CR's Guide to Dust-Busting Tools

Air Purifiers
These devices draw in air that’s in your home, trap pollutants with filters that are in the devices, and then send clean air back out. HEPA filters, the most common type found in air purifiers, are designed to capture at least 99.97 percent of particles 0.3 micrometers in diameter— the size of many dust particles.

If your house has an HVAC heating and cooling system, it has a filter that protects the equipment from damage and improves indoor air quality. Basic models are made from strands of fiberglass or metal mesh and capture large particles. Higher-end filters are pleated and can capture particles as tiny as bacteria.

Their performance is reflected in their MERV rating, which ranges from 1 to 16. Filters with a MERV of 8 can capture pollen, mold spores, and many types of household dust. At MERV 13—the highest rating you’ll find for most of the popular residential HVAC filter sizes—you can count on the filter to trap bacteria, smoke, and other microscopic particles. They can cost $40 or more.

Where to use them: These air filters belong in your HVAC system’s return air duct. Because these systems work in a loop—drawing in air through your home’s return vents and then releasing warm or cool air through supply ducts and vents—dust and dirt are bound to get caught up in the filter.

How to maintain them: Most HVAC filters need to be replaced once per season (roughly every three months), says Misha Kollontai, who manages CR’s air filter testing. But some can last as long as 12 months, depending on the model. Replace them more often if you have a pet, live in an area of the country that’s prone to wildfire smoke, or suffer from allergies or asthma. Replacing the filter is a simple job that typically involves slipping out the old one and sliding in a new one. If you are unsure how to do this, ask the person who services your home heating or cooling system to show you during their next visit.

Pro tip: “We find that thicker filters have two big advantages,” Kollontai says. “They filter particles out of the air better and require replacement less often.” But not every HVAC system can accommodate a thicker filter—the most common size is 1 inch thick—though you can retrofit the ductwork of some systems to accept one that is thicker.

Here are the top two air filters—one is 1 inch thick, and one is 4 inches thick—from our ratings of more than 50 filters. Not sure which type or size to get? Consult our buying guide.

Keeping your home at a relatively low humidity level—below 50 percent—can limit the spread of dust mites and the allergens they produce. A dehumidifier can help you do that.

Where to use it: Running a dehumidifier in the basement may help reduce humidity in the whole house, says M. Bilal Khalid, MD, a Delaware allergist and clinical immunologist. He says keeping indoor humidity levels below 50 percent may be especially helpful to people who are allergic to dust mites. These pests thrive on moisture and human skin cells, and make their homes in bedding, upholstery, carpets, and other soft surfaces. “When all three are present, they grow exponentially,” Khalid says.

Choose a dehumidifier that’s big enough to handle the space you want to keep dry, opting for a larger one if the area is typically damp. Wherever you place it, make sure your dehumidifier is at least a foot from walls and furniture so that air can freely flow in and out (note that some dehumidifiers vent on the top, others on the side).

How to maintain it: Check the dehumidifier’s indicator lights to know when it’s time to clean the filter and, if the device isn’t hooked up to a hose and drain, empty the water tank.

Pro tip: Check our ratings for a dehumidifier with an accurate humidistat. That’s a control that turns the device off when it reaches a set humidity and back on when humidity levels rise again.

Here are the top-scoring dehumidifiers from the more than 50 in our ratings. They include models with small, medium, and large capacities. If you’re not sure which size to buy, check out our buying guide and this article for advice.

Cleaning Cloths
For routine dusting, a cotton rag moistened with water works well and is cheap and environmentally friendly, says Stephen Sharp, vice president of fiber innovation and strategic facilities at Gaston College’s Textile Technology Center in Belmont, N.C.

Dust adheres more easily to a slightly damp cloth than to a dry one, and the water makes the cloth more pliable—the better to get into any nicks and grooves, like on a wood bench, says Rachel O’Brien, PhD, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Michigan. When you’re done, rinse out the debris and throw the cloth into the wash to use again.

To kick it up a notch, consider a damp microfiber cloth. It provides lots of surface area for dust to stick to. Use a dry, not damp, microfiber cloth on electronics and screens—it will scratch less and reduce smudging. Wash, as directed, to reuse.

Polypropylene sheets (like Swiffer wipes) have randomly arranged fibers that can provide an electrostatic charge, which allows them to hang on to dust a bit better. However, they’re relatively pricey and aren’t reusable.

How often to use them: Dust easy-to-reach spots every week or two, and more often if you have small kids or pets. For areas that require a stepladder, like the tops of bookshelves, dust once a month.

Pro tip: Fold your cloth in half and then in half again so that you have eight clean surfaces on each cloth to work through.

Irregularly shaped objects require a duster. It should have a fluffy head so that you can attack multiple surfaces at once (such as a plant or trophy) and catch particles that get knocked off as you dust (think a chandelier). It should have a flexible handle so that you can skim along curved objects (like vases or lamps) and squeeze into tight spots (say, between picture frames). Dusters with microfiber or polypropylene heads work best; those made with feathers are delicate and hard to clean, while lambswool dusters don’t hang on to dust as well.

How often to use them: Break out the duster as frequently as you’ve been using a dustcloth—weekly or biweekly for objects within reach, like your window AC vents; monthly for less accessible surfaces, like ceiling fans.

Pro tip: In each room, dust from top to bottom and work from edge to edge. That way, “you get over three chances to catch every last dust bunny, as the stray particle that fell off your ceiling fan can land on the counter, and if you miss it when you wipe the counter, it falls to the floor, where you vacuum and mop last,” says Melissa Homer, a consultant for the Holmdel, N.J.-based residential cleaning service Ecomaids who formerly consulted with MaidPro.

Vacuums work better than brooms because sweeping can stir some dust back into the air. Still, brooms can be a quick way to pick up larger bits of food or other debris that attract dust or, over time, break into smaller specks. Soft bristles with “flagged” tips (they look like split ends) catch smaller particles best, says Steve Zelmanski, senior manager at industrial and safety supply company Grainger. An angled shape—where one side is longer than the other—lets you get into corners and crevices and beneath appliances.

If pet hair is an issue, Tonya Roark, co-owner of All Pro Cleaning in Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks area, suggests the Broombi. She uses that when she doesn’t want to break out the vacuum. Instead of bristles, it has a washable electrostatic silicone edge that picks up hair and other debris without getting tangled.

Periodically follow up with a mop and sudsy water. Roark prefers spin mops with two-tank buckets, one for clean water and another for dirty water. A good option is the O-Cedar EasyWring RinseClean, available at Amazon, Walmart and directly from the manufacturer. To clean and reuse the mopheads, throw them into the washing machine.

How often to use them: Sweep as needed. Mop once a week, or more often if you have a small child or pets.

Pro tip: Sweep your floor section by section, making a small pile for each area. By sweeping shorter distances, you lose fewer particles along the way. After sweeping, use a wet paper towel to wipe down the bristles, and periodically clean the broom with dish soap and water.

Your key tool against dust is a vacuum, so you want one that gets top scores in CR’s tests for cleaning carpets and bare floors, hose suction, and, especially, emissions. Vacuums that excel in that latter test, including those shown below, have tight seals and excellent filters to keep vacuumed-up debris from spewing back into the air. “If the entire system is not sealed, it doesn’t matter how good the filters are,” says Susan Booth, who oversees CR’s vacuum testing. Bagged and bagless vacuums have gotten better at curbing emissions, but a bagged model eliminates the messy job of emptying the bin of a bagless model.

How often to use them: At least once a week, especially if you have an active family with people and pets coming and going, live on a dusty road, or have allergies.

Where to use them: Take advantage of attachments. Use the crevice tool to get at hard-to-reach places like high corners and behind furniture, and use brushes on upholstery, lampshades, window blinds, and curtains. Many vacuums come with suction control, which makes it easier to clean curtains or drapes. Most do this with a plastic slider that diverts some of the hose’s suctioning power, but high-end vacuums may have a dial for more accurate adjustments.

Pro tip: When buying a vacuum, pay special attention to the bags and filters. “If you are very concerned about or sensitive to dust, get a model with HEPA bags or a HEPA filter,” Booth says. HEPA filters remove at least 99.97 percent of dust, pollen, and other airborne particles. Regular vacuum bags and HEPA bags are typically interchangeable, but check your owner’s manual to make sure. If you don’t find dust particularly bothersome, you could do without the HEPA filters.

All the vacuums here excel not only in picking up debris but also in our clean emissions test, key to preventing the vac from spewing dust back into the air. You can find more choices in our ratings of more than 200 vacuums and more advice on choosing the right one here.

Forty-five percent of Americans use a dust spray or furniture polish when cleaning, according to an April 2024 nationally representative CR survey (PDF) of 2,042 adults . On hard surfaces, a spray or polish can help pick up dust while leaving a shine behind. But a slightly damp cloth (followed, on wood, with a swipe with a dry one) does a good job. Plus, ingredients in some products may pose health or environmental concerns, so you may prefer to play it safe and avoid them, says Christopher M. Reddy, PhD, who studies sustainable products at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts.

For a product with fewer concerning ingredients, consider one certified by Made Safe, an organization that screens household products. Or try this DIY recipe: Mix ½ cup of lemon juice with a few drops of olive oil in a bottle, spray, then wipe with a cloth.