I clean out numerous cat litter boxes either every day or every other day. I do what I can to avoid breathing in the dust from the litter by using cheap/flimsy masks, covering my mouth and nostrils with a sack cloth, and/or holding my breath, but it seems that lung problems (e.g., congestion, coughing, wheezing) seem to increase in direct proportion to the amount of time I've spent cleaning out these litter boxes.
Are there any good, inexpensive methods to reduce the amount of litter I'm exposing myself to (e.g., certain types of masks, litters you advise against/recommend, products that can be sprayed on the litter directly to reduce the amount of residual dust, ...)?