Last updated on August 30th, 2023 at 05:20 pm
Did you know that household dust can often contain harmful chemicals including phthalates, pesticides, brominated fire retardants and countless other pollutants tracked in from outdoors, or shed from your inside furnishings and appliances? Indoor pollution is often significantly worse than outdoor.
Six things you can do
- Vacuum regularly using a vacuum cleaner with a hepa filter.
- Dust regularly with something like the Norwex dust mitt or dry mop that actually picks up the dust, doesn’t just spread it around, or dust with a damp cloth (not with a synthetic spray!). Make sure to dust around the back of electronics such as stereos and TVs, these are a common source of toxic fire retardants.
- Take off your shoes at the door and/or invest in a high quality microfibre entry mat (the Norwex entry mat will take 85% of the contaminants off your shoes in 4 steps – it’s still better to take them off or change to indoor shoes as well though).
- Use non-toxic cleaning products.
- Avoid artificially fragranced candles, air fresheners, reeds or other fragrance products.
- Open up your windows and air out your house as often as possible.
Find more ideas on cleaning your indoor air in the archives, and for more on toxic dust check out this article from the Environment Working Group.
