Six Ways to Reduce Dust in Your RI Home

If you have a forced air system (a furnace with vents, not baseboards or radiators) in your Rhode Island home, a little thing like dust can cause some big problems for you – leading to far-reaching complications that range from sub-par heating system performance to poor health.

If you want to tame a dust problem and breathe a little easier this winter and spring, try these six tips:

1. Start with the shoes – About 80 percent of household dust enters the house on shoe bottoms, so adopting a shoe-free policy is a great place to start if you want to keep dust under control. Keep a basket of slippers or slipper socks at the door for guests.
2. Go to the mats – If you can’t go all-in on an in-home shoe ban, make sure you have mats inside and outside of every home entrance to give guests a place to wipe their feet before entering your space. Just be sure to clean and shake out the mats regularly.
3. Vacuum regularly – Vacuum each room thoroughly (preferably with a HEPA-filtered vacuum) once a week; go over high-traffic areas twice a week.
4. Skip the feather duster – Feather dusters simply push dust around; to remove it when you clean, use a damp microfiber cloth or the soft-bristled attachment of your vacuum.
5. Check your furnace air filters monthly – One of the most important maintenance tasks you have as a furnace owner is to replace your air filter regularly. Many manufacturers recommend checking your air filter every three months or so, but that’s not usually enough, in our experience – especially if you have pets. Instead, use inexpensive, disposable filters and check/replace them every 30 days; not only will this reduce dust, it will also improve heating system efficiency and reduce wear and tear on your heating equipment.
6. Service your furnace and ductwork – Dust can also be a sign that your furnace isn’t working as efficiently as it should be – or that your ductwork isn’t moving air properly. If you are noticing more dust than usual and haven’t had your furnace serviced in a while, it’s probably time for professional heating system maintenance (or a professional duct cleaning).

Seeing an up-tick in dust in your home after skipping heating system maintenance this season? It could be time to call the pros at Vaughn Oil. Don’t suffer needlessly with dust problems – contact us today for the best heating system service in Rhode Island!