Have you ever been sitting in your living room, enjoying a good book when something catches your eye? You look up just in time to see a dust bunny blow across your hardwood floors like a tumbleweed in the desert.
But what are dust bunnies? Dust bunnies are a collection of dust, held together by static energy. As the dust bunnies grow, they collect hair, dead bugs, and mold spores.
Ick, right?
Dust bunnies don’t have to be an issue. There are many things you can do to keep dust to a minimum. Here are some of the best tips we’ve found to combat dust bunnies.
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Dust bunnies drive me batty. We have a dog and a cat—and we have hardwood floors in most rooms. I had been seeing dust bunnies every single day no matter how often I swept, so I set out on a journey to find the tips to get rid of them once and for all.
The bad news is: you can’t get rid of dust bunnies forever. Eliminating them requires frequent cleaning, particularly if you have pets, and as soon as you let up from the cleaning, you’ll find them rolling around on your floors again.
That said, the cleaning truly doesn’t take long if you keep up with it every day or two.
Here are the most helpful things we’ve started doing to get rid of dust bunnies.
Related: How to Clean Window Tracks
How to Get Rid of Dust Bunnies
Dust from Top to Bottom
You always want to dust your home from top to bottom. This means that the shelf you just dusted won’t become dusty again when you dust to remove the cobwebs in the corner. You want everything to go down so that it can be cleaned up in the end.
Don’t forget to dust light fixtures, especially ceiling fans, which can blow dust and debris around. And remember to look at the baseboards, particularly in the corners when vacuuming to get any dust and hair lurking there.
Use a Wet Cloth and Dust Mop
Many people use dry microfiber cloths and mops to dust their homes. This is a huge mistake. Yes, microfiber does pick up some dust. The problem is that it also just pushed dust around. When you use a wet cloth, the dust is being cleaned up. You can then rinse out the cloth and continue cleaning. A wet cloth or mop does a much more thorough job of cleaning up dust and eliminating its ability to gather and form dust bunnies.
Speaking of mops, microfiber mops typically (in our experience) tend to do a better job at mopping up the dust than traditional rope mops. Your mileage may vary, though.
Wash Fabrics on High Heat
You want to use hot water to wash your bedding and curtains (if the fabric can withstand it). It is suggested you use water over 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This will kill dust mites. When dust mites are killed, you are cutting down on the amount of dust in your home. Wash your bedding weekly to help keep dust bunnies at bay.
Vacuum
In addition to your regular vacuuming done a couple of times per week (or more depending on if you have pets or children), you want to do a thorough vacuuming at least once a month. This means moving furniture, getting into all those hard-to-reach places, and vacuuming the furniture itself.
Remember that all fabric surfaces gather dust mites. To capture the dust mites in the vacuum, make sure your model has a good HEPA filter.
If your vacuum doesn’t seem to have good suction, replace the filter. Ours has a foam filter in addition to the regular filter; this filter can be washed whenever it seems too dirty. Just make sure you give the foam filter time to dry, or else dust will cake on it, clogging it up again.
A handheld vacuum can make it even easier to get into tight spaces to vacuum up a dust bunny without dragging out your bigger machine. This saves us time and makes us more apt to get it up right away as opposed to waiting until it’s time to vacuum the entire room again.
Use a HEPA Filter
Not only do you want a good HEPA filter on your vacuum, but you want one in your HVAC unit as well. Look for a filter that captures the most dust particles. These filters are more expensive but well worth the money.
If you find that you have dust bunnies despite your best efforts, change out your home’s air filter. Sometimes dust builds up when the house’s filtration system isn’t working properly.
Clean the vents in your home
Vents in your home can be dust-bunny magnets. They need to be vacuumed or washed every few months, depending on how many pets you have and the quality of air filters installed in your vents. If dust goes into vents it will come back out again at a later date through those same cracks!
Clean vents by removing them from the wall or floor and using an air hose to blow out any debris that has collected inside them. If you have a more complex system and need professional vent cleaning, San Diego residents can check out Dryer Vent Professionals of San Diego.
Are dust bunnies harmful?
Dust bunnies are dust and debris that have collected on various objects like rugs, furniture, or floors. They can harbor dust mites which might be harmful to your health if you’re allergic to them. Dust bunnies aren’t harmful by themselves but they may contain other things such as dust mite feces, skin flakes, and pet dander, which can trigger allergies and other health problems. If you’d like to know some of the disgusting things that have been found in dust bunnies, This Old House has a pretty extensive list.
Why do they call it a dust bunny?
One explanation is that dust bunnies, as they are called because of their resemblance to a rabbit’s cottony tail – get formed when dust and debris accumulate on surfaces.
Or perhaps it’s because, like bunnies, they can multiply quickly. Personally, we think both answers are equally true!
Dust bunnies are a pain in the neck. They collect on every surface of your home and usually aren’t even visible until you move something or do some spring cleaning. This means that they may be lurking around for months, wreaking havoc not just with dirt and grime but also allergies! To get rid of these pesky things once and for all, follow the tips above.
If you liked this post, you may also enjoy How to Clean Your Bathroom in 5 Minutes a Day.