One area of house cleaning where a lot of people go wrong is in dusting. It may seem like a simple enough job, but if all you are doing is using a feather or brush duster to sweep away the dust, then you aren’t going to be very effective. We will look into why that is and give you some cleaning tips that will make your dusting more effective and your home cleaner.
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Get Rid of the Duster You need to toss that feather duster away. It’s a relic of an era where we didn’t know as much about dust, cleanliness and germs. All the feather duster does is move dust from the surfaces to the air. It kicks up dust particles and spreads them around instead of actually getting rid of them. The brush dusters are a bit better, but only if you clean them out regularly. You will often end up moving dust from one piece of furniture or shelf to another with a brush duster. Some of them do a good job of holding a lot of dust before needing to be changed out or cleaned, but the majority of them are simply moving the dust around and not helping you to get rid of it. Janice with Diamond services for end of lease cleaning suggests “It’s important that you do get rid of the dust rather than relocate it”. That’s because dust can contain dust mites, pollen and other allergens that can cause health problems, even for people who do not have allergies. Besides, if you aren’t getting rid of the dust, then you are not really cleaning, are you?
The Cleaning Tools
So, if you are not using a duster, then how are you getting rid of the dust? Well, you can use a few different tools. The vacuum cleaner does a good job of getting rid of some of the dust in your home. Use it for floors and wherever its attachments will allow you to clean. Some vacuums come with cleaning attachments like brushes that let you clean shelves and walls just as effectively as you clean floors.
You can also use a wet cloth to clean away the dust. Be sure you ring out the water so that there is no excess water when you clean, though, as that extra water can soak into wood and damage it. You also want to clean the rag out regularly to ensure that you aren’t moving dust around. Using a wet rag will actually pick up and collect the dust rather than move it from one place another, so it’s a great way to ensure that you are getting your house clean as you work. You probably don’t want to use dust wipes, as these are disposable items that you will go through quickly if your house is very dirty. You can get the same results from using a wet rag, so long as you keep cleaning the rag. The advantage of the wipes is that each fresh one is clean, but they really are a waste of money when you can simply use the same rag over and over again.
There are tons of other dusting tools you can use to clean your house with as well. You may not have any rags that you can use. Perhaps the rags you have at home are rough or too small to be effective. Instead, you can ball up some pantyhose or use an old sock that you slide over your hand.
Basic Cleaning Tactics
When you dust, there are right ways and wrong ways to get rid of the dust particles. If you are not cleaning effectively, you will simply have to dust more and work harder to make your house look clean. The most important dusting tip we can give you is to dust from top to bottom. Start at the ceiling, if you are cleaning that high, and work your way down to the floor. By working this way, you will be pushing the dust down toward the ground as you clean. If you were to clean from bottom to top, then you would be pushing dust down onto the areas you already cleaned as you work your way up. Always work from top to bottom and let gravity work to your advantage, no matter what type of cleaning you are doing.
You should also make sure to keep your home well ventilated as you dust. Even if you are using a wet cloth to dust, you can still push dust particles into the air, even if you can’t see them. You need someplace for them to go and you ought to ensure that there is fresh air coming into the room as you work. So, open some windows and give yourself plenty of ventilation to ensure a clean and pleasant working environment.
Specialized Dusting
There will be some items that you need to dust in a particular way to ensure that you don’t damage them or to effectively remove the dust. Regular dusting methods won’t be effective enough to get them clean or keep them safe as you work. If you are cleaning delicate items like glassware, then you can use fabric gloves. Just wipe them over the surface gently as you hold the object in your hands. This is great for those items that could be easily knocked over or scratched up if you were using other methods.
For ceiling fans, you can use a pillowcase and just slip it over the blades. Then turn the fan on and watch the dust disappear.
For those corners and crevices that you cannot get to with your rag or other cleaning tools, we suggest using a paintbrush. Obviously, the smaller, finer paintbrushes will be able to get into the smaller, tighter corners easier. Usually, homeowners will give up on the corners after they realize they are tough to clean, but using a paintbrush will allow you to get into places that you normally don’t. You can use the paintbrush for any fine dusting you want to do, and it can reach into many places that your cleaning cloth cannot.
