The regular ol’ dust that collects on surfaces- what is it? I imagine it consists of particles of a lot of different things, but is there any single predominant source?
Sloughed skin cells.
From this Forensic analysis site:
A larger factor in newer homes is carpet fiber, I would surmise.
When you vacuum/hoover the carpeting, some fibers are ejected into the air and land on furniture. The intake vents on your home’s HVAC system distributes this ejecta rather well, filter or no.
Carl Sagan said it was “star stuff.”
This quiet dust was Gentlemen and Ladies,
And Lads and Girls:
Was laughter and ability and sighing,
And frocks and curls.
–Emily Dickinson
But O this dust that I shal drive away
Is flowers and kings,
Is Solomon’s temple, poets, Nineveh…
–Viola Meynell
And when the mayor comes to get my vote tell him
When are you going to stop people killing whales!
And when the milkman comes leave him a note in the bottle
Penguin dust, bring me penguin dust, I want penguin dust-
- Gregory Corso
The lamp hummed:
“Regard the moon,
La lune ne garde aucune rancune,
She winks a feeble eye,
She smiles into corners.
She smooths the hair of the grass.
The moon has lost her memory.
A washed-out smallpox cracks her face,
Her hand twists a paper rose,
That smells of dust and old Cologne,
She is alone With all the old nocturnal smells
That cross and cross across her brain.
The reminiscence comes
Of sunless dry geraniums
And dust in crevices,
Smells of chestnuts in the streets
And female smells in shuttered rooms
And cigarettes in corridors
And cocktail smells in bars.”
- TS Eliot
Another source. It may be dated, but it’s good enough for Cecil himself to cite.
You’ve got to warn EVERYone and tell them! Ordinary household DUST is MADE of people! PEEE-O-PLE! You’ve got to tell them! Ordinary household DUST is PEOPLE!