The Battle with Dust
When I first came to Korea, I noticed that during certain times of the year, people would come out of the house wearing cloth masks to cover their noses and mouths. I thought Koreans were extremely paranoid and way too prepared for any surprise. Turns out the government would actually issue warnings if dust and pollution levels were high. I didn’t take this very seriously until I started getting nasal infections and my fiancé’s allergies would flare up regardless of what time of year it was. The solution? Get cleaning.
Have you ever vacuumed your whole house but then realized there was still a thin layer of dust across your floors? Or maybe you noticed billions of dust pieces floating peacefully in your home- just waiting for you to inhale. I have. I felt like a human air purifier. But I’ve been in Korea for nearly four years now and I think I have it mostly under control now. For those of you who are constantly wiping but are still left with dirty wet towels, I’d like to share some tips I’ve learned during my time here.
- Download an app that tells you when dust/pollution levels are high. Wear a mask if you’re going out and try to avoid opening your window on the worst days. Also, shake out your jacket on the way back in.
- Spray some water around your house before wiping your floor. It’ll help keep some of the dust static and also catch pieces floating in the air.
- Get an air purifier. You can rent them from companies such as Coway.
- Purchase some plants that help purify the air (such as tillandsias)
- Open a window, screen and all, and put a fan facing out against it. It’ll blow out some of the dust in the house.
- Try to avoid furniture with a lot of fabric on it as dust will get caught, but if you do, remember to shake it out outdoors as often as possible.
Hope I could help!