bedroom with dust buildup in air

If you’ve ever glanced over at a nightstand, bookshelf, or dresser in your bedroom and thought to yourself, “Why is my bedroom so dusty?” you’re not alone.

It seems strange to have such a dusty room when you barely spend much time in it except for sleeping, right?

Since this is such a common question people have, we figured it would be a good one to answer.

We also thought it would be good to share some tips on how you can stop your bedroom from collecting so much dust now and in the future.

Let’s get started.

Why Does My Bedroom Get so Dusty?

It often feels like dust magically appears out of thin air.

This is especially apparent when you’re doing a deep cleaning of your bedroom and after a matter of minutes you see those tiny specks starting to cover all of your furniture again.

Why does this happen?

And where does dust come from?

Dust is actually a mashup of many things.

Some of which may be a complete surprise to you.

Below are the main culprits for why your bedroom is so dusty.

(After this list, we’ll get into the top ways to prevent it, such as using the best air purifier for dust removal here for any room. We also suggest you look at our best air purifier for bedroom page for a dedicated unit for the room where you sleep.)

Bedding Fiber Breakdown

Every time you lay down in or wash your bedding, the materials experience wear and tear that break down the fibers.

These microscopic fabric fibers then break off of your bedding and end up accumulating inside your bedroom.

See all of Amazon's Best Selling Air Purifiers

A majority of these fibers stay dormant in or around your bed but any disturbance of the material (i.e. making your bed, adjusting pillows, or just sleeping in it) can send these particles flying up into the air and landing on other surfaces.

Paper Fibers

Did you know that paper is made up of microscopic fibers too?

If you have a lot of books or paper products in your bedroom, they could be contributing to your dust problem.

Many people like to read before they go to bed and turning the pages of your book or magazine allows these tiny particles to get release into the air.

Outside Substances

Every time you go outdoors, you end up carrying tiny particles of dirt, grass, pollen, plant spores, automobile exhaust smoke, etc. on your skin, clothing, and shoes.

Then, when you come inside these particles can easily drop off and collect on the surrounding surfaces.

If you ever step foot into your bedroom without first taking off your shoes and changing out of your clothes, then you’re bound to accumulate outdoor substances that make up dust.

Skin Cells and Hair

One of the biggest contributors to bedroom dust is your skin cells and hair.

Even if you have healthy hygiene, there are still millions of dead skin flakes and hair follicles that come off your body each and every day.

You can’t stop this natural process from happening and a majority of these particles build up in your bedding while you sleep.

Pet Dander and Hair

Skin and hair cells from your pets also contribute to dust. If you have pets and they have access to your bedroom, then they’re adding to your dusty problem.

Air Conditioning

If you have a central air conditioning unit, then you’re hopefully aware that you have to routinely replace the air filter.

The purpose of the air filter is to trap dust and debris from getting into the system and damaging it.

However, as the air filter gets dirty, less and less dust becomes trapped and it can end up flowing through your house vents and into your bedroom.

That’s why you have to replace this filter every few months in order to maintain the system and reduce the amount of dust that gets redistributed around your home.

See all of Amazon's Best Selling Portable AC Units

How to Get Dust Out of Room

Now that you know what makes up dust, how can you get it out of your room?

There are several things you can do to reduce the amount of dust accumulation and keep better under control.

If you follow these simple tips, you’ll have a much less dusty bedroom moving forward.

Use an Air Purifier

One of the best things you can do to get rid of dust is to add an air purifier to your room.

This device will cycle the air in your bedroom through a series of filters that will trap and lock away dust particles and other contaminants.

Just make sure that the air purifier comes with a True HEPA filter since this is the only kind that traps dust particles down to 0.3 microns in size.

You can find our review of the best air purifier for dust removal here that contains recommendations for every room in the house. Or you can visit our best air purifier for bedroom page to get a dedicated unit for use in the room where you sleep.

Remove Clutter

Do you have a pile of clothes or unfolded laundry lying on the floor? Or perhaps there are other things like books, magazines, or papers covering your nightstand or dresser?

The fact is clutter attracts (and produces) dust.

So, pick up any out of place items on your bedroom floor or furniture, put your clothes away in the closet or laundry hamper, and keep the things that do remain out to a minimum.

The less stuff you can have in your bedroom, the less dust you’ll experience.

Routinely Change Your Bedding

Ideally, you want to change your bedding at least once every week.

This will drastically cut down on the accumulation of dead skin cells and hair that your body naturally sheds and help prevent your bedding’s fabric from breaking down so quickly.

Keep the Door Shut

Lastly, keep the door to your bedroom shut when it’s not in use.

This will keep any dust particles that are present in the other areas of your home from floating into your room throughout the day.

If you have a home office, this is also a good tip to use to keep that space dust-free as well.

You may also want to consider a dedicated office air purifier as a way to really keep the dust under control.

Bottom Line

You now have the answer for, “Why is my bedroom so dusty?” as well as the knowledge of where these mysterious particles come from.

You also learned a few simple ways for how to get dust out of room so it remains less dusty in the future.

Some people wonder if air purifiers help with dust and you now know the answer is yes.

By following the advice given on this page, you can hopefully combat and win the war against dust in your bedroom.

You can also apply these tips to other areas of your home so you can enjoy a cleaner and healthier environment no matter what room of the house you’re in.

Avatar for Katherine Dyson

About Katherine Dyson

Katherine is the lead Staff Writer. She conducts in-depth research and interviews with industry experts in order to produce a wide range of content for the site. Her main role is to write helpful articles that aid people who are seeking to improve their indoor air quality and comfort. (See Full Bio)