The truth about the dust is as simple as it is depressing: the dust has been there all along. It just doesn’t look as good in the dark. Professionals think you should remove it. Maybe more often than you usually do. And you can’t blame others, either. You have arranged most of the dust in your home yourself. See tips on how you can reduce dust at home at the bottom of the article. Do you have too much dust at home? Yes, I struggle to get rid of the dust. No, that’s the way it has to be. Show result – Robot vacuum cleaners are not enough Kai Gustavsen is head of indoor climate at the Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association (NAAF). He has met many people who have vacuumed the floor and hoped it was successful. He owes it to market forces. – You can’t get the robot vacuum cleaner to go up the wall, says Gustavsen. He emphasizes that all surfaces must be covered, including the horizontal ones. – Curtains, loose carpets and other textiles are also good dust collectors. Carefully pack them together, take them out and shake them. So there is no way out. So we have to knock, shake, dry and vacuum. – Makes it a bit exciting and fun. Bring the kids. Go in search of dorm rabbits and use a vacuum cleaner with an LED light, says Gustavsen. “Everything” turns to dust When you’ve got the dust out, you have to think about what you bring in. Everything will create dust, including those who live in the apartment, underlines Gustavsen. The quality of cushions, cloth, carpet and curtains also has a lot to say. – With the cheapest textiles, the particles will break faster and enter the house. The head of department recommends textiles with the Naaf or ökotex mark as a guarantee that allergy- or cancer-causing dyes have not been used. We cannot do anything with hair and skin cells. It sprinkles all the time and mixes with the house dust. What remains then is good cleaning. The bed must be vacuumed, says professor emeritus Oddbjørn Sjøvold. (illustration photo) Photo: Isabella & Zsa Fischer / Unsplash And we must bear to take the big sinners; the textile line. And the biggest of them all: The bed. – The bed must be vacuumed. Preferably annakvar veke. And then it is important to have a filter that collects the fine dust. Oddbjørn Sjøvold says so. He is professor emeritus in sanitation, or indoor environment, cleanliness and hygiene. According to the professor, washing floors with water and chemicals is not the way to go in ordinary living spaces. – When the chemicals dry in, they weather and turn into dust in the room. Adheres to “Queen” – Knowledge makes you motivated to get started, says laundry influencer Raluca Teodora Moldovan. She shares cleaning tips with her over 70,000 followers on Instagram. Knowledge is the key, he believes. – If you read a bit about how harmful dust is for you and your children, you will be motivated, she believes, and recommends making cleaning a bit of fun. Then she often turns to music. And then it’s Freddy Mercury and “Queen” that work best. – I almost always use “I want to break free” when vacuuming. Raluca Teodora Moldovan has, among other things, written a book about reindeer husbandry. Photo: Ina Marie Sigurdsen / news – “Another bites the dust” is also perfect for vacuuming, according to the influencer. Another trick is to give yourself a challenge and vacuum as much as possible in a set time such as 10 or 15 minutes. – Afterwards, you must check the container or vacuum cleaner bag to see how much dust you have collected. Then you will be motivated, says the Moldovan. More chemicals in the dust But how harmful is it actually to let the dust float? Shouldn’t we toughen up the immune system a bit? It all depends on what you have in your house, according to senior researcher and research director at the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), Pernilla Bohlin-Nizzetto. She has analyzed what the dust in our homes contains. – There is not necessarily more dust now, but there are many more chemicals in the dust, she says. Pernilla Bohlin-Nizzetto at NILU has discovered many chemicals in house dust. Most of it comes from products we bring into our home. (archive image) Photo: Pettersen/Helleland / news – The dust is a complex mixture of skin and hair and sanded particles from material as a consumer product such as carpets, floors, furniture and everything we have. And then it depends on what kind of material you have in your home. According to the researcher, house dust can contain many chemicals. There may be harmful chemicals in the dust you have in your home, says Pernilla Bohlin-Nizzetto at the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU). (archive image) Photo: Bo Lilledal Andersen According to the researcher, it could be a substance that causes allergies. And perhaps there is also a risk of more. – Some scientific research indicates that the chemicals are hormone-disrupting and potentially also carcinogenic, says Bohlin-Nizzetto. But she emphasizes that much more research is needed on this and that there is no reason to be afraid. But there is a risk. – We work on the basis that there is a risk with these chemicals in dust, and already then you have to start reacting. You don’t need to see a case of cancer before you start reacting, says Bohlin-Nizzetto. How to reduce dust at home Clean the walkway to the home regularly for sand, dust and pollen. Have a scraping mat outside the front door and a moisture-absorbing mat inside. Have a pounding stone or boot brush to knock off shoes. Outer wardrobes should have doors and go up to the ceiling. Wall-hung shoe shelves in the wardrobe make cleaning easier. Keep the floor free of unnecessary objects. Use tight storage boxes with lids for storage. It is particularly important to seal between the window and frame in windows facing a busy road. Keep air vents facing a busy road closed when there is a lot of road traffic or it is very windy outside. Insert pollen filters in all valves. Shock air the home at least 2 times per day for 10-15 minutes. Then the humidity usually increases, and the temperature drops. This causes swirling dust to become heavier and settle on the floor. Choose a central vacuum cleaner or a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter. Vacuum regularly the floor, fixtures, walls, curtains and other areas that collect dust particles. Vacuuming a little more often than usual is good prevention. Change the vacuum cleaner bag regularly. Replace candles with LED lights. Heating the indoor air makes the dust dry and suspended. Therefore, avoid heat sources that are difficult to keep clean, and remember to clean more often in the winter. Ensure good draft in the wood-burning stove. Source: Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association
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