# Where does dust come from? \[changed title\]

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-dust-come-from-changed-title/164798>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 28, 2003, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-dust-come-from-changed-title/164798 "2003-03-28T16:04:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Hellboy37](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hellboy37](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hellboy37)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-dust-come-from-changed-title/164798/1 "2003-03-28T16:04:54Z")

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Is there a way to stop or lessen the accumulation of dust? I am not even sure what causes this mysterious alien powder. I dust and dust and the next day the vile devil’s talcum reappears! This is extremely annoying and causes me great personal insecurity. Maybe the apartment I live in contributes to the dust? I live on the first floor of an older 3 flat building with an unfinished basement directly below me. The heat in the building is all radiator. Am I doomed? Do I need to move to a plastic bubble or buy one of those deluxe, gas powered leaf blowers? HELP!:smack:

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**Author:** ![Jammers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@Jammers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jammers)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-dust-come-from-changed-title/164798/2 "2003-03-28T16:11:21Z")

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Anti-static spray should repel the dust, and leave a highly polished surface behind. Welcome to the boards…

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**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-dust-come-from-changed-title/164798/3 "2003-03-28T16:14:52Z")

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Dust comes from the walls, the ceiling, the outdoors, and you. Everything falls apart, mote by mote. Yes, you’re doomed.

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**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-dust-come-from-changed-title/164798/4 "2003-03-28T16:15:42Z")

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**Hellboy37** ,

Welcome to the SDMB.

It helps to have descriptive titles. I’ve changed the title of this thread for you.

**DrMatrix** - General Questions Moderator

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**Author:** ![Hellboy37](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hellboy37](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hellboy37)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-dust-come-from-changed-title/164798/5 "2003-03-28T16:30:49Z")

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Thanks for the welcome! Glad to be here.

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**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-dust-come-from-changed-title/164798/6 "2003-03-29T01:44:20Z")

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IIRC, most house dust, absent some other, obvious source (like living next door to a quarry), consists of tiny, tiny flakes of shed human skin. Have you considered having yourself bronzed?