Where does house dust come from?

A reader of Mynavi News asked the editorial department to investigate what the "source of dust" was, and I thought that I absolutely had to investigate this. I live in a barefoot room and wipe the floor with a floor wiper almost every day. Where the hell is it coming from?

This time, we asked Mr. Hiroshi Furuya, who is in charge of public relations at Duskin, a company that rents and sells cleaning supplies and houses cleaning business, about the sources of dust and effective cleaning methods.

--Thank you. Can you tell me what kinds of dust you see in your home? Yes. Dust that can be seen in homes... We call it "house dust" (hereinafter referred to as "dust"), but it can be broadly divided into those that enter from the outside of your home and those that are generated inside.

Intruders from the outside include dust, dead insects, droppings, pollen, smoke, and exhaust gas. Things generated in the home include cotton lint from futons and clothes, food waste such as spilled food, fiber waste from tatami mats and paper, hair, dander, and pet hair.

--There are so many... Which type of dust is the most common in terms of ratio? The majority is cotton dust caused by fibers generated in the home. However, it is said that 1g of dust contains about 2,000 mites, about 30,000 mold spores, and about 8 million bacteria on average. You will have pathogens.

――I see. However, if you reduce the occurrence of cotton dust as much as possible, it means that you can live with less dust, right? Hmmm. In theory, it may be so, but I don't think it's very realistic to try to reduce the amount of cotton dust generated in daily life. Because it will inevitably occur from clothes and futons.

For example, it would be different if you could do things like wear only synthetic fibers for clothes and futons, or spend time naked (!?), but still The spawn amount cannot be zero. It is better to think about how to clean up the generated cotton dust with less effort.

--That's right...

--Well then, I'd like to ask you about cleaning methods. After all, is Duskin recommended to clean with a mop? Of course, I can recommend Duskin's mop with confidence, but there are advantages and disadvantages depending on the cleaning tool, so it is better to use it properly. I think.

For example, if you are cleaning large particles of food, large amounts of debris, tatami mats, or carpets, a vacuum cleaner may be more effective than a mop. In addition, air purifiers are good at removing dust in the air, viruses with small particles, and cigarette smoke.

--It would be nice to use different ones depending on the size of the dust and the material of the floor. Right. If you want to clean the cotton dust on the floor, I think a mop processed with an adsorbent that catches and holds dust is the best choice. The great thing about these mops is that they pick up dust on the floor without kicking it up. A vacuum cleaner's exhaust kicks up dust. By the way, it is said that it takes about 9 hours for the dust that has been lifted up to fall back to the floor.

-9 hours! The dust that rises up floats around the house for nearly half a day... it's too bad... So the timing of cleaning is also important. Dust is kicked up just by walking around, so the best time to dust is first thing in the morning and right after you get home.

--There are times when it's best to clean, isn't there? Yes. It is a good idea for everyone to be aware of this, not only in single households, but also in family households and shared houses. For example, the first person to get up or the first person to come home should mop every day. I think that the burden of cleaning will be lightened by making it a habit. It's good for your health if you can reduce the amount of dust when people are around.

--I feel like a light cleaning every day is easier than an occasional heavy cleaning Of course there are emotional issues. However, if left unattended, the dust will turn into troublesome dirt, so it is better to remove it while it is still lightly soiled.

――Dust has changed...? Dust that can be easily removed by simply wiping it off at first will gradually become heavy due to the presence of moisture and oil, and cannot be removed without the use of detergent. It turns into a sticky dirt and seeps into the surface of the material, eventually becoming a stain. I think it's easier to understand if you can imagine the sticky dust on the surface of the range hood that hasn't been cleaned for a while.

-I see... Thinking of my range hood made me depressed. It's true that the dust can be a little tough when you skip cleaning a little. The water and detergent used when cleaning may damage the material. If you think about it that way, removing the dust when it's just a light dust will ultimately make things easier.

- So it's important to keep up with light cleaning frequently. Is there a place in your house where dust tends to accumulate? Since dust rises in the air flow, it accumulates in various places in the room.

What is often overlooked is "on furniture". In fact, our results show that only 52% of the dust in the entire room can be removed just by cleaning the floor.

--Eh, is that so? Specifically, about 29% of the dust that accumulates on TV boards and low shelves accumulates on relatively tall furniture. Dust is about 19%. It is a good idea to frequently remove this dust with a handy mop.

-I'll try it as soon as I get home. Thank you for teaching me so many things!

The answer to the question, "What is the source of the dust?" However, it seems that most of them are cotton waste.

And since cotton lint is generated almost inexhaustibly from clothes, blankets, etc., it seems important to do frequent, hassle-free cleaning. Instead of thinking that cleaning is troublesome, let's clean it before it becomes troublesome. My goals for this year have been set.

Illustration: Irasutoya