6 Ways to Bust Dust in Your NYC Apartment

Dust is a serious health hazard. Long-term exposure to high levels of dust in your NYC home can trigger asthma, allergies, headaches, dizziness, nausea, or even make you snore. It can also make your appliances less functional, clogging up your air conditioner and damaging your air quality.

Regular cleaning is the obvious solution to keeping dust bunnies at bay, but there’s also a few other solutions as well, which we’ll list below.

1) Declutter:

One of the many disadvantages of clutter—aside from being hard to look at—is that it attracts dust. Keeping organized won’t just make your place look better, but it’s also better for your health too. It’s important not to keep items sitting around on window sills, the floor, or the bottom of a closet.

Under-the-bed storage is the worst culprit for attracting dust. If you MUST use the space, then at least put the items in a container, so that way you can pull them out and vacuum beneath the bed.

2) Remove Area Rugs:

Reduce the amount of floor space covered with area rugs. We do know that rental

leases often require you to cover 80 percent of the floor with area rugs or carpeting. However, rugs are unfortunately dust magnets.

3) Change Your AC Filter:

First, find out what kind of ventilation system is installed in your apartment unit. The filters in an air conditioner should be changed every three months. However, if your building uses forced air, change your air filters once a season instead.

4) Get a Vacuum With a HEPA Filter:

Sweeping can often just spread the dust around instead of removing it. Look into getting a high-end vacuum cleaner. Many high-end brands come with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, which is better than the regular filter because it has an exhaust and doesn’t release the dust that it has sucked in. Check out Miele and Hoover vacuums.

5) Invest in an Air Purifier:

Air purifiers absorb dust and prevent it from accumulating too. You may not notice the difference day-to-day, but when you change the filter, you’ll see all the dust that’s been collected. This can also fight bad odors and get rid of dust in between regular cleanings. Be aware that dust from construction can sometimes contain lead, which is dangerous if you swallow it. If construction in your apartment is generating a bunch of dust, you may want to consider calling 311 to report it.

6) Keep Clean:

While these are all practical solutions, a basic level of cleanliness is the best defense against a dusty apartment. Be sure to clean your apartment every three months. Without regular cleaning, it won’t matter what brand of vacuum cleaner or air filter you’ve purchased. And keep in mind that if there is construction going on, the dust can come back in a matter of hours. We recommend that you do a thorough cleaning every two or three weeks.

A robot vacuum/roomba can be helpful too in between cleanings. Though they don’t all have HEPA filters and they miss corners. Keeping a clean and healthy home is essential – not just for the sake of safety, but for your mental health, too. If you’re looking for some more tips on cleaning up around the house, check out our spring cleaning advice for homeowners.

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