How to Get Rid of Dust in Your House for Good

Short answer: Work from the top of the room to the bottom, use a damp microfiber cloth that traps dust instead of flinging it, and vacuum last with a machine that has a sealed filter. Then cut dust at the source: change the furnace filter, wash bedding in hot water, keep windows shut on dusty days, and leave shoes at the door.

You need: microfiber cloths, a vacuum with a brush and crevice tool, an extendable duster for ceilings and fans, and a spray bottle of water. Time: 30 to 45 minutes per room for a proper job.

Where dust comes from

Most household dust is made indoors: skin cells, hair, fibers from clothes, bedding and carpet, pet dander, and crumbs. The rest comes in from outside on shoes, through open windows and through gaps around doors. Carpets, upholstered furniture and curtains hold onto it and release it every time they are disturbed, which is why a carpeted bedroom with a cat is dustier than a tiled kitchen. You cannot stop dust, but you can cut what is made, trap what is there, and stop moving it around.

Step 1: Start high

Dust falls, so begin with the things above eye level: ceiling fan blades, the tops of door frames, light fixtures, the tops of cabinets and bookcases, curtain rods. Use an extendable microfiber duster or a damp cloth on a stick. For ceiling fan blades, slide an old pillowcase over each blade and pull it back so the dust comes off inside the case instead of onto the bed.

Step 2: Then surfaces

Work around the room at waist height: shelves, window sills, the TV and its stand, picture frames, lamps, electronics. Use a microfiber cloth very lightly misted with water; dry cloths and feather dusters push dust into the air, where it settles again within the hour. Fold the cloth into quarters and turn to a clean side as it loads up. Move the objects and dust under them rather than around them.

For electronics, use the cloth dry or a soft brush, and vacuum the vents on the back of the TV and computer, where dust builds up and blocks cooling.

Step 3: Fabrics

Curtains, cushions, throws and upholstered furniture hold more dust than any hard surface. Vacuum the couch with the upholstery tool, including under the cushions. Vacuum curtains with the brush tool or shake them outside. Wash cushion covers and throws on a warm cycle. Strip the bed and wash sheets and pillowcases in hot water weekly; this is where dust mites live, and it is the biggest single source of bedroom dust.

Step 4: Floors last

Vacuum slowly, in overlapping strokes, with the crevice tool along the baseboards and under furniture edges, where dust collects in lines. Use a vacuum with a sealed system and a washable or HEPA filter; a vacuum that leaks around its filter blows the finest dust straight back out. On hard floors, follow with a damp microfiber mop to pick up what the vacuum left. Do the floor last so you collect everything the earlier steps knocked down.

Step 5: The forgotten places

Once a month, hit the places dust hides: the top of the refrigerator, behind and under the sofa and bed, the lamp shades, the inside of closets, the heating vents and the return air grille, the blinds, and the air purifier’s pre-filter if you have one. Dust blinds slat by slat with a damp cloth, or take them down and rinse them in the bath.

Cutting dust at the source

Change the furnace or HVAC filter every one to three months. A clogged filter stops trapping dust and the system blows it around the house.
Keep windows closed on windy, dry or high-pollen days, and when there is construction nearby.
Shoes off at the door, with a mat inside and outside.
Wash bedding weekly in hot water and use mattress and pillow covers.
Groom pets outside, and brush them regularly.
Run an air purifier in the bedroom to catch what is floating before it settles.
Declutter. Every surface and object is a place for dust to land.
Replace carpet with hard floors where you can; failing that, vacuum it twice a week.
Clean the dryer lint trap every load and check the vent hose; a leaking vent fills the laundry room with fibers.

A routine that keeps up

Daily: nothing, apart from shoes off. Weekly: bedding, a quick dust of the main surfaces, and the floors. Monthly: the high places, fabrics, blinds and the forgotten spots. Every season: the HVAC filter, curtains, under the big furniture. Done this way, the weekly clean is 20 minutes a room and the house never gets to the point where a sunbeam looks like a snow globe.

FAQ

Why is my house so dusty all the time?

Dust is mostly skin flakes, fabric fibers, pet dander and whatever blows in from outside, so a house with people, pets, carpets and open windows makes it constantly. If it seems worse than normal, check the furnace filter, the dryer vent and whether windows or doors are letting outdoor dust in.

Does an air purifier reduce dust?

It reduces the dust floating in the air, which is what you see in a sunbeam and what you breathe. It does nothing for dust that has already settled on surfaces. Running one in the bedroom cuts the amount that lands overnight.

Is it better to dust or vacuum first?

Dust first, high to low, then vacuum last. Dusting knocks particles down to the floor, and the vacuum collects them. The other way around leaves the floor dirty again by the time you finish.

What is the best cloth for dusting?

Microfiber, used dry or barely damp. The fibers hold dust with static and texture instead of pushing it around. Feather dusters and dry cotton rags mostly move dust into the air to settle somewhere else.