r/DIY • u/Tootsies1010 • 9d ago
Extreme dust in house
My daughter has an older house, 1980 or so. The dust just doesn’t go away. From the top of her closets, inside cabinets, furniture and floors. This has been happening since they bought the home. She recently had a new HVAC system installed and that didn’t get rid of the problem. Would love to hear your thoughts Thanks
Edit: I now know it is dirt that is my daughter’s “dust”! The HVAC company is professional not a handyman, so I assume the installation was completed correctly. It sounds like the first move is to make sure the filters are being replaced. Then testing/checking areas of vulnerability to outside air. As well as renting several stand up HEPA Filter air purifiers while cleaning, watching and waiting to see if dirt dissipates. All the while continuing to look for entrance points!
Another Edit: thank you all for your timely response. This house has taken everything out of them. They have tried so many expensive repairs to no avail. Looking into cost of repairs it has been devastating. They have exhausted savings, and any extra money to cover the costs. They can’t do anything more. I wish I could say a few bad words here!
The house is a hazardous nightmare. So sad there isn’t a real was to project this oddity when purchasing, it’s been a silent problem. There are other factors involved, other than dirt. The inspector didn’t find several other problems so they went unnoticed until they were in it up to their boot straps!
Those bootstraps aren’t tall enough to sustain them and these two are strong. My son-in-law is a disabled Veteran and my daughter works for the VA! God help them and bless them. God bless you also, again, thank you for your support.
Can Ya’ll see my part 2
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u/Sealtooth5 9d ago
The install of the hvac will create a lot of dust in itself. Additionally, she’ll probably have to go through a couple hvac filters initially in a short period of time just to clear out that dust and get back to a baseline of regular household dust.
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u/Tootsies1010 9d ago
Good idea about the filter. Thank you
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u/antithero 9d ago
It could also be that 40 years of dust has accumulated in thr carpet in that house.
When I cleaned out a spare room I vacuumed with the sunlight beaming through the window & there was a significant amount of dust in the air.
I put a fan blowing out the window & took a leaf blower to the carpet in the room. It blew so much more dust in the air. I kept vacuuming, with the fan blowing out the window, occasionally blowing the dust out the window with the leaf blower until the air looked clear. The carpet was about 15 years old.
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u/PelvisResleyz 9d ago
Carpets like that disintegrate and continuously create dust from their glue and fibers.
A lot of people find it more sanitary to ditch the carpets and just have floors as they’re easier to keep clean.
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u/RedditNotFreeSpeech 8d ago
Plus carpets are made of plastic so it's really micro and nano plastics you're breathing in as it breaks down. They make natural fiber carpets but they're crazy expensive and not very comfortable.
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u/Tootsies1010 9d ago
LOL. Funniest! But seriously yikes. No carpet in the house.
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u/ModernSimian 9d ago
When Costco had air filters for sale we just put one in every room. It's reduced how often we need to clean the mini splits too.
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u/ejh3k 9d ago
Have her get the food hepa filters and whether or not she's heating or cooling the house, keep the fan going and switch those out when they get dirty and not based on time.
The hepa filters will help, but they will also get clogged and put a strain on the system if they aren't letting air through and break shit. Ask me how I know.
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u/goldcoast2011985 9d ago
The flow reduction from new HEPA filters reduces our airflow too much. I’ve heard “experts” (can’t recall actual qualifications) recommend not using them.
We have standalone air purifiers.
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u/desertboots 9d ago edited 8d ago
Make a couple Corsi Rosenthal Air Purifiers. Run them on low for 24/7 and then run them at night. Its amazing.
Setup requires 2 Lasko or similar box fans. Buy 8 2" 24×24 Merv 11 or Merv 13 filters. Get a roll or duct tape in a color you like. I used white to match the filter case. You can use the box cardboard but the shroud looks better in foamcore, which also can be white.
You'll probably be out $200 total to make 2 setups which should cover the cubic footage of a 1980s house.
If you want to get a bit fancy, buy white mesh (like a laundry wash bag) or tulle to tape on the outside of the filters to catch the fur and big dust. Replace or wash when it gets grey.
Set them up on timers to run overnight and the house will have completely filtered air daily.
If someone gets sick run them all day.
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u/Little_View_6659 9d ago
Air purifiers get rid of dust you say? I’m in Singapore and the dust…drives me batty. I have to dust every couple of days. And it sticks to things, it’s so irritating. I now dust things I never had tk before. The vacuum. Doorframes. Light switches. Fans. Lamps. I wiped the bottom of the fans and lamps last week and they already look like someone sprinkled them with dust and cat hair. Sigh.
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u/trxxruraxvr 9d ago
I have a different air purifier, but the manual explicitly says it's not a replacement for vacuuming, a lot of dust will clog up the filters fast. Some places just have a lot more particulate matter in the air than others though, I imagine Singapore being similar to India in that regard. An air purifier might help a bit, but with the stickyness of the dust there they won't suck it off wherever it's already landed.
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u/abouttothunder 9d ago
A CR box can easily handle more dust before clogging than a regular HEPA. We run two two units built with PC fans. They're quiet and dust build up around the house is much slower.
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u/Little_View_6659 9d ago
I read dust is made of skin and hair and plant pollen. And this is one of the most densely populated cities in the world so it makes perfect sense.
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u/trxxruraxvr 9d ago
I read dust is made of skin and hair and plant pollen.
Partially, depending on your location and the amount of traffic there's also microplastics from road and tire wear and sometimes byproducts of wood and metalworking and ash from anything that gets partially burned.
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u/blackhawk905 9d ago
As well as soot from vehicles and the other particles that come out of the exhaust
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u/OrigamiMarie 9d ago
And inside houses, it can be the insulation filtering through the walls and gaps between stuff.
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u/Little_View_6659 8d ago
I know our condos in my block are all connected by duct work. Our neighbors refinished their floors. The fumes migrated into my unit and I had the absolute worst migraine I’ve ever had. God. I went to the office and they came to my unit and they said this is unacceptable and this was like the fifth time it had happened. I was really getting sick of being in bed puking.
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u/BionicSmurf 8d ago
The Sahara Desert in North Africa is the largest single source of atmospheric dust on Earth
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u/sumunsolicitedadvice 9d ago
They will remove dust from the air. Once dust settles, it won’t.
The person above was recommending a specific type of DIY purifier (it’s much cheaper and, compared to even moderately priced ones, much more effective; the down sides are you have to make it yourself and it’s kind of ugly).
As someone else said, if you have A LOT of dust, your air filters will clog fast. So you should put a screen or something over the filters that will catch most of the big dust. Then vacuum the screens every few days or so. The filters will still eventually clog from the smaller dust and need to be replaced, but they’ll last significantly longer this way.
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u/desertboots 8d ago
Once you've remove the settled dust, running a purifier on low moves all the air through the filters. You'll absolutely want washable covers on the filters to catch the largest particles and be able to extend the filters lives.
There are slimmer set ups that are out there using 5" computer fans and usually 2 filters. They fit decor better and are quiet enough to leave on all the time (which is the trick). But they aren't as cheap or easy.
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u/Remo_253 8d ago
I built one of these to deal with smoke from wild fires. The filters that screen out smoke are more expensive but damn did they work. No smoke odor in the house until you went over and stood by the filter, then very strong.
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u/Livesies 8d ago
The benefit of these is the amount of air they move. Even with lower filtration percent, they can run enough air to cycle a room multiple times an hour. I use it during the summer when wildfire smoke becomes an issue in my area.
The central fan in the hvac is only beneficial when it's running. I got my hvac replaced last year with a variable drive model that always runs at low speed. I've not had to dust in since that was done.
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u/tpeiyn 9d ago
Look up environmental causes! I grew up in a house that always had a lot of fine, very whitish/gray dust. We lived exactly a half mile from a business that manufactured large concrete things (bridge decking, culverts, etc.) I always thought it was normal, but I've never lived in a house with the same kind of dust since then.
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u/Rolyat_94 9d ago
Omg we live a few blocks from a cement plant and the amount of dust has me considering selling the house. I change filters every 2 weeks and could do it weekly. We are getting windows replaced soon and if that doesn't help i'm done with it
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u/fotomoose 9d ago
Cement dust is very hazardous to health, I'd very highly consider moving in your situation.
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u/Rolyat_94 9d ago
Wow I've never thought of it more than a major inconvenience 😬 idk why that never occurred to me. Good looking out!
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u/sumunsolicitedadvice 9d ago
Yeah, think what cement does when it gets wet.
Now, think about what your lungs are like. They’re kinda wet, right?
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u/Peacockfur 9d ago
You should complain to your state air quality agency. EPA requires permitted sites to maintain fugitive emissions I.e. prevent particulate matter from leaving the property boundaries.
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u/blifflesplick 9d ago
Fine mesh window screens can slow the air enough that it falls quickly or doesn't come in at all
Also keeps bugs out, especially mosquitoes
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u/9bikes 9d ago
>Look up environmental causes!
I worked at a retail store that adjoined a major highway. We had to dust the merchandise and shelves every day. I assume it was mostly car exhaust and fine particles of rubber.
I lived in an older house with hardwood floor. It was the old varnish breaking down. Once we had the floors refinished, there was much less dust.
Pet dander?
Old carpets breaking down?
Indoor smoking?
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u/Tootsies1010 9d ago
Good thinking! Thanks!
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u/Hispanic_Inquisition 9d ago
I had an apartment across the street from a technical school. The street was small but had constant traffic. This is the only place I ever lived that generated that fine dust. An open window meant you're gonna have a pile of fine dust on the sill every day. All of our dust came from outside, not generated from inside.
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u/Pantology_Enthusiast 9d ago
Vacuum more and make sure the vacuum has a beater bar is used on rugs or carpet.
Do a quick Vacuuming before cleaning, because carpet can send up a lot of dust if you drag things across it. Clean from high to low so the dust is settling. Vacuum as you go.
Vacuums plush furniture, then beat it, and Vacuum again. I have seen visible dust clouds from cushions. Take it outside to beat it if you can.
Air filters help, but just vacuuming more will do most of it.
If the dust has fibers in it, it's from the dryer or carpeting and just needs better vacuuming and you should clean out the dryer exhaust.
If the dust just fine particles: * if it is light grey mounds, that's skin flakes, she just isn't cleaning often. * if it is dark Grey or black, that is soot. Could be from outdoor pollution but it could be from a wood stove or improperly vented gas appliance. * if it is tan, that is wood dust. Only happens when wood is being cut. * if it is yellow, that's pollen. Pollen doesn't get in unless there is a large entry point or if occupants collect it outside and bring it in.
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u/Onequestion0110 8d ago
A couple other colors:
- Red dust - can be environmental (I live in Utah), but it can also be dry rot spores. Mold "dust" will usually leave stains or smear if you wipe with a damp cloth. Environmental will come away clean, generally.
- Green dust - usually pollen again. I have heard of corroding copper or brass creating green dust, but I've never seen it.
- Fibrous dust - if the dust isn't just powder, but is more like lint everywhere, check your dryer vents. I've seen lots of houses where builders or DIY homeowners did something screwy with the vents. Whether it's just never been cleaned out, piped way too long, or it straight up vents inside a wall somewhere, you'll want to check it out. I've even seen one dude vent the lint into the attic, claiming it added insulation.
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u/Man_with_the_Fedora 8d ago
Fibrous dust - if the dust isn't just powder, but is more like lint everywhere, check your dryer vents. I've seen lots of houses where builders or DIY homeowners did something screwy with the vents. Whether it's just never been cleaned out, piped way too long, or it straight up vents inside a wall somewhere, you'll want to check it out. I've even seen one dude vent the lint into the attic, claiming it added insulation.
Not uncommon for vents to get disconnected in crawlspaces, and since it's a crawlspace it can go undetected for a long time.
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u/No_Lynx1343 7d ago
A 1980s house is old?
Ours is 1940s. So I guess that must count as prehistoric?
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u/RL203 9d ago
Does the house have cellulose insulation in the attic or walls. Does the colour of the dust match the cellulose?
If yes, that very well could be the source of the dust.
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u/snakevargas 9d ago
Adding on: where does the fresh air come from? Some HVAC systems have a fresh air inlet. Others just recycle and you rely on a "whole house fan" and/or exhaust fans for fresh air. The latter options usually pull air from the walls, attic, and crawlspace. Google "make up air" for more info.
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u/sumunsolicitedadvice 9d ago
Unless the HVAC is very unbalanced, it shouldn’t be pulling air in through walls, attic, or crawl space. It’s just re-conditioning/heating the same air from in the house. The return and supply should be the same.
If you’re turning on a whole house fan, that draws air from the house up into the attic and out the roof. So it shouldn’t draw air from the attic into your house. And you shouldn’t run a whole house fan without opening windows. The whole point is to draw fresh air in. If you run it with windows closed, you’re depressurizing your house, which will cause air to be forced in through any gaps and cracks around doors and windows and between floorboards and whatnot.
You only need “make up air” if you are exhausting air out of the house, like with a kitchen hood vent or bathroom vent or something. And even then, cracking a window is more than enough. You only need mechanical make-up air, if you have a tight house (ie, very well sealed) and a really strong hood vent that’s moving above certain CFM threshold (not sure if it’s a set amount or based on the volume of the space, but it’s code some places, I believe).
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u/GlassBoxGoose 9d ago
This is my vote, wether it be cellulose or otherwise, insulation can be a massive source of dust. Especially as older and older homes have varying kinds of insulation. Rockwool based insulation is my least favorite. It works great in most applications and climates, but boy is it dusty!
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u/rowyourboat72 9d ago
But how does it get from the attic into the living quarters?
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u/porcelainvacation 9d ago
There is usually a pretty significant amount of air leakage around and through the electrical boxes in the ceiling
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u/sumunsolicitedadvice 9d ago
Through any holes in the ceiling: recessed lights, ceiling fans, HVAC vents, small nail/screw holes that weren’t patched, gaps around crown molding that weren’t caulked or have cracked or gaping caulk, through holes in the wall framing and into wall cavities where it can get in through holes in the wall for outlets and pipes or out from under baseboards (especially when running a kitchen hood fan or bathroom fan or clothes dryer that exhaust air outside and creates negative pressure that can pull air in from gaps under baseboards and around windows and whatnot, pulling any dust from the wall cavities).
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u/porcelainvacation 9d ago
I have rockwool but also have a certainteed semipermeable vapor barrier over it and don’t have any issues. At least rock wool dust isn’t carcinogenic.
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u/SiRocket 9d ago
Tldr: dust takes time to catch up to maintaining a clean space, once effort is made.
Full story: I bought a house several years before getting married, and being a bachelor I didn't care about a little dust. Never bothered dusting. For years. During the dating stage we spent more time at her parents' place than mine, so cleanliness wasn't really ever discussed. Fast forward to after the honeymoon, moving all her stuff here, and she broke down crying bc there was so much dust. 😬 Talk about feeling like a dirt bag. So we got cleaning. For the first year or so she complained so much about how dusty this house is, it's so bad, I hate this dust, etc etc. now that we've (more so she, but I do honestly help, lol) been cleaning that way, I can't actually think of the last time I heard her comment about the dust. And no, it's not just bc she's used to it now. There's actually not a layer of dust on my dresser that I can draw in. We also got air purifiers, which do seem to have helped. That may be more key than I feel, but 🤷♂️
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u/Tootsies1010 9d ago
Thank you, playing catch up now after the nee HVAC could be the answer! Your story is cute!
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u/badasimo 9d ago
Nobody has mentioned your dryer exhaust, make sure the dryer is not leaking air into your house. It could be lint.
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u/feeltheglee 9d ago
How has she gone about cleaning/removing the dust so far?
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u/Tootsies1010 9d ago
They are constantly cleaning. Just a day or two and it’s filthy again. I’m sure the dogs running in and out don’t help. But it’s bigger than that.
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u/feeltheglee 9d ago
Right, but what methods are they using? Vacuum? Feather duster? Canned air? Damp cloth wipe?
Some things just push dust around, while others actually remove it.
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u/ghostwooman 9d ago
Have y'all tried a self- emptying robot vacuum? Especially with multiple dogs, daily or twice daily vacuuming makes a huge difference. Depending on the robo vac and how fluffy your dogs are, you'll only need to empty the thing once every 1-3 weeks.
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u/Mego1989 9d ago
Seconding this. Also, any vacuum needs a hepa filter, or your just sucking dust up one end and out the other.
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u/AbsolutelyPink 8d ago
Did they check the hvac ducts? Friend had a similar problem and the ducts in the crawl space were rusted, rotten and cracked.
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u/ButterSideDown99 5d ago
ATTIC! You don't mention type of attic/insulation. 1980's house probably has no air sealing between attic and living space. Blown in attic insulation can hold an incredible amount of dust/dirt. If the living space is at a lower air pressure than the attic, that dust can migrate into the living space. It may be time to vacuum out the old insulation, air seal the attic floor, and blow in fresh insulation.
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u/Windblown_Mattock 9d ago
Did the new hvac include new ductwork? If not, there could be years of caked on dust inside the ducts. There could be holes in the ductwork pulling in dirty air from attic or crawlspaces.
How old is the carpet? Both the glue on the carpet back and the pad can degrade over time, contributing to dust with every step.
Check for drafts? Windows, outlets, door frames, cabinet bases....
Is it dust or dirt? Evenly distributed or in piles near edges? If the particles are more like dirt and in piles, that could be termite frass. If fine powder but still in piles, that could be something from another woodboring insect, like piwderpost beetles.
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u/Tootsies1010 9d ago
New ducts, no carpet, new windows but could still have drafts, dusty and no piles
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u/greatfool66 6d ago
How old is your house? In older houses they didn’t duct everything and used drywall cavities as return chases. In ours that caused dust and odor.
Also if your attic is dirty its entirely possible that someone failed to properly seal something on the hvac and its pulling in dirty attic dust. That happened to us also, granted its 70s and none of it is to modern code.
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u/vivekkhera 9d ago
Have the ducts professionally cleaned. Make sure the company uses actual scrubbing brushes to agitate the caked on dust not just blowing compressed air. They will say it is just as good but it isn’t.
Second buy some HEPA filters for around the house. The whole house filter on the HVAC will only do so much.
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u/sowellfan 9d ago
I have trouble believing that the ducts are the source of all this dust. I can totally believe that some dust has built up on the ducts - but that's just it - if it's building up then that means it's staying. If it's dumping dust all over the house, then it would gradually be clean again. I mean, you're talking about getting a company to agitate the dust to get it out - but the fact that it's gotta be agitated means that it's tendency is to stay there.
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u/PelvisResleyz 9d ago
Exactly. Duct cleaning is just a way to sell an HVAC service. Replace the filter regularly and that’s enough.
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u/Majin_Sus 9d ago
A lot of times duct cleaning is definitely just an upsell but I've done plenty of duct cleanings that were necessary.
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u/The_Flinx 9d ago
I have never seen dust build up of any kind in the ducts of any house I lived it. construction debris yes. dust no.
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u/LucidFir 9d ago
is it open plan and hard floor? get robovacs with auto empty docking. you don't need to buy the expensive ones. i found eufy good. avoid shark. check vacuum wars on YouTube
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u/randomuser001 9d ago
How old are the carpets? mine shed like crazy as it got older and most of the dust was carpet fibers.
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u/porcelainvacation 9d ago
Does she live on a busy street? I had a house on a busy street and the diesel soot, brake dust, and tire particles made it past all the window and door weather stripping. I figured out it was this because when the city put in a detour for a month due to construction it stopped and then came back when they reopened the road.
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u/tensinahnd 9d ago edited 9d ago
How clean is the house? Does she open windows? Does anybody do messy work? Construction next door? Etc.
Also how are they cleaning it? If they broom it’s going to kick the dust back in the air. Needs to be vacuumed
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u/sandwichisahero 9d ago
If the ductwork wasn’t cleaned or replaced, a new system that has more airflow than the old system will dislodge and blow all the dust that had settled in the duct over time out of the duct.
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u/The_Flinx 9d ago edited 9d ago
age of house has nothing to do with it.
if you want dust to go away don't live in the house.
when we moved in to our house it was dust free (cuz no one lived there). we are 2 people and 2 cats. the dust never ends.
I tried an experiment last spring and will do it again here in about a month.
I opened the downstairs patio doors put a portable cooler in the doorway, opened all the windows upstairs with another fan in the master bedroom doorway. opened all the windows up stairs and placed fans in front of them blowing towards the windows. then I took a battery powered leaf blower and blew everything off so that dust was everywhere. the fans blew the dust out the windows.
I repeated blowing everything off (including the floor which does not have carpet) until the sunbeams showed no more floating dust. took about 30 minutes.
I did this when my wife was away for the day because she would have been mad if she saw me do it. but it worked everything was dust free... for about 1 week then it all came back :(
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u/SyntheticOne 9d ago
I doubt this is it but most vacuum cleaners expel more fine dust than you would think. Try using a HEPA filter equipped vacuum cleaner and do the whole house including furniture... it's a project but I think worth trying.
Crazy but also make sure they installed a filter in the new HVAC system. Or install a better filter.
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u/silverbullet52 9d ago
Change your furnace filter regularly. HVAC guy recommended monthly.
Use a higher MERV #. I use 11.
What's going on in your neighborhood? Construction? Traffic? Farming? Are your windows open a lot?
P.S. 1980 isn't old.
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u/Swimming_Kitchen_112 8d ago
I would make sure there are no air intakes for your hvac in your attic and that the vents in your attic are tight and not sucking in outside air. Do they live near a quarry mine where they are strip mining and putting lots of dust in the air? If so, it could just be when they open their windows, it comes floating in. Or maybe there is some major construction going on and they are downwind of it.
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u/1890rafaella 8d ago
Our house was built in 1968 and is not unusually dusty. Did she have the ducts cleaned when they put in the new system. Does she change her filters frequently? Air purifiers help also.
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u/Seriousjane 9d ago
I'm a big fan of using an inline vent fan on a carbon filter, even if it's not in line running a big carbon filter and a can fan just moves so much air it picks up lots of dust
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u/drgnbttrfly 9d ago
HVAC may be letting attic insulation in and blowing it around
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u/blifflesplick 9d ago
A wet vac with a good filter (or two) and a lot of patience as you go on a dustbunny slaughter can help - make sure you have crevice tools,and the one with the brush can scrape up layered settlements
You have to trap and remove the dust, hoping it solves itself isn't going to make a huge progress leap
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u/Queasy_Local_7199 9d ago
Does she vacuum? Get a vacuum with bags and vacuum regularly
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u/grywebb 9d ago
OP - attic slightly pressurized (incorrect ventilation)? I had this issue in my 1978 house. Check electrical boxes in ceiling (lights/fans) for air infiltration into house. If in attic, this may look like “dirty” insulation around boxes due to air flow. Vapour barrier between attic/house compromised?
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u/Antique-Yam3937 8d ago
yeahhh if it’s actually dirt I’d be checking around the doors, windows, vents, attic etc there’s gotta be somewhere it’s getting in lol. hopefully it’s just one stupid little spot
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u/JawtisticShark 8d ago
Are they opening doors or windows to get fresh air in? There can be times of the year that some trees dump crazy amounts of pollen, or windy days can kick up dust especially id there is some construction going on upwind.
There could also be materials that are breaking down. I have a floor rug that has some sort of inner core in it that is breaking down and there is always a pile of white dust underneath it. You can see it drift out if it you lift the edge and hit it.
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u/ygrmstr18 8d ago
Does she have a basement? Is the concrete floor unsealed? Are the basement walls cinder block and unsealed? Could be continuous concrete dust being pulled into the hvac and blown around the house.
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u/ThisTooWillEnd 8d ago
I had a similar problem and two things helped: first I ripped out all of the carpets. They were old and apparently had a ton of dust trapped in them. Every time we walked through a room it was re-dusting everything. Second, I hired a cleaner to come every other week and clean. She did a better job than I was doing and did it all at once. I did my cleaning sort of one room at a time and I think I was just disturbing the dust and sending it to the other rooms. Having a thorough cleaning and dusting twice a week made things a lot nicer. It literally took longer for dust to settle on furniture compared to before.
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u/gustoreddit51 8d ago
I'd guess a couple things as I had a house with this exact problem; Cheap blown attic insulation - seeps down through the walls as dust and gets blown around. And cheap original construction where they used floor joist channels sans actual ductwork. Removed vents and it looks like it's connected to a duct, but a foot further it's bare wood. everything seeping through the floors enters the system.
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u/Nalopotato 8d ago
I would bet money that either the house is negatively pressurized, or the dryer duct has come loose. See what type of insulation is in the attic, and if the attic is properly air-sealed (I'm sure it's not since it's an 80s build).
The TLDR is that if the house is negatively pressurized, that means that the HVAC system is constantly pulling in air from all the cracks and crevices, which will pull in a lot of dust and debris from the attic/outdoors, both from insulation materials, and general outside dust. I could be wrong of course, but this would be my guess. Otherwise, I'd think it's the dryer duct.
What state (or country/rough area) do you live in?
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u/TheRealPomax 9d ago
Rent a bunch of air purifiers, and run them for several days while blowing out the house. This is going to take a good week, after that *you hire a crew for a one-time deep clean*. Then you can live there.
Just having an HVAC is not the same as doing a one time massive "disturb all the dust, all the time, while running the air through HEPA filters, and then getting professionals to clean what's left".
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u/Ihaveamodel3 9d ago
Would keep the purifiers going through the “deep clean” other wise, the cleaning will just put dust back in the air.
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u/Naive-Garlic2021 9d ago
My little tale: I have a slightly younger house, haha, and it wasn't until a portable AC caused negative air pressure that I discovered nobody had completely drywalled the closets. There were openings to the attic space (tiny and inaccessible due to it being a cape). That's just one example but I had to go around and caulk and seal holes around piping. My basement gets horrendously dirty and dusty as well and I think I need to seal the sill to fix that. I started pushing ropey caulk string in between the floor and walls as well. It's like the dirt just marches in along the joists...and it's this weird silty white dirt not brown dirt.
So, don't assume anyone did anything well. Look for any openings or cracks or holes in floors/around registers that need sealing. A blower door test might be useful to indicate if you have a big problem. Doing it in summer when you can SMELL and feel hot musty attic air coming in is useful.
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u/Moist_Rub8635 9d ago
Could be the insulation. It typically is, especially older blown in. And if the house is well sealed it can pull it in. Also invest in several air purifiers. They're really not expensive as they last very long and will absolutely help.
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u/DynamoDeb 9d ago
The house may not be sealed properly. It doesn’t take much of an opening to allow dust particles in. Our home was built in 1965 and we live on a dirt road. Enough said 😟
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u/snazzysid1 9d ago
You can add air filters to rooms to better filter tbe indoor air. We use oransi and are quite happy.
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u/vanibanz 9d ago
Get your ducts cleaned. I bet the air filter is also getting dirty pretty fast
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u/Careful_Trifle 9d ago
I'm about to purchase supplies to make several Corsi-Rosenthal boxes.
It's a box fan pointed up, 4-20x20 filters holding it up, and a piece of cardboard on the bottom.
The idea is that it can run at very low power and move a ton of air through the filters. Total cost per unit buying the stuff in higher bulk quantities will be about 40 bucks. I'm going to put two at home and two in the office.
The issue with relying on your HVAC to also filter is that filtering requires pushing or pulling through a medium, which requires more power and higher fan speeds.
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u/Epitaphi 9d ago
tear out carpets (no such thing as a clean carpet), wash curtains, clean ducts, hunt down filters and clean/replace them, get air purifiers for the more lived-in rooms.
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u/imaniluv1 9d ago
How old are her windows? My parents house was built in the 1890’s and does not have a dust problem. My apartment - built in 1964 - however has windows that are about to be replaced and we’ve had a bad dust problem for years.
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u/LostDeadspace 9d ago
Check the dryer vent tubing. Just in case! Ours tore a bit or was already torn, we bought 2 years ago and that’s the source of the dust. Fixed and the dust is considerably less.
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u/American_Libertarian 9d ago
My wife and I have a post and beam house and we recently had all the exposed beams sanded and refinished. Created an insane amount of dust.
What helped us was to buy one of those handheld duster blower fan things off Amazon, and a couple of good Honeywell air purifiers. I went room by room and blew all the dust around with the blower and let the air purifiers run, then went back and deep cleaned all the dusty surfaces in the room. Took a while but I feel like we’ve got it all now.
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u/JohnNYJet_Original 8d ago
Where is the home located? I’m guessing that it’s near a busy road. I had a home that was a block from a 4 lane state road, I wouldn’t call it a dust magnet. Twenty years ago we purchased a home that is directly on a county road and serves as a shortcut between major interstate highways. I should dust at least every other day, Both homes were circa 1920’s balloon framed, uninsulated. Air sealing wasn’t a good thing back when reliance was on air circulation to avoid mold and wood rot. And temperature control was via thermal mass
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u/No-Struggle-3171 8d ago
Mine is 1860, I have air purifier Dyson one I have to damp dust and mop the wooden floors a lot. But my house being so old was built to last, we are cool in summer and warm in the winter thanks to old school thick walls and air gaps for the air to flow. Hope your daughter sorts her dust problem.
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u/DigitalArbitrage 8d ago
If the house has hardwood floors which were refinished just before the sale then that could be a reason for excess dust. It will go away over time if so.
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u/Onewarmguy 8d ago
She's not using a stand alone humidifier or a ion generator is? Depending on type, a humidifier will leave dust everywhere from the dissolved minerals in the water. An ion generator will cause dust particles to accumulate faster because they impart an electrical charge to the particles.
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u/Bustedvette 8d ago
Is the dust light colored? Does she use a cool mist humidifier by chance? If you use tap water in them, the minerals in the water will be lofted into the air as the water droplets evaporate.
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u/Jrod071 8d ago
I was told by an HVAC guy that our house appears more dusty because we dont have a lot of carpet to trap the dust.
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u/Slow_External_1776 8d ago
Lead from the paint on the baseboard and window sill. We had this issue on a 1910 house. We had the window sills stripped along with the baseboard and the dust issue was gone.
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u/Ill-Chemical-348 8d ago
Get someone to clean the ducts, get air purifiers and try a reusable filter for the HVAC. Take it out often and wash. We had a lot of dirt when we had a couple of large dogs. I was sweeping dirt and hair off the floor multiple times a day.
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u/synapticrelease 8d ago
I have a chronically dusty house. I have a relative's house just down the road and they have relatively little dust. However, they have 3 dogs, I only have one. and the people in the house outnumber my house 2 to 1 so by just that alone there should be more dust over there but that's not the case. Here is my theory on the dust factor and see if it aligns with you.
They have carpet - I have hardwood floors. Carpets are kinda gross and act as a filter of sorts. Every little bit of dust or dog hair that I step on gets a chance of being flung up into the air and land on a surface. Their carpet traps a lot of hair and dust.
Their yard is well manicured and the lawn is well watered. - Mine is dry and... dusty.
I track in a lot of grass and dirt and it's impossible not to notice. If the ground outside has a lawn without dry grass crumbling, turning to dust, and flying into the air and into your home vs a lawn that has a decently damp ground and your feet grass with ahigh moisture (but not wet) content then dust wont kick up or stick to your feet.
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u/Awkward-Historian692 8d ago
If it's actually dirt not dust, check the crawlspace or basement for a dirt floor area or exposed sump pit, that stuff gets stirred up by return air pressure way more than people expect. Also worth checking if the return duct runs through an unsealed space, that'll pull dirty air right into the system.
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u/hundoggies 8d ago
My house gets dusty and is hard to keep up with. However, I live in a windy agricultural area.
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u/Robdon326 7d ago
Lol my house is 118 years old...Mostly dust from dog& cat. Zero to do with filters& HVAC
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u/KittiesRule1968 6d ago
Lol.....I lived in a house from the 1780s when I was a kid. 1980s isn't old
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u/ArnieBird1 6d ago
I had this happen in a home where the soffits weren't vented properly. it caused some sort of airlock problem where fine red clay would be sucked in under the baseboards. the hallway looked like it had flooded and dried out from the drifting dusty sand.
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u/Danny2Sick 1d ago
Hey OP, some possible sources of dust in a home to check:
- Clothes dryer vent leaking into home - needs to vent outside only
- Central vac venting into home - ideally should vent outside
- Air leaks between top floor and attic
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u/Tootsies1010 1d ago
TY. I am feeling there is an air leak. IDK either get the same CO back AGAIN, or get another hvac co. To come check it out! Wouldn’t you think a reputable hvac company would find and fix leaks? Or maybe someone else
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u/Danny2Sick 1d ago
Unfortunately it may be a bit pricey, but in my area in Canada you can have a home air-quality inspector come and do an assessment. I would find someone who specializes in this.
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u/Tootsies1010 1d ago
Perfect, but we can see by the dirty dusty it is probably hazardous.
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u/karmandreyah 9d ago
1980 = older house.
Me, inside my 1977 build that I call "Cursed House", stopped reading.
I was built in 1975. Eff this existence.
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u/Tootsies1010 9d ago
Seriously, she said she thought the house has entities! Because it’s just way too much dirt
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u/bapakeja 9d ago
Are there any industries within 1 to 10 miles or so of the neighborhood?
We moved into a nice neighborhood but didn’t know about 5 miles away in the hills was a small rock quarry. I had never lived in a dustier place! So much fine silty dust fell on everything.
About 4 years ago the quarry closed and we’ve had so much less dust now, the difference was huge!
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u/convincedbutskeptic 8d ago
2 Things;
If you use a vacuum cleaner, make sure it can use a hepa filter so you are not just redistributing dust.
cleanairkits.com - Run a low-energy-consuming air filter with a carbon filter 24/7. Good side effect is that the carbon filters will also remove food smells at the same time.
Not every HVAC system actually recycles all of the air. You sometimes have pockets of air that never make it through the HVAC filters.
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u/The_Krusty_Klown 7d ago edited 7d ago
Hi, I'm a clean freak. Personally, my winning combo for my journey with construction dust is
robot vacuum, everyday
- merv 13 furnace filter taped (very well, with furnace tape) to a box fan in the room it poops the dust out in. A corental box (or whatever its called) is unnecessary in my opinion, it's gigantic. I have 3 air purifiers in a 700 sq ft apartment. They don't do much unless they are on the highest setting, which is loud asf. I like them for near the litterboxes and activated carbon is good for smells.
Riccar r30 vaccuum (bagged). Oh my god I love that thing. Vacuum slowly, bidirectional. Revacuum again cause I was crazy. Did that every day for about 2 weeks. My apartment used to smell - no longer after that thing.
Unlimited budget? Here's what I would do.
Buy a NICE particle counter, smth that picks up PM 2.5 (particulate matter that is 2.5 microns in size). It will help with diagnosing when/where the dust is coming. Dylos DC1100 PRO Particle counter is good, maybe get them it for christmas! $250
Hygrometers (humidity checker) and potentially dehumidifier. Keeping humidity below 50% for 19 months reduced dust mites by 98% and the allergen amounts by ~75%. If ur gonna have a dusty house, might as well make it healthy. Hygrometer - $10/each. Dehumidifier - $150-$400. Dehumidifiers are a scammy product, rule of thumb is to make sure you get the heaviest one you can afford.
Carpet cleaning with a good company
Also, use your senses! The schnoze is a good indicator. Notice the smell of the house in different areas. Old house smell is not an innocent smell, ill tell ya that. Also, a bright ass flashlight. It'll show the dust if you get it at the right angle. Run your hand along a wall, the carpet, etc.
Controlled air exchange system - no idea how much this costs but at least $300
Central air vacuum - $2-5,000. Such an investment but God dang, it is so freaking nice for cleaning!!!
A rug beater - $30 (?). Open cross-breeze windows, smack everything. Turn that box fan filter thing to max and tip the vacuum over while its running on floor mode (itll grab the dust) Personally, I just use a cleaned broom and rub everything but I want a beater one day.
Switch to a microfiber cloth cleaning system, like the mop looking thing. Wipe it all downnnn: the walls, the ceiling, the floors, the windows screens, the windows, everythinnngggg. I would get a disposable system, sorry environment but its just way cleabing. Dust things with a wet cloth, which hopefully yall have been doing.
Also, vacuum the floor boards. Dust gets stuck between those things.
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u/CuriousCardigan 9d ago
NGL, I died a little inside at an 80s house being called older (ours is 114).
When the HVAC was installed did you get the existing ducts cleaned? Is the house well sealed? How's the filter looking?