A dusty house is an unkept house.Two thirds of dust is dirt from outdoors that is carried in with feet, so a big key to keeping dust at a minimum is to have a mat on the outside of your front door and making sure that everybody wipes their feet before entering your house.
Since pets shed hair on a regular basis, as that is also a main component of dust, it would be rather convenient to keep them elsewhere and not in the house. That's what doghouses are made for!
Make sure that the carpets are beaten on a regular basis to rid them of dust and dirt that has settled in between its fibers. If you have the luxury of owning a 'vacuum-cleaner' (an apparatus that suctions dirt and dust from an object with much force), use it to vacuum your rugs and carpets once a week and beat the rugs once a month. Be sure to have read the Owners' Manual before using such a powerful anti-dust machine.
However, dust is dust and it tends to sit around everywhere and on every single thing.
The secret to dust-free furniture is Murphy Soap. It is actually a floor cleaner but it works great as a dust repellent. In a pail of very warm water, pour in two capfuls of cleaner, slosh a rag around in it, wring it out, and dust every piece of furniture in your house. Wet dusting works much better than an old feather duster, which just swooshes the dust elsewhere.
After a good, daily sweep, mop the floors. Mopping should be done every week.
Fabric lampshades tend to attract dust like flies to molasses, so clean them once in a while, too.
By opening up the windows and letting the breeze flow through the house helps eliminate dust (except when it is spring and pollen floats around).
