Dust is everywhere – a little less in winter, and a lot in summer. It comes through open windows, we bring it home on shoes, bags, clothes, and hair. In addition, we produce dust ourselves: it is largely composed of particles of nails, hair, and skin.
The one who lives in the dust
Dust accumulations are not good for our health, and now, when restrictive measures are tightened again and many are returning to work from home, the “dust” problem is becoming more urgent.
Do you think that the basis of dust is pieces of dirt, soil, and all sorts of other natural components? Not quite so, there is, of course, quite a lot of natural there, but not at all what you think.
Scientists from the United States conducted a large-scale study, asking residents of 1,200 homes across the country to submit dust samples. Families in these houses were different – and elderly couples, parents with children, and families with pets. The dust, of course, differed in different houses, but the overall result was impressive. The researchers calculated that up to 2,000 species of fungi and almost 7,000 species of bacteria lived in the dust.
About a third of the dust was “made” right in the house or apartment. These include exfoliated pieces of skin, tiny fragments of nails, dandruff (both human and pet dander), as well as hairs and wool. Dermatophyte mites, tiny arachnids that absorb dust components and are themselves part of it, happily fed on all this.
The favorite place of deployment of these dust mites – and there are several dozen species of them – is bed linen, a favorite pillow, and a blanket. They love warmth and moisture, and a sleeping place is just the perfect place: it is there that we often lie and sweat, creating a resort environment for dust mites.
In general, there is no perfect recipe for house dust, although there are common features in the composition – there are components brought from the street, pollen, dirt, fecal fragments, and other organic particles, including the smallest particles of dead insects, many microorganisms and, of course, those same dust mites. There are also inorganic components – threads, fibers, and much more.
Why is dust dangerous?
Allergy sufferers will say that it is dust that is the source of the attacks they experience, and those who suffer from asthma can support them in this opinion. They are indeed right: house dust can also provoke allergies in various manifestations, and cause asthmatic attacks.
If you or your loved ones are prone to allergies, and your condition worsens when you are at home or cleaning, it is possible that you really have an allergy to dust, or rather, to some of its components. You can find out what exactly causes such a reaction by passing an appropriate analysis: during its implementation, the body’s reaction to the most popular dust allergens, including those same dermatophyte mites, is studied. Among the most common symptoms: are sneezing, watery eyes, red eyes, coughing, itchy nose, and throat – these signs or even several of them may be a reason to visit an allergist.
But the problem is not only in the skin or respiratory manifestations. Dust is a rather small substance, and therefore we can easily not only inhale it but also swallow it. And this means that mites, fungi, bacteria, and other not-so-nice things go straight to our intestines.
The intestines are not just a place for the digestion of food, but a center of accumulation of the most important microbes for the body. The intestinal microflora is important not only for digestion, but affects almost the entire body as a whole: its changes can lead to a drop in immunity, sleep disturbances, mental problems, and much more. And this means that house dust accumulated under your bed can cause serious changes in the functioning of the body.
How to get rid of dust
If the dust is so dangerous, then something needs to be done about it. And what, wet cleaning is not enough? We hasten to reassure you: there are definitely benefits from it, especially if you do it regularly. Wean yourself from the habit of walking around the house in shoes (even if it’s “I’ll quickly walk on my toes just to take the charger”), keep outerwear and bags in a closed closet, or at least don’t bring them into the rooms, and change bed linen at least once every two weeks.
By the way, cleaning also has unexpected bonuses. First, it is useful for the figure. And the point here is not that while washing the floors and throwing out the garbage, calories are spent, although we should not forget about this either. Recently it was found that residents of cluttered houses consume on average 3 times more calories than those who live in clean and tidy homes. A strange connection, but it exists, try to test it on yourself and your family, and it will suddenly work out.
The second nice bonus is that regular bed linen changes will help improve sleep. It turns out that clean bed linen makes sleep better and more restful – this is an additional reason to change the sheet for a new one right now. This advice may be especially relevant for those who, in principle, experience problems with sleep.
Editorial Team
