As cliché as it sounds, the best way to remove dirt from your home is to find ways to prevent the dirt coming into your house in the first place.
We know it is impossible to prevent all dirt, dust particles, grime and pollen from coming in, but how many of us actively reduce this process from happening?
Therefore we will be discussing how to prevent dirt from coming into your lovely home. However, if you are strapped for time and can’t engage in preventative measurements, then a professional service that cleans your home regularly might be a better option for you.
“Keeping a living space devoid of dirt is not a luxury but a necessity for physical and mental health. Leveraging scientifically approved cleaning methods and using certified cleaning products, is a proven approach to ensure optimum cleanliness.”
Fergus Sinclair, Home Hygiene Researcher
Remove Your Shoes Before Entering
This is likely a culture thing, however, it does make sense that removing your shoes before entering the home will reduce dirt and other forms of debris from being deposited on your home’s floor and other areas.
Dust, filth and even animal dropping will be present everywhere outdoors and your shoes which are made up of rubber and treads easily bind to this dirt which is then transposed into your home.
Simply taking off your shoes before entering your home can prevent spreading this dirt and grime onto your floors and rugs. Remove your shoes at the front door, carrying them inside and place them inside your wardrobe… it’s also a good idea to vacuum your wardrobe floor occasionally to prevent dirt from passing into your room!
Note: Cleaning your shoes regularly will also reduce dirt from entering your home.
The Kitchen & Door Mats
The kitchen is an area of cooking. More often than not, food ends up on the floor which we later step on. It’s easy to see how kitchen floor debris gets spread from the kitchen onto other parts of the home, such as wooden floors, rugs, the stair and even your sofa from your clothes.
This is where mats come in handy. Having a mat at any of the doors joining the kitchen will help collect this dirt and prevent it from spreading across your home. It is a good idea to actively wipe your feet on the mat before moving into other areas of your home.
It’s also recommended to give your kitchen floor a quick sweep while you are preparing food to prevent any accumulation on the floor. Also, when cooking, make sure you run your air vent (especially during frying) to expel grease particles and prevent them from sticking to surfaces. Be sure to keep your filter clean the allow efficient suction of air, you can do this yourself or use a professional service.
* Note: For mats, the same applies for having them at any entrance doors of your home.
Vacuuming Rugs & Mats
You might be partial to having rugs in your home and as already discussed mats are crucial for preventing dust and dirt from coming into your home.
However, we should look at a door mat as though it’s a container. They will take any unwanted particles from your shoes and store them in its fibres. In time, this builds up and there comes a point where the mat is no longer absorbing the dust but rather promoting the spread of it.
The same applies to your rugs. Dirt and dust will inevitably get into your home and your rugs, in time they become great dust collectors. Everytime you walk over your rugs you then transport the particles from the rug onto your home floors.
It is vital to vacuum clean your rugs regularly, better yet, take the rugs outside and beat them where no dust particles can spread around the house. Over time it is recommended to using a cleaning service to give those rugs and map a deep clean to further keep dust at bay.
Once your rugs are removed, it’s a good idea to vacuum and mop the floors. This is especially true when polishing up wooden floors as grease and smudges show up easily on them.
Open Windows & Doors
This is probably the most obvious factor that brings dust into your home, but yet likely one people do not consider.
During the Spring and Summer months there will come a time where you will need to air your home by opening up the windows and doors. This is something that is required in order to remove smells and humidity from your home. However, by opening up all windows and doors in your home, you will be promoting a through-draft which will promote dust and dirt particles.
Consider opening windows on one side of the home at any given time to reduce gushes of air coming in.
Also, when leaving your home, remember not to keep the door open longer than necessary. Windows and doors need to be cleaned within the frame area where dust, grease and grime collects over time. So it might be an idea to hiring a professional cleaning service to get the job done!
Author’s Closing Note
The spread of dust and dirt into a home is very easy and sometimes we do not even realise how we accelerate this process through our own actions.
Here are some other things we do to promote dirt coming into our homes.
This is precisely why prevention is the best course of action and why having a conscious preventative mindset will make it easier in the long run than having to constantly clean up your home.
As an ardent cleanliness enthusiast, I’ve found placing rugs or mats at all entry points cuts down approximately 80% of the dirt entering one’s home. Invest in good quality mats and save time on sweeping and vacuuming.
In my experience, a boot brush stationed at the back door does wonders in reducing dirt tracked into the house, especially for a gardening enthusiast like myself!
Rugs at every doorway have been a household rule in my home. I’ve found they trap a good amount of dirt and are easy to clean, saving my wooden floors from premature wear and tear.
I wholeheartedly agree with “Merryweather.” I adopted a similar approach of laying down rugs at all entrances, which proved to be beneficial in trapping dirt and preserving ancient wooden floors of my Victorian-era house. Moreover, I found that a shoe rack placed beside the entrance, encouraging visitors to leave footwear at the door, significantly adds to the effort of maintaining cleanliness.
After investing in a high-quality air purifier, I observed a significant decrease in dust levels inside my house, it’s a worthwhile addition to your anti-dirt regimen.
In the same way I painstakingly pluck unwanted weeds from my garden to keep it pristine, I’ve implemented a ‘no-shoes-inside’ rule to significantly limit the amount of dirt tracked into my home.
Like placing guards around a fortress, I’ve positioned doormats inside and outside all entrances to my home which helps in trapping dirt before it enters.