Dust busters: what’s really in household dust and how to get rid of it

‘Dust is basically a repository for indoor chemicals that have shed from various products,’ says Tasha Stoiber, a scientist researching indoor contaminants. Photograph: Grace Cary/Getty Images

The first thing I noticed when I moved in with my boyfriend was that his apartment was dusty. Dust bunnies huddled behind the couch and TV, and thick, purplish deposits of what I called “greasy dust” cloaked the windowsills, bookshelves and even old bottles on the bar cart.

This dust became my nemesis, reappearing quickly after I cleaned. I began to feel like it was our third roommate, an entity akin to Tim Curry’s goopy character from the movie FernGully – tenacious, insalubrious and sinister.