Most Household Dust Is Not Dead Skin
Dust is fine dry particles. The commonest belief about what it is made of turns out to be wrong.
Dust is fine dry particles of matter. The familiar claim that household dust is mostly dead skin is not supported by measurement: studies of indoor dust find it dominated by fibres from clothing and furnishings, soil and particles tracked in from outdoors, with skin cells a minor component. Most shed skin washes away rather than settling on shelves. *Dust* is Old English, and the biblical *dust to dust* dates in English from the sixteenth-century burial service.
- Fine dry particles. *A layer of dust.*
- To remove dust. *Dust the shelves.*
- To sprinkle. *Dust with sugar.*
- Bite the dust — to fail or die. *Bite the dust.*
- Old English — *dust*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | dust | Dust. |
| Verb | dust | Dusting. |
| Adjective | dusty | Dusty. |
| Compound | dustbin | A dustbin. |
| Old English | dust | Dust. |
- Dust settled on the piano.Particles.
- Dust the cake with sugar.Sprinkling.
- Skin is a minor component.Fact.
What indoor dust actually contains
- Fibres from clothing, carpets and soft furnishings
- Soil and grit carried in on shoes
- Outdoor particles entering through windows and vents
- Skin cells, present but a small share of the whole
- Cooking residues and, in some homes, pet dander
Old English *dust*, of Germanic origin, related to Dutch *duist*.
Is household dust mostly dead skin?
No. Measurements find fibres, soil and particles from outdoors dominate. Skin cells are present but a minor part.
Where does bite the dust come from?
From the image of a fallen fighter face down on the ground, a phrase found in classical epic and revived in nineteenth-century English.