and reach the ground. The same principle applies to the summer solstice: it can take some time for the atmosphere to heat up, even though the Sun is at its highest point in the sky.  Today we are going to talk about why it stays hotter longer into the summer or the “Lag of Season”.

From an Expert

It always sticks in my mind as an HVAC technician, but I’m reminded of it when KCRA weatherman Mark Finan talks about it every Summer. In an article on the channel’s weather blog, he said, “June is the month with the highest sun angle and the longest hours of daylight. By the time we get to the solstice (June 20 this year), we have 14 hours and 51 minutes of daylight. By August, we are seeing shorter days and a lower sun angle. By mid-August, we have lost about an hour and a half of daylight. Despite the shorter days, August is a hotter month than June. The average high on June 1 is 85. On August 1, it is 94. June averages four days in the 100s, while August has 6. So why? It’s called the lag of seasons…As we transition from Spring to Summer, the Sun gradually warms the surface of the Earth. The gradual warming lags behind the length of the day. So the hottest part of the year is roughly a month after the solstice. The opposite is true in the winter when you’ll find the coldest part of the season is often in January, a month or so after the Winter solstice.”

Lag of Season Explained

What I gather from this is that even though the Sun is at the same angle in the sky in June as it is in August, or May as it is in September, the Earth’s surface is cooler in the earlier summer months tater in the Summer. The winter cools the Earth’s surface, so less radiant heat is absorbed and retained in the atmosphere. We notice this same phenomenon during the day as noon is not the hottest part of the day; it always falls around 4 pm to 5 pm. That’s the atmosphere heating up and trying to put on the brakes as night comes. It just takes a little longer to reject the day’s heat, which is why it can still be 90 degrees outside at bedtime. This was a topic I’ve wanted to mention this topic in the Summer before, but I found it hard to explain on paper. Seasonal Lag, or as Mark Finan calls it, “Lag of Seasons,” makes it hotter in the later months of Summer than it is in the earlier months. It’s directly linked to the surface temperature of the Earth and its ability to retain heat as the warmer days upon the surface earth as well as its rivers, lakes, and strea