Dust to dust

Where does dust come from? 

I thought it was mostly bits of skin and bugs and whatnot. But if that were the case, then when I’m away from my house for days in a row, there should be a lot less “new” dust than there is when I’m here a lot. 

Tonight I vacuumed the house (What a sexy way to spend Friday night, you’re thinking, I want to party with this chick!) and I saw no difference in dust accumulation, despite my being here almost not at all for the past many weeks. 

So where does the dust come from to make up for my missing skin cells? Are extra bugs coming here in the absence of me and my cats? Are aliens or time travelers using my house as a hostel when I’m not around?

Is the extra dust in fact deconstructed socks lost from other people’s dryers?

Perhaps I should conduct a measured experiment. I should bag up the vacuumed gunk, weigh and label it, and compare with a bag vacuumed after an equal time when I’m here more. And maybe I can also analyze the dust to figure out what’s in it. 

(Now you really want to party with me, I know.)