How do I deal with pollen and dust indoors?

Keeping pollen out during the season, removing dust rather than moving it, and which of the popular measures actually do something.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 45 min
Read: 4 min
Safety: caution

Short answer

Keep windows shut during the peak — mid-morning and early evening — and open them at night or after rain. Change clothes and wash hair after being outside. For dust, damp-cloth and vacuum with a filter rather than dry-dusting, which redistributes it.

Pollen and dust are different problems with overlapping answers. Pollen is about keeping something out at the right times of day; dust is about removing it rather than moving it around.

Safety

This covers reducing what is in the air at home, not treating hay fever or allergy. Persistent symptoms, breathing difficulty or a child who is affected badly should be discussed with a pharmacist or GP — there are effective treatments and this is not a substitute for them.

Step by step

Track the pollen count and the times of day.Counts are highest mid-morning and early evening. Windows shut then, open at night and after rain, which washes pollen out of the air. That timing does more than any purchase.
Know which pollen affects you.Tree pollen runs roughly March to May, grass May to July, weeds June to September. Knowing which season is yours tells you when to bother with all of this.
Change clothes and wash hair after being outside.Pollen is carried indoors on clothing and hair and then transferred to bedding. Showering before bed during your season makes a substantial difference to overnight symptoms.
Do not dry washing outdoors in season.It comes in coated in pollen, and it goes onto a bed. This is one of the most effective single changes and the one most people resist.
Use trickle vents and filtered ventilation.Windows shut does not mean no ventilation. Trickle vents let air in with far less pollen, and some have filters. Sealing the house entirely causes condensation.
Damp-dust rather than dry-dust.A dry duster moves dust into the air, where it settles again within hours. A slightly damp microfibre cloth holds it. This is the core of the dust half.
Vacuum with a decent filter, slowly.A HEPA-rated filter stops fine dust being blown back out. Move slowly — a fast pass picks up far less — and do the edges and under furniture where it accumulates.
Deal with the bedroom first.You spend a third of your time there and it is where symptoms matter most. Wash bedding weekly at 60°C, vacuum the mattress, and keep the window shut during peak hours.
Reduce the dust reservoirs.Deep pile carpet, heavy curtains, clutter on shelves and soft furnishings all hold dust. You do not need to remove them, but knowing where it accumulates tells you what to clean.
Consider an air purifier, realistically.A HEPA purifier in the bedroom genuinely reduces airborne particles, and it does nothing for what is already on surfaces. Useful as an addition to cleaning, not instead of it.
Ignore most other purchases.Ionisers, air-purifying plants and most sprays achieve very little. The evidence for plants improving indoor air quality at domestic scale is weak.
Keep pets out of the bedroom in season.Fur carries pollen indoors as effectively as clothing. Wiping a dog down after a walk helps considerably.
Check the extractor fans and vents are working.Good ventilation reduces dust and moisture together. A blocked fan means air stagnates, which is worse for both.

Tips

Rain clears pollen from the air. The hours after a shower are the best time to open windows during your season.
A barrier balm around the nostrils traps pollen before it is inhaled and costs very little.
Wash bedding weekly at 60°C during your pollen season. It is the single highest-value cleaning change.

Common mistakes

Dry-dusting with a feather duster or dry cloth — It lifts dust into the air where it settles again within a few hours. A damp microfibre cloth removes it instead.
Drying washing outside during your pollen season — It comes in coated and goes straight onto beds and bodies. It undoes most of the other measures.

If it doesn't work

Symptoms worst at night

Cause: Pollen transferred to bedding from hair and clothes — Fix: Shower before bed, change clothes on coming in, and wash bedding weekly at 60°C.

Dust reappears within a day

Cause: Moved rather than removed — Fix: Damp cloth instead of dry, vacuum with a HEPA filter slowly, and do the edges and under furniture.

Air purifier not helping

Cause: Wrong room, undersized, or filters not changed — Fix: Put it in the bedroom, match it to the room size, and replace filters at the stated interval.

House stuffy with windows shut

Cause: Ventilation reduced along with the pollen — Fix: Use trickle vents and extractor fans, and open windows at night or after rain rather than sealing up entirely.

Questions people ask

When should I open windows during pollen season?

At night and after rain. Counts peak mid-morning and early evening, so keep windows shut then and use trickle vents for background ventilation.

Do air purifiers help with dust and pollen?

A HEPA purifier genuinely reduces airborne particles in the room it is in, which makes it worth having in a bedroom. It does nothing about dust already on surfaces, so it supplements cleaning rather than replacing it.