Marshall Brain's Blog

What is dust? This question arrived in the email box today. It's an interesting question. There are at least 7 things that contribute to the dust you see in your home:

1. Dirt particles. If you live on a dirt road that kicks up dust every time a car drives by, this is a lot more obvious. In rural settings you may see a lot more dirt dust in the house than in urban settings.
   
2. Soot particles. From cars, factories, power plants, cooking, etc.
   
3. Textile fibers. From clothes, carpets, blankets. AKA lint.
   
4. Paper dust. If you pull a kleenex out of the box and the sun hits it just right, you can see a cloud of dust that comes off the kleenex. The same sort of thing can happen from paper towels, toilet paper, printer paper, newspaper, etc.
   
5. Human and pet detritus. Hair, dandruff, flaked off skin, etc.
   
6. Insect detritus. For example, lots of spiders leave a dragline everywhere they go. Dead insect bodies. Etc.
   
7. Pollen particles. From plants. Certain times of year there can be so much pollen in the air that it is visible when it settles on cars and roads.

Find a dust bunny under your bed and look at it with a magnifying glass or a microscope. Ew.