When it comes to cleaning, one of the most commonly asked questions is how often you should dust your house. It’s a valid question – after all, who wants to spend their time dusting every day? Let’s look at the best way to dust your house and how often you should do it. We’ll also provide some tips on how to make dusting less of a chore!
Things that help you decide how often to dust your home
As with most chores – the (not so helpful, but accurate) answer to how often you need to clean/maintain things is ‘it depends’.
So let’s look at the reasons that your dusting frequency may well be different for you than your neighbour / friend.
Once you know the things that make a difference, you can decide on the best schedule for your own home going forward…
Related: How To Eliminate Dust – The Complete Guide
The type of home you have:
If you live in a small flat, you won’t need to dust as often as someone who lives in a large house.
This is because there are less surfaces for dust particles to accumulate, and chances are you won’t use each room in a larger home as much as you would in a small flat.
The number of people in your household:
More people means more dust, because one of the main causes of dust is dead skin cells (lovely thought, hey!).
If you live alone, therefore, it stands to reason that your dust levels will be less than a family of five.
If you have pets:
Pet dander causes dust, so if you have a furry friend, you’ll need to dust more often than if you’re pet-free.
Your occupation:
If you work from home, you’ll be in the house more than if you were in an office – so it’s likely that you’ll need to dust more often.
Also – if you’re out of the house each day at work, but work in a dusty environment rather than an office – you’re going to bring some home with you, no matter how hard you try not to.
Trades people like builders and plumbers would be good examples of this.
Your preferences:
Do you like to keep your home tidy or are you more relaxed about it and don’t actually mind seeing the odd dust bunny around?
If you’re the latter, then you won’t need to dust as often as someone who likes a spotless house free of all household dust as much of the time as possible.
The season:
In winter we tend to see less dust in the house because it’s darker and the shadows hide the cobwebs.
It’s true!
How many times have you seen the sun come out in the spring only to reveal a layer of dust you had no idea was there? (Did you know this is one of the main reasons Spring Cleaning is a thing!)
Maybe that means your dusting frequency can be season dependent as well!
The type of furniture you have:
Dust collects more on certain types of furniture than others. For example, if you have a lot of bookshelves, you’ll need to dust them more often than other pieces of furniture.
The rule of thumb would be – the more surfaces there are available for dust to settle – the more dusting you’ll need to do.
The climate you live in:
Dust tends to accumulate more in dry climates than humid ones. So if you live in a place with low humidity, you’ll need to dust more often.
If anyone in the house suffers from allergies
If someone in your household has allergies, it’s important to dust regularly to help reduce their symptoms.
Another good idea for an allergy sufferer would be to get an air purifier as this takes away some of the dust for you.
Related: How To Eliminate Dust – The Complete Guide
How often should you dust your home then?
The general concensus is somewhere between once a week and once a month for a dust, and every few months for a deep clean / dust.
The difference in time frames is due to the factors listed above. If you have a lot of furniture or live in a dry climate, you might need to dust more often.
Conversely, if you have a small apartment and live in a humid climate, you might be able to get away with dusting once every few weeks or so.
The best idea is to test your own home. Wait longer than usual and see how much dust builds up on the surfaces.
What are you willing to see, and put up with, and what time frame is that? This will give you the best idea for your own homes cleaning schedule.
Always remember that it’s a personal thing – and is based on how you live – so you do you!
Related: How Often Should I Clean My House – The Results Are In
So there you have it – everything you need to know about how often to dust your house!
Dusting is one of those things that no one likes to do, but it’s important to keep your home clean and free from dust mites.
You’ll have better air quality, and less chance of an allergic reaction if you’re prone to them.
That’s got to be a good thing, right?
Hopefully you can work out more easily how often to dust your own home – based on all the reasons we’ve looked at.
I hope it’s made life a little easier for you knowing that, for the most part – it’s probably less often than you thought you needed to…
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