Best Dusting Techniques to Upgrade Your Clean!

Why is having the best dusting techniques so important?

For most of us, dusting is a pain and chore. And, naturally, the larger your home, the more of a pain it is. No matter the size, though, using the best dusting techniques is vital for a happy, healthy home.

You may be asking yourself how something as simple as dusting could be so important, and that's a perfectly reasonable question. The worst part about dust is the what it's comprised of. Dust is made up of different organic and inorganic particles, the chief of which is your dead skin cells. This attracts dust mites, who eat the skin cells, creating a less than ideal situation for those with dust mite allergies. Beyond these particles, you may also find pet dander, rodent waste, and construction debris (if you've recently done renovations). There is even the chance of toxic chemicals like lead, flame retardants and mercury. Allergies aside, there is the concern for breathing in potentially harmful particles. When you walk around the home, especially on carpets, you stir up the dust and release it back into the air to be inhaled. On top of this is the problem with crawling babies, who also have the tendency to put their hands in their mouths. Crawling children can ingest upwards of 10 grams of dust per day, which increases the likelihood of illnesses.

What are the best dusting techniques?

There are many ways to protect your family from the harms of excessive dust in the home, the best of which are regular and thorough dusting paired with air duct maintenance. The place to begin is gathering your supplies and planning. You'll always want to dust from top to bottom, as this will allow the shifting dust to fall downward, and be picked up as you move down the room. For your supplies, the best ones are those you may already have in the home.

1. Bendable duster
2. Swiffer
3. Vacuum with brush attachment
4. Small paintbrush
5. Microfiber cloths
6. Liquid fabric softener

What are the best dusting techniques for ceiling fans and light fixtures? 

When you're faced with a fan or light fixture on the ceiling that needs to be dusted, it may seem a little daunting at first. But starting from the top is essential, and ceiling fans, in particular, can be massive magnets for dust. This is where your bendable duster comes in. You can find them at many grocery stores, and you may even find one at the dollar store. They're cheap but efficient. Grab a step stool if needed, bend the head of the duster to the appropriate angle, and go to town. Some of the dust may escape the duster, but this why you started at the top, remember?

What is the best dusting technique for bathroom vents?

Bathroom vents are like your air ducts; they run a lot and can release dust into the home. You'll want to make sure you use the best dusting technique at regular intervals to keep your bathroom dust free and clean. If you use your vacuum with the brush attachment, you'll simply need to hold it up to the vent and move it around all the grooves so that it catches everything.

What is the best dusting technique for baseboards? 

Now that you've dusted your ceiling fixtures, it's time to get down to the floor and clean your baseboards. This can attract an alarming amount of dust, as it floats around the home when we walk and then settles back onto the floor where it is pushed onto the sides of the room, winding up on your baseboards. The best technique to clean this up without breaking your back from bending over is to use a flat headed mop, like a Swiffer, or a microfiber cloth attached to a mop pole. Drag it along the baseboard, covering the entire room and moving furniture if necessary.

What is the best dusting technique for antiques and decorations? 

When you're attacking the home from room to room, you're going to want to pick up every loose item on your horizontal surfaces, to dust beneath, and around them. You will also want to dust the items themselves. One great technique is to use a small paintbrush. First, you'll want to mix 1 part liquid fabric softener with 4 parts water in a squirt bottle that you label and keep away from children. You will use this mixture by lightly spraying the paintbrush. This will collect the dust off your antiques and decorations as well as help repel dust from collecting there in the future. This technique is also great for silk flowers.

What are the best dusting techniques for glass and plastic surfaces?

Dust on your glass surfaces is always immediately visible, and frustrating to keep at bay, and plastic surfaces have a nasty habit of becoming electrostatically charged, which literally means they are magnets for dust. For glass, you can use your liquid fabric softener and water mixture from the tip above. Squirt some on a clean cloth, wipe the glass thoroughly, then follow up by polishing with a dry cloth. For plastic, you can pour liquid fabric softener onto a cloth directly from the bottle, and then wipe down the surface. This eliminates the static cling and helps repel future dust.

Why is maintaining your air ducts as important as dusting regularly?

This one may not be as obvious to most, but the dust that is floating around your home, and the particles being tracked in from outside, are going through your return vents and then back out into the home from your supply vents. It is literally being recirculated, and without proper, and regular cleaning, you may be increasing any allergy or breathing problems in the home. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends you have your air ducts cleaned by a reputable company when "ducts are clogged with excessive amounts of dust and debris and/or particles are actually released into the home from your supply registers." Here at AdvantaClean, we are more than qualified to thoroughly clean your air ducts. We use the National Air Duct Cleaners Association's (NADCA) preferred process of cleaning, which means we use the best techniques available. We can also discuss the best filter to use for your system, and how often to change it.

More info? For more information about how to protect your home from indoor air quality issues, check out our other post: Most Common Indoor Air Pollutants.