Once upon a time, a customer called with a consistent problem of having to repeatedly dust her dining room tabletop. Our recommendation (and we thought it was a good one) was to install an electronic air filter in the home’s ductwork. She accepted our professional opinion and gave us the go ahead to install it.
Several weeks passed and we got a phone call from a very sad customer. Our solution was unsuccessful, as she was still dusting at the same frequency. What we didn’t know at the time was, when they find their way into the home, heavier dust particles don’t float around in the air. Instead, they land on the nearest object and remain there until removed with a dust rag.
Years later, after some extensive air quality/house construction classes, we learned some of the most common causes of dust in home, including:
- Fiberglass Insultation – Attics are insulated by blowing fiberglass insulation into the attic, which contains a lot of small particles and dust.
- Openings in Homes – Homes are not airtight, containing many tiny leaks and openings. If you air lifted your home to the ocean and gently lowered it down to the water surface, it would sink. It would fill with water (even if all the windows and doors were locked). Dust enters the home through these gaps.
- Attic – Most of the table’s dust was coming from the attic. Attics are often the largest source of household dust.
So what’s the solution to the problem of frequent dust on tabletops? We incorporate these steps to rid our customers’ homes of dust:
- We place a large vacuum machine in the yard and attached a 4 inch hose to it. This hose runs to the attic, allowing all the dust and excess insulation to be removed.
- On the discharge side of the bag, we place a 10-foot-long cloth bag.
- The cloth bag collects insulation, nails, mice, insects, spiders, etc.
- We then spray closed cell foam in the attic to replace the blown insulation. The foam acts as both a vapor barrier and as an insulator.
- With all the attic dust removed, the tabletop problem is ultimately solved as well.