解决了！为什么我的房子如此尘土飞扬？

问：我自豪地让自己保持整洁的家，但我似乎无法掌握尘土情况。似乎在我清洁后的家具中出现一层灰尘。难道我做错了什么？为什么我的房子如此尘土飞扬？

A：Take heart—you’re not alone in the battle for a dust-free home. The layer of dust that settles on your furniture can be a combination of many things; tiny particles of dirt, fibers, pollen, pet dander (bits of fur and skin), and even human skin flakes. In addition to the never-ending battle against the stuff that accumulates on surfaces, countless dust particles are in the air your family is breathing. And dust is not just unsightly: Anyone allergic to it is likely to suffer from a stuffy nose, itchy eyes, and sneezing. So it’s a good idea to figure out where all the dust is coming from and take steps to fix the problem. Keep reading to win the war on dust!

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Cheap and dirty HVAC filters increase dust.

The large flat air filters installed behind your home’s return air vents (or on the HVAC unit itself) are the first lines of defense against dust, but not all filters are created equal. Cheap filters have larger holes that allow more dust to pass through and reenter your home through heating and cooling vents. Air filters are rated by their minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV), on a scale from one to 16, with the higher numbers representing more efficient filters. When selecting HVAC air filters寻找莫尔维特评级of at least between five and eight. Lower ratings are less efficient and higher ratings are reserved for commercial filters, such as those used in hospitals.

Even a high-quality filter with a good MERV value will get filled with dust, and the more you use your HVAC system, the more quickly filters will clog—and be ineffective against dust. Replace air filters at least every three months or when they appear saturated.

尘土潜伏在地毯上。

The dirt from shoes and pet paws and particles in the air that settle into carpet fibers can be a major contributor to dust in the home.频繁吸尘(daily or every other day) can help—as long as you don’t recirculate some of the dust back into the living space while vacuuming. That’s bound to happen if you use a vacuum with an inefficient dust-trapping system. Consider switching to a higher quality model that has a高效颗粒空气（HEPA）过滤器，旨在捕获灰尘和碎屑的99％。为了进一步减少基于地毯的灰尘，鼓励家人在门口脱掉鞋子，并且要么在入口处，他们都在入口处或直接携带到适当的壁橱。虽然可以通过这些措施大大减少了大量地毯灰尘，但消除它的唯一方法是为硬木或层压板等硬地毯交换地毯。

室内装潢和帷幔是灰尘收集器。

织物和纺织品累积灰尘，打开窗帘或坐在沙发上的简单行为可以将灰尘释放到房间里。每周使用真空的附件到真空软垫家具和帷幔。洗钱或让帷幔干洗一次，每年也会有助于减少灰尘。或者，用皮革或木材切换织物覆盖的家具，这些家具不会吸收灰尘。

您的宠物可以部分负责尘土飞扬的情况。

Cats and dogs—even shorthaired ones—shed both fur and skin flakes on a continual basis. Called pet dander, the combination can add to a home’s dust level, especially if you have more than one furry friend. Commit to brushing your pets at least once a week to remove loose hair or have them professionally groomed. Daily vacuuming will also help if you have long-haired cats and dogs.

泄漏的窗户和门让灰尘。

不仅窗户周围的差距和门是能源损失的主要原因，而且每次风吹时，户外灰尘和花粉都可以进入房屋。住在泥土或碎石路附近可以造成更糟糕的情况。幸运的是，解决方案很简单：将填缝填充到窗户周围的间隙and replace worn weather-stripping around doors to keep dust from blowing in.

You might need to improve your dusting technique.

不管你多久灰尘,如果你不这样做orrectly, you may unintentionally be moving dust around rather than removing it. Be sure that the cloth or duster you use is made of microfiber, which will help trap most of the dust so less of it recirculates; if you’d rather use a rag, make sure to dampen it slightly, which will also help trap dust. Always dust from top to bottom, meaning higher surfaces first, and remember that dust can cling to vertical surfaces, too, so wipe down walls with a damp cloth once a month.

As to which comes first, dusting or vacuuming, there seems to be no definitive answer. Some cleaning pros say dust top to bottom and then真空（带HEPA过滤器）让所有灰尘放在过程中沉淀到地板上。其他人坚持认为，因为吸尘可以搅拌灰尘（特别是如果你的真空不是HEPA装备），你最好先吸尘。我们说尝试两种方式，看看最适合您的方法。

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Dust could be entering through leaky ducts.

HVAC空气管道穿过天花板，墙壁，阁楼和爬行空间，如果导管或未密封的斑点有两个导管连接，可以吸入管道中的灰尘，然后吹入您的生活空间。如果在运行炉子或空调后，您注意到更多灰尘沉降，则可能存在漏水管道。如果先前的解决方案没有降低灰尘水平，可能是时候拨打了可以在管道系统上运行压力测试的HVAC技术人员来确定它是否需要在必要时泄漏并修复泄漏。

投资清洁室内空气的空气净化器。

虽然以前的解决方案都有助于减少家中的灰尘量，但如果空气灰尘仍然是一个问题，你可以进一步减少它使用空气净化器。空气净化器配有各种过滤器，包括碳和HEPA过滤器，旨在捕获空气灰尘和其他颗粒。