Five Disgusting Facts About Dust

At the surface dust seems so harmless. It's just that random "stuff" that collects on undisturbed surfaces in our homes. It's just a little dust from outside, right? If only the story of dust were so innocent and innocuous. The true story is that dust is simply disgusting. Regular housecleaning, minimizing dust-collecting display items, and keeping clothing stored properly will help reduce dust and the dust mite population in your home. Other remedies include keeping the home's humidity below 50 percent and using a vacuum with a HEPA filter.

1. Dust Contains What?

The list of items making up dust according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension ranges from inoffensive items like fabric fibers and salt crystals to more alarming substances including ash, fingernail filings, human skin scales, fungal spores and insect fragments.

2. Dust Mites Eat Our Dust

This might sound like a beneficial relationship to keep our houses dust-free, but the dust mites themselves are not our friends. They trigger asthma attacks and contribute to allergies. Naughty creatures. Dust mites love to sleep where humans shed the most dead skin cells, in our beds. They also feed on "pollen, fungi, bacteria and animal dander" according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. They're also fond of our pets' beds, our favorite fluffy bed pillows and our carpets.

3. Dust Mites Can Make You Sick

Some of these parts, including cockroaches, dust mites, animal dander and fungi are the root cause of allergic reactions to dust according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

4. Your Dust May be From Out of Town

Dust is not staying still. It's not really disgusting as it is in fascinating and slightly disturbing, but according to NASA "13 million tons of dust " drifts from Africa to the Northeastern Basin. Also, more than half of "microbe-laden African dust" that blows into the U.S. lands in the Sunshine State, Florida. This takes concerns about environmental pollutants in our homes to a whole new level.

5. Carpet Breeding Grounds

While it's more disgusting to think of the dust mites in our bed, more of them live in carpets, according to the University of Cincinnati. They love to have plenty of food. They love warm and humid environments, making carpets an idyllic environment for them to live and breed.