Dust
Mostly textile fibres and skin, held by static as much as by gravity — which is why a dry cloth on a plastic surface makes it worse.
In detail
Household dust is largely textile fibre, paper fibre, shed skin, soil tracked in from outside and, in older properties, mineral particles from plaster and masonry. It is a particulate deposit, so nothing dissolves it: it is either lifted away by suction, trapped in a fibre structure, or moved around. The trapping matters because dust redistributed rather than removed settles again within hours and, on a polished surface, is dragged across it — dust is abrasive, and a dry cloth on a dusty gloss finish is fine sanding. Static is the second half of the story, and a lighting manufacturer's cleaning instructions make it explicit: a dry cloth must not be used on plastic parts, because the static already built up on them attracts dust. Damp is therefore usually better than dry, and a captive-fibre cloth better than a duster that flicks. Dust is also the material at the centre of two other problems in this catalogue: it feeds house dust mites in bedding and upholstery, and it is what a vacuum's filtration is really being judged on when it is described as effective.
What works
Neutral cleaning is effective against Dust Supported
Vacuum cleaner is effective against Dust Strongly supported
Floor cleaner is effective against Dust Supported
HEPA filter is effective against Dust Supported
The specification is numeric and worth knowing: at least 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns or larger.
ULPA filter is effective against Dust Supported
Why
- Dust is explained by Static and dust
- Dust is explained by Mechanical action and abrasion
- Dust is explained by Why different surfaces get different dirt
- Dust is explained by Surface roughness
Aftercare and prevention
- Barrier matting helps prevent Dust
Hacks and claims involving this
- Furniture polish feeds the wood Does not work
Sources for this page
Sources
Cleaning instructions for luminaires
ETAP Lighting International · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That a dry cloth must not be used on plastic parts because static already built up on them attracts dust, and that antistatic detergents without alcohol are specified instead. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Section 0, the introduction, covering the safety instructions and the general instructions; and section 1, the cleaning table for parts that affect lighting, by component material. Supports the claim as stated. Opens the light-fitting domain, which had three externally observed rows and no source. Covers how-to-clean-a-light-fitting and, with the consumer safety body read alongside it, power-off-before-cleaning-a-light-fitting. It does NOT close waiting-for-a-bulb-to-cool: it states the condition and declines the duration, so the thirty-minute figure that recurs in consumer results still has no authority behind it and is not adopted.
Last reviewed by a person on .