For years, I’ve complained about an Ikea shelf in my home that seems to attract dust at an impossible speed. Eventually, my frustration gave way to curiosity: what’s actually happening, scientifically? Is there anything I can do about it, besides just continuously dusting?
I’m not imagining things, says Nisa Salim, a materials engineer and associate professor at Swinburne University of Technology. While an object’s placement in the home and airborne particle levels make a difference, some surfaces really are better at collecting dust.
Large particles settle by gravity, but finer ones are influenced by van der Waal forces – weak molecular attractions that strengthen when there’s more contact between a particle and a surface, says Salim. Rough, porous materials have more contact points, giving dust more opportunities to stick.
My shelf doesn’t feel rough, but Salim says “even if a surface appears smooth to the naked eye, at the microscopic level it may contain tiny peaks, valleys and defects that can trap particles”.
The phrase “dust magnet” isn’t completely metaphorical, either. Some surfaces literally attract dust through electrostatic forces, which resembles magnetic attraction. When materials rub together, electrons can transfer between them, leaving surfaces charged; because many dust particles also carry charges, they’re often drawn to these surfaces.
Acrylic, PVC, polyester and polypropylene are poor electrical conductors, so they hold on to electrical charges longer. Metal, by contrast, conducts electricity well, so it passes charge along and neutralises quickly. Without that lingering static charge to attract fine particles, metal surfaces collect less electrostatic-charged dust.
It’s also not surprising if your home seems unusually dusty at certain times of year. “Humidity or water molecules in the air help electrical charges dissipate from surfaces,” Salim says.
During colder, drier months, or in air-conditioned spaces, there’s less moisture to neutralise electrostatic charges, so dust clings more stubbornly.
Can I make my furniture less dusty?
After consulting with Salim, I ran a month-long experiment testing small tweaks based on dust science to see what makes a difference in my own home. Instead of my dust-magnet shelf, I tested a coat rack made of similar materials because it was smaller and easier to monitor.
Week one: control conditions
First, I unplugged my air purifier and dehumidifier and measured how much dust naturally accumulated over one week.
In each photo, including this one, I’ve swiped a finger through the dust to make the contrast more visible. Here’s what the starting point looked like.
Week two: Anti-static spray
After dusting and wiping the coat rack, I sprayed it with an anti-static product, which would theoretically reduce electrical charge and, in turn, dust.
I left the right side untreated for comparison. It doesn’t show up well in photographs, but everyone who saw it in person – and concentrated for a moment – identified that the left side was slightly less dusty.
Verdict: Since the results are nearly imperceptible, I can’t recommend anti-static spray as a dust solution.
Week three: adjusting the humidity
I usually run a dehumidifier at all times, because my bathroom fan is weak, but had turned it off for the experiment. Since dry air increases static cling, I wanted to test whether my usual attempts to control humidity were actually contributing to my dust problem, so I plugged it back in for a week.
Verdict: My dehumidifier habit may have been working against me, because the drier conditions definitely produced a dustier coat rack.
Week four: running an air purifier
This idea is more intuitive. Air purifiers, particularly ones fitted with HEPA filters, reduce the concentration of airborne particles. If you have less dust in the air, you get less dust on any given surface. I cleaned the coat rack, unplugged my dehumidifier and plugged in my air purifier instead, placing it about a metre from the coat rack.
Verdict: After one week the coat rack collected noticeably less dust than in any previous test. I was, admittedly, disappointed. I’d hoped the humble anti-static spray would turn my life around, but I’m crowning the air purifier the winner.
What does a low-dust home actually look like?
Richard Misso, an interior designer and creative director of the Stylesmiths, says he spends a lot of time thinking about dust.
His clients want homes that are beautiful but low maintenance. So he points them away from dark floors, glass surfaces, open shelving, excessive decoration and intricate joinery.
He says that although gloss surfaces collect slightly less dust, matte finishes are often lower maintenance, because they’re more visually forgiving when dust inevitably lands.
Misso cites Melbourne’s Gentle House, which was designed by his company. The Brunswick home has a “calm, pared-back” palette from its timber, brick and stone materials, rather than decorations that require frequent cleaning, he says.
Ultimately the easiest way to have a low-dust home is simple: plan fewer places for it to collect in the first place.