HYGEN KLINX

Evidence dossier · Footwear & Entry Hygiene

Does walking resuspend dust from the floor?

Settled dust does not always stay put. Experiments in controlled environments and homes show that walking can resuspend part of the particles, with results shaped by flooring, particle size, relative humidity and surface dust loading.

Published 16 October 2026 · Source-based reading
Fine dust resuspended from a floor as a person walks across it.
Everyday activity can resuspend part of the dust deposited on floors.
Why it matters

Walking-induced resuspension is a documented phenomenon. It does not mean that every step creates meaningful exposure or that all floor dust came from outdoors.

FROM FLOOR TO AIRHow resuspension occurs
01Deposition

Dust and particles accumulate on surfaces.

02Foot traffic

Contact and movement disturb deposited material.

03Resuspension

Some particles can temporarily return to the air.

04Redeposition

Particles can later settle again on other surfaces.

Indoor dust is dynamic

House dust is a mixture of material from outdoor and indoor sources. Once deposited, it can be removed by cleaning, transferred by contact, or resuspended by everyday activity such as walking and vacuuming.

What a comparative walking study found

A 2014 study measured house-dust resuspension across five flooring types. Resuspension varied with particle size, relative humidity, surface dust loading and flooring. For the larger particle range examined, carpets showed higher resuspension fractions than hard flooring under those test conditions.

Flooring, humidity and particle size matter

There is no single value that applies to every building. Experimental studies show that flooring material, humidity, dust loading and particle size can all change how much material returns to the air during movement.

The effect has also been observed in real indoor settings

Home experiments have measured temporary increases in particulate matter during human activity. A 2008 study found higher PM10 concentrations during walking on carpet compared with background during its trials; this describes that experimental setting rather than an expected concentration for every home.

What this means at the entrance

If some outdoor material is intercepted before it spreads across floors, there is less material available to settle, transfer or later resuspend. The cited studies do not directly measure the effect of a HYGEN KLINX system on indoor air quality; any product performance requires dedicated testing.

A realistic goal: manage transfer, not sterilise

Entry hygiene can help manage soil, dust, moisture and adherent residue. It is not the same as sterilising an indoor environment or eliminating every source of indoor particulate matter.

Sources & evidence

  1. Tian et al., 2014 — A comparative study of walking-induced dust resuspension
  2. Lewis et al., 2018 — Resuspension of house dust and allergens during walking and vacuum cleaning
  3. Qian et al., 2008 — Estimating the resuspension rate and residence time of indoor particles
  4. US EPA — Sources of Indoor Particulate Matter
Resuspension depends on context. Laboratory and single-home findings do not define a universal exposure value.