Warehouses and distribution centres accumulate dust from packaging, pallets, tyre wear, and external ingress. Dust undermines scanners, conveyors, and HVAC, and increases slip and fire risk. A practical plan prevents build-up without slowing throughput.

Stop dust entering and forming

Seal doors and dock levellers; use air curtains or fast doors at busy bays. Introduce pallet quality checks to remove high-shed timber. Reduce shrink-wrap trimming in open areas and provide point-of-use bins with vacuum nozzles.

Control airborne particulate

Use ceiling-mounted or portable air scrubbers to keep PM10 from settling on stock. Position units to pull air across aisles towards filtration and confirm airflow under load as filters accumulate dust. In high-bay racking, create a top-down flow so settled dust is captured, not redistributed. Portable options from brands such as MAXVAC are widely used to stabilise air quality during peak seasons.

Housekeeping that avoids re-agitation

Ban dry sweeping and leaf blowers. Use industrial vacuums (M-Class for general dust) for aisles, mezzanines, and high-level steel. Fit brushless tools for conveyor pits and sorters. Schedule high-level vacuuming quarterly; adjust with data from periodic particulate monitoring.

Targeted checks and maintenance

Audit the dust trail: inbound, decant, pick, and dispatch. Where levels rise, adjust pack stations (local extraction), forklift routes (less tyre dust), or cleaning frequency. Keep a simple log of filter changes and housekeeping tasks; small gaps quickly undo control gains.

Practical takeaways

• Seal points of ingress; manage pallet and packaging shedding.
• Use air scrubbers with planned airflow paths; verify under-load performance.
• Adopt vacuum-only cleaning, including high-level areas.
• Monitor PM periodically and tune cleaning schedules.
• Record filter and housekeeping cycles to keep controls reliable.

Consistent source control, well-directed filtration, and vacuum-first cleaning keep warehouses cleaner, safer, and more efficient with minimal disruption to operations.