Helpful Hints from joe–eeze: The history of [non–violent] dust bunnies

C. Claiborne Ray's "Q&A" feature in this past Tuesday's New York Times Science section hit me right where I — and many of my closest inanimate friends — live.

Without further ado, then, the master of the short form speaks.

Dust Bunnies

Q.How do dust bunnies form? Do they prefer new houses or old? Bare wooden floors or carpets? What can be done to keep them at bay?

A. Dust bunnies form from the surprisingly large supply of stuff in the air, including fibers from clothing fabrics and carpeting; hair; animal fur and dander; and especially human skin cells and the dust mites that feed on them, according to Joseph Laquatra Jr., professor of design and environmental analysis at the College of Human Ecology at Cornell.

"Fibers have an electric charge that causes things to stick to them," Dr. Laquatra said, "so dust bunnies are more common in carpeted houses, which have a larger supply of fibers."

"People shed dead skin cells constantly, so it doesn't matter how old or new the house is," he said.

But because dust mites need moisture to survive, a dehumidifier can help keep them away.

But Dr. Laquatra says that only constant cleaning can foil dust bunnies and the unseen particles in the air, and that cleaning is especially important if someone in the house has allergies or asthma, because the proteins in household dust are asthma triggers.

He recommends vacuum cleaners with high-efficiency particulate air filters (called HEPA filters), because conventional vacuums pick up only some of the dust but spread around the rest through the exhaust.