Why Does My Home Office Get So Dusty? (Reasons & Solutions)
I have been working from home for the last 5 years and it turns out that a huge amount of people have joined the club over the last 2 years. What I know is that I need cleanliness and organization to work productively. But, I kept dealing with a dusty home office. This made me wonder, why does my home office get so dusty?
I’ve found that the reason why my home office gets so dusty is because of uncleaned air vents, dirty or damaged HVAC filters, high foot traffic, carpets and curtains catching dust, pets’ fur and a few other things which we will discuss in this article.
Once I was able to identify all these causes of my dusty home office, it became easier to find effective solutions to clean and prevent the accumulation of dust.
Table of Contents
Reasons Why Your Home Office Is So Dirty
Uncleaned air vents
Upon inspecting my home office in search of the hotspots for dust accumulation, it dawned on me that I barely pay any attention to the little air vents in one corner of my room.
Once I propped myself on a chair and took a closer look, I was shocked to find a thick accumulation of dust within the grooves and on the border of my air vents.
I don’t know why it didn’t dawn on me that since air vents are meant for air to pass in and out of the room, it’s only normal for the dust to collect and pass through.
The very same dust is bound to fall and spread throughout the room during windy or breezy days.
Dirty or damaged HVAC filters
For the longest time, I had no idea what HVAC stood for until I learned that it just was an acronym for heating, ventilating and air conditioning.
Every home utilizes an HVAC system, some more advanced and elaborate than others.
When it comes to HVAC filters, they’re installed as a means of trapping and preventing dust from passing through your HVAC system. However, depending on the quality and age of your filter, it can possess larger holes than normal which would allow more dust to pass through to your home’s HVAC.
Over time, it is normal for HVAC systems to get clogged and dirty with dust and dirt because it’s always in use.
What you need to do is enforce regular cleaning of the filters and overall HVAC system within your home.
Filters should be replaced every 3 – 6 months to prevent dust from accumulating in your home office.
High foot traffic
When I took some time to think about how often I enter and exit my home office along with other family members, it dawned on me that it’s a high foot traffic area of the house that doesn’t get as much attention during cleaning days.
Every time someone walks in and out, they could be dragging in the dust under their shoes or from storage boxes that are needed for certain research purposes.
It’s even worse when you have a home office that is carpeted because dust easily accumulates within carpets, as well as other dirt and grime under shoes.
I think it might be time for me to implement a socks-only policy for my home office.
Carpets and curtains catching dust
As mentioned above, carpets are known to grab and collect dust that is either transferred from people, items or from the air as it falls onto the ground.
The same could be said for curtains, upper portions of curtain rods, window sills and so forth.
Without regular cleaning, all of that dust is bound to accumulate and spread around your home office until the air feels stuffy and inflammatory to the sinuses.
I would suggest reducing the amount of woolen-based material used in a home office as they are much harder to clean and collect dust easier.
Lack of vacuuming, dusting and shining
Let’s be honest, like any room or surface, without regular cleaning it will get dirty and dusty. There’s no way that you can eliminate any and all dust from entering your home office.
But, dust is barely noticeable when it’s regularly cleaned. It’s only when you reserve dusting and vacuuming for weekly sessions that dust starts to accumulate and become a problem.
As mentioned, home offices are really neglected despite being used so often.
This is especially true for people who are disorganized and collect a lot of clutter to work with.
It feels like an unnecessary chore to clean a home office every time you work in it because your primary focus is to get a job done.
But, this lack of cleaning or procrastinating mindset can create a home office that is not conducive to productivity and alertness.
Your pet is shedding fur and hair in your home office
As much as we love and adore pets, much like us humans, they can be really messy and can contribute to a home office becoming dust.
Ironically, while writing this article, I just noticed a bit of cat fur on my dark gray cushion across the room!
You may have to limit access to your home office to reduce the amount of dust and fur or hair.
Problematic windows allow dust to blow in
For a few years, I noticed one of the windows in my home office doesn’t close flush leaving a slight gap.
On extremely windy days or nights, I can even hear a whistling or airy sound emanating from that corner of the window when it’s closed.
Expectedly, it also seems to collect the most dust compared to other areas of my entire window frame.
And if your home office window is situated near very sandy surfaces, it would explain why your home office gets so dusty.
Tips On How To Clean A Dusty Home Office
1. Dust regularly
Prevention is better than cure and in this case, you can reduce the severity of dust in your home office by dusting surfaces and corners regularly.
Do a quick sweep every morning or afternoon and use a duster on curtain rods, vents, windows and surfaces that are open.
Also, I’ve found that dust collects under the desk in most home offices as well as around the computer, including the cables.
Make sure to dust these areas and reposition your home office desk to make it easier to dust on a regular basis.
2. Invest in an air purifier
Since dust travels in the air, it makes sense to invest in something that is known to clean the air of dust and germs.
Not only will this purify the air and remove odors but it will also grab microscopic dust particles in the air preventing the unnecessary accumulation of dust.
I have a compact air purifier at my desk since that’s the one place where I spend hours when I’m working in my home office.
This is probably the best air purifier that I would suggest for a home office. It’s not overpriced but effective enough to make a difference to the quality of air in your room. This is an affiliate link so I may earn a commission if you purchase through my link without any extra charge to you.
3. Vacuum hard to reach surfaces and decor that collects dust
Nothing cleans a dusty office as effectively as a vacuum, not even regular dusting and wiping.
Think about it, when you’re dusting, you’re just dispersing all of that dust onto a different location for you to clean up.
If you’re not actually picking up, wiping and shining your home office after dusting, it’s not actually clean.
That’s a lot of work that can just be taken care of with a vacuum.
It sucks up all that dust and dirt with ease and can help to clean a dusty office in a fraction of the time that it would take you to clean by hand.
I would recommend vacuuming your home office at least once a week or twice if you really want to keep it super clean and dust-free.
4. Replace and clean air filters
As mentioned earlier, your HVAC system has filters that require regular maintenance and replacement when they get damaged.
You should get into the habit of cleaning them out frequently to prolong their life span which would save you money in the long term.
When they are damaged, replace them and have them checked every 3 – 6 months to make sure that they are still in good condition to prevent dust from accumulating in your home and home office.
5. Wipe window sills
Those window sills can get quite dirty and dusty when unattended for a long time. I noticed that because I had both a curtain and net in my home office, very rarely was I actually inspecting and cleaning the window sill and border.
To my dismay, it was so dirty with a ton of dust that was definitely making my home office so dusty.
I would suggest doing a dusting and wiping down every week or two and it should make a difference.
In Conclusion
Improve your home office by keeping it clean and dust-free using the tips in this article. I promise you that the extra work is worth it when your home office smells clean and is perfectly prepped for you to work productively.
I hope you enjoyed this article on why does my home office get so dusty and found it to be really helpful and useful.
Please let me know what other questions you would like for me to answer in the future by leaving a comment down below.
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