GREENSBORO, N.C. — Dusting. It's the task that seems to be easy to put off, maybe you only do it when you have company coming or it seems bad. But according to Consumer Reports, dust is worse than you think.
"On the surface, dust appears to be skin, hair, and dander. But look even closer; you can find unhealthy substances including heavy metal fragments like lead paint, fungi, mold, mites, microplastics, and forever chemicals, or PFAS,” said Ken Loria of Consumer Reports.
Because we are surrounded by dust, we breathe it -- which can irritate our lungs and trigger allergies and asthma in the short term.
In the long term, some of the chemicals are linked to diabetes, various cancers, reproductive problems, and other serious health issues.
Your vacuum helps you battle the dust. You want one with tight seals and filters to keep vacuumed-up debris from spewing back into the air. You should vacuum once a week.
Another easy fix? Keep shoes in a closet or on a shoe rack near the door-- so you don't track in all the stuff from outside.
TRICKS OF THE DUSTING TRADE:
Before you clean, ventilate! Open all windows. This keeps you from breathing it all in.
You need the right tools, like an angled broom gets in all the corners.
DIY tools to get into hard-to-reach spots. For example, use a wire hanger, a sock, and a band. Elongate the hanger, put the sock on it, put your dusting spray on, and go to town.
Ceiling Fan: grab a pillow case and go down each blade. The case catches the yuck. Turn it inside out when you’re outside, wash it, and reuse it.