Dust bunnies (or dustbunnies) are small clumps of dust that form under furniture and in corners that are not cleaned regularly. They are made of hair, lint, dead skin, spider web, dust, and sometimes light rubbish and debris, and are held together by static electricity and felt-like entanglement.[citation needed] They can house dust mites or other parasites, and can lower the efficiency of dust filters by clogging.[1] The movement of a single large particle can start the formation of a dust bunny.[2]
Dust bunnies are harmful to electronics, as they can obstruct air flow through heat sinks, severely raising temperatures and shortening the life of electronic components.[3]
Dust bunnies have been used as an analogy for the accretion of cosmic matter in planetoids.[6][7]
Dust bunnies have also been known as beggar’s velvet,[8] and slut’s wool.[9]