Your Luxurious Carpet Is Contributing To Dust: How To Handle It

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Carpeted flooring is a great way to enhance comfort and add warmth to a home, especially during cold winter months. While some carpet floor trends are having a moment, the most luxurious options require more upkeep than other flooring options. You can clearly see when there is dust and dirt on wood or tile floors. However, with carpets (especially high-pile styles), debris gets trapped, hiding deep within the fibers where you can't see it. There are several hidden hazards of built-up dust in your home, including triggering allergies and worsening respiratory conditions. To mitigate the trapped dust and dirt that lives within your carpet, you need to establish a consistent and proper vacuuming routine. 

This means vacuuming the areas of your carpet that see the most foot traffic daily — like hallways, entryways, and transitional spaces. You need to clean the rest of your carpet at least twice a week. When vacuuming, move the head slowly across the floor and be sure to overlap the back-and-forth strokes. This technique works the suction and brush deep into the carpet fibers. It's also important to use the right vacuum for the job. A vacuum with a HEPA filter traps tiny dust particles inside the machine, preventing them from being released back into the air.

Occasional deep cleaning can help pull out the trapped dust and dirt from your carpets that normal vacuuming can miss, even if you vacuum every day. They use powerful suction and specialized cleaning formulas to reach deep between the fibers. You can rent a carpet cleaner or, if you think you'll use it often, purchase one like the BISSELL TurboClean Pet XL Upright Carpet Cleaner. Just make sure you check the manufacturer's cleaning recommendations for your carpet before choosing a deep cleaner. Not knowing the type of carpet fibers you have and their cleaning nuances is a mistake everyone makes when deep cleaning their carpet. You don't want to inadvertently damage your flooring or void the warranty. Deep-clean your carpet at least annually.

Outside of removing the carpet altogether in favor of dustless flooring like wood or tile, you can keep dust particles out of your carpet in the first place by actively managing indoor air quality. If you can clean the air in your home, there's less dust to settle on your carpet or embed into the fibers. Place a HEPA air purifier fitted with a new filter in at least every carpeted room — though, arguably, you should have air purifiers in every room of your home. The appliance removes airborne dust, pet dander, and harmful fine particulate matter from the air, stopping them from landing on your carpet. Remember to change your HVAC filter monthly (or as recommended by the manufacturer) to maintain its efficiency. Have the air ducts in your home professionally cleaned every two to three years to stop dust from recirculating through your system.