Today let's talk about the top four dust and dander home offenders (in my opinion)

Offender #1:

I’m sure everyone has guessed the first one! If you share your home with pets it will naturally be more difficult to keep up with dust and dander.

You’ve probably already read articles recommending regular brushing of cats and dogs but…let’s get real. Doing that on a daily basis tends not to happen (for the majority of us).

I personally found it more effective and doable (day to day) to go outside with our black labs and simply rub them down briskly with a dry towel. It gets rid of loose dog hair and helps the coat shine by stimulating blood flow. I would then shake out the towel, fold and place it by the exit door in a decorative container for the next day.

For long - haired dogs, I would guess brushing or regular trips to be groomed would be the most advantageous.

With cats that may not like being brushed it’s recommended to try using a grooming glove.

Remember that when it comes to animals there are always exceptions to the rule! I would love for you to share any tips or solutions that work for you.

Offender #2:

Would be pet hair on the furniture. If your pets get up on the furniture then you naturally need to be more diligent in either placing washable throws on the areas they lay on (washing and changing them regularly) or…keeping the hair off by simply putting on a Playtex glove and wiping your hand over the area in a sweeping off motion.

Some people swear by the magic coat hair remover but…in my opinion, cost vs. cost you get about the same result for less with the Playtex glove.

You should be able to maintain pet hair by incorporating the above hints along with your weekly vacuuming.

Offender #3:

An accumulation of books, newspapers and magazines cause a dust buildup in your home since paper generates particles in the air and dust just seems to gravitate towards books and magazines. If your home has an over abundance of these three things I recommend routinely dusting and taking your books / magazines out, wiping the covers, flipping open the pages to ‘air’ them out then returning them to the shelf or table. Please remember that all of the above are a fire hazard so don’t hold onto any unnecessary items.

Offender #4:

Last, but not least, are your home filters. The purpose of the filters is to ‘filter out particles from the air’ and in doing so you protect your heating and A.C. unit (depending on what you use). Any of the previous three offenders necessitates checking and changing your filters on a routine basis.

One huge clue that your filters need to be changed would be an accumulation of ‘yuck’ on the outside metal cover. Seeing this sign should prompt you to change your filter and clean the metal cover inside and out.

Essential dust, dander and pet hair fighters…

You need a vacuum that fits your home's needs, a commercial cut-end floor dust mop (see picture or click link here for an example) with 2 washable covers (yes it’s worth it to buy commercial vs. a cheaper version in the long run), Playtex type gloves and a Swiffer type duster with an extending handle.

Hope this helps you in your fight against dust, dander and pet hair! If you have questions, just ask!

Carol