Dust can make your home look dirty, but that’s not all. It can also be harmful to your health. We are going to discuss some of the ways that dust hurts you, even when you don’t realize that’s what is happening. Many people live every day with the negative effects of dust in their homes and do nothing about it because they don’t realize it is the dust that is harming them. Here is what you need to know. If you don’t want dust to enter your body with the water in your home, I recommend installing a water purifier to protect yourself and your loved ones’ drinking water.
Skin Irritation
If you have a dust allergy, dust can cause skin irritation. When it comes into contact with your outer layer of skin, the epidermis, it can harm your skin by creating a rash, inflammation, or itchiness.
You want to be careful about cleaning and dusting in your home, if you have any kind of skin sensitivity to dust. Make sure you wear gloves when you clean and try not to come into direct contact with the dust. Also make sure you wash properly when you’re done cleaning or if you are leaving a dusty environment. Dust can easily stick to your clothes, and you may take it with you into a new environment but still be affected by the dust as you touch it later on.
Sinus Blockage
Dust can also cause breathing difficulties by blocking your sinuses. Small dust particles can cause swelling in the sinuses and block up your throat and nose, making it difficult for you to breathe. As these particles irritate and block your sinuses, dust can create mucus that also causes breathing difficulties. As long as you are in a dusty environment, you may continue to build up mucus and suffer sinus blockages.
This may make you feel like blowing your nose to clear your sinuses, but more mucus can quickly take its place and continue the blockage. If the blockage continues throughout the evening, you might have some trouble going to sleep. Blocked sinuses can make it difficult to breathe with your mouth closed, and it can be nearly impossible to breathe through your nose in this condition.
Sinus Irritation
Dust can also cause irritation in your sinuses, making them swell and close up because of how swollen they are. Irritated sinuses may feel itchy, and when a doctor looks inside your nostrils when they are irritated, the doctor may see red, swollen sinuses.
When your sinuses are irritated, you may constantly cough and sneeze. A cold breeze can make your irritated sinuses act up and get a reaction from you. As you constantly blow your nose and wipe it, you may irritate your sinuses more and create raw, irritated nostrils.
The irritation is likely to continue until a while after you leave the dusty area. You may irritate your sinuses by trying to clean up the dust, as you can cause the dust particles to fluctuate through the air and find their way into your sinuses. Some of those particles are so small you might not even see them, which is why it is important for you to wear a face mask when dusting or cleaning.
Asthma Attacks
Dust in the environment can also cause asthma attacks. If you suffer from asthma, you probably want to keep a clean house and stay out of dusty areas. This kind of environment can cause your allergy symptoms to surface, possibly even leading to an asthma attack that needs to be treated.
Don’t take dust lightly if you have asthma. You are already suffering from a condition that makes it difficult for you to breathe sometimes, so you do not want to make it any worse by being around dust that can irritate and swell the sinuses and block your airways. It is important that you keep your home clean of dust to prevent your asthma from getting the better of you.
Eye Irritation
Dust can irritate any part of your body it comes in contact with, but especially sensitive areas like the sinuses and the eyes. If dust gets into your eyes, it can make your eyes water and feel irritated and itchy. You may be tempted to scratch or rub your eyes and the areas around them. This can make them swell up and become even more irritated and sensitive.
The best way to deal with irritated eyes when you are around dust is to wash them with water. You could clean your hands and put a little water on them and then touch your eye in the irritated area. You can also wash your eyes with water to clean out any dust particles. If you are working around dust, you should wear goggles or other protective eyewear so that no dust particles get into your eyes and cause irritation.
How to Reduce Dust in Your Home
If you want to try to eliminate dust in your home and minimize how often it irritates you and affects your health, there are a few things you can do.
First of all, try to clean your home as often as possible. When you are cleaning dust, use a vacuum cleaner or a damp cloth so that the dust particles are not circulated into the air, where they are harder to deal with. Always wear protective clothing that will keep dust from getting into sensitive areas and causing irritation.
Secondly, you should clean the duct system in your home. Use professional AC cleaning services for Imagine to clear out your AC ducts and filters so that there is not so much dust circulating through your home’s air. Have your HVAC system periodically cleaned to cut down on the dust in your home and to ensure pure air flow.
The third thing we want to mention is that it’s wise to air out your home, opening doors and windows so that fresh air can enter and dust particles can escape.
If you do these three things, you should have less dust in your home and experience less irritation from dust.
