Dust! It’s everywhere! And you may have noticed even more of it in your bedroom than around the rest of your house.
While dust may appear to the human eye as little balls of fluff or gray specks, it’s made up of a bit more than that.
Dust can be made up of three different kinds: organic (e.g. chemicals that contain carbon), inorganic (e.g. pollutants from fossil fuel power plants) and biological dust — you’re most likely to find biological dust in your bedroom, so we’ll dive into that type.
- Dead skin cells
- Hair
- Microscopic dust mites and their body parts
- Other insect bodies and waste
- Pollen
- Viruses
- Microbes and microplastics
As you can see, all of this stuff is naturally occurring — especially dead skin cells as we shed these all the time, and their collection partially contributes to the dust in your bedroom.
While it’s impossible to rid your environment of dust completely, it is worth trying as dust in your bedroom exacerbates any underlying conditions (such as allergies and asthma) and can harm your health in the long run.
Why your bedroom is so dusty (and how to fix it)
So now that you know what dust is, what’s causing it, and what can you do about it? Here are a few ideas.
1. The fabrics in your room are creating dust
Did you know that dust can be created by the furnishings in your room, including your bedding? This is because the fibers pill and accumulate, then are released into the air.
Ensure you’re washing your bedding regularly and vacuuming any rugs and carpets (ideally with a vacuum fitted with a HEPA filter).
2. Your pets contribute to dust in your bedroom
Do you have a cat or dog that likes to snuggle down with you at night? Their dander and hair are also significant contributors to dusty bedrooms — anyone with a pet will know firsthand how much they can shed.
Ideally, don’t let your pets sleep in the bedroom with you. If you can’t be parted, just be aware that you’ll need to clean your sheets and vacuum a lot more often. Regularly grooming pets will also help lessen hair and dander shed around your home.
3. Your air conditioning unit might not be ventilating properly
Air conditioning units are great as long as they’re correctly maintained. When they’re not, not only will they be unable to work as effectively (and cost you more money), but they’ll also be unable to filter the air in your room correctly, contributing to more dust.
Make sure you clean or change your air filter, and schedule this for regular maintenance.
4. The humidity in your room is too high
If the humidity in your room is too high, dust will tend to accumulate on damp surfaces.
Invest in a dehumidifier and make sure it’s set to somewhere between 40%–50%. This will help reduce the dust that can settle in your room.
5. Outside contaminants are coming into your room
Opening your windows during the day is excellent for ventilation but less so for dust contaminants that may come in from the outside. You may also find that you’re tracking it in on your shoes.
Keep your windows closed during the day (especially in a bustling area). Ensure you don’t wear outside shoes in your bedroom, as they could track dust in.
How to reduce dust in your bedroom
1. Make sure you dust properly
Use a microfiber cloth to wipe away the dust rather than the traditional duster. Microfibers are excellent at collecting dust and can be used wet or dry. We recommend using them damp to pick up the maximum amount of dust.
Most dusters just spread dust around, meaning that you’re just moving it from one place to another rather than removing it.
2. Clean your appliances regularly
Ensure you’re cleaning your appliances’ surfaces regularly. This could include things like air conditioning units, fans and extraction fans.
Appliances attract dust to them, thanks to the static charge they give off. This can then result in dust being spread around your environment.
3. Install a dust screen
Dust screens are screens with very fine mesh nets that can be installed in your windows. This helps to prevent dust from outside from getting into your room.
While installation may block your windows, it will greatly help reduce the outside dust in your environment. They’re usually easily detachable, too, so you can wash them as and when necessary.
4. Remove books from your room
Keep large amounts of paper products and books out of your room and place them elsewhere in your house. Why not look into a separate reading nook? That way, you’ll keep the dust out of your bed and indulge in a unique spot just for reading.
Did you know that paper products, such as books, can also generate microparticles? While reading a book in bed may be a much-loved habit, you could also contribute to the dust in your room.
5. Invest in an air purifier
Air purifiers, especially ones fitted with HEPA and carbon filters, are excellent at removing ultrafine particulate matter from your environment.
This includes dust. They have a series of filters designed to remove dust particles and more from your environment. If dust is a problem in your bedroom, an air purifier will go a long way to helping deal with and remove it.
Check out our top picks for the best air purifiers for the bedroom, based on over 50 air purifier tests in our home lab.
Final thoughts
Dust in your bedroom may be an accumulation of many different things, though they are likely biological rather than organic or inorganic. Specifically, the dust in your space will likely be made up of dead skin cells, hair and other filthy stuff.
The accumulation of too much dust can lead to significant health problems. But don’t fret! You can do many things to reduce the dust in your environment. This includes ensuring you clean and dust regularly with a microfiber cloth, keeping pets out of the bedroom and potentially investing in a dehumidifier if your bedroom is too humid.
We’ve covered plenty of other tips in this article for removing dust from your bedroom, but our big one is investing in an air purifier. They can significantly reduce the amount of dust in your environment, as well as many other potentially harmful airborne pollutants.
