September 2021

Okay, maybe there’s no such thing as a professional duster, but you’ll definitely feel like one if you use these helpful tips. And if you don’t dust regularly, you should definitely start. Dust is always floating around your apartment or townhome. Letting it linger not only gives things an unkept look, but it can affect your breathing and overall health.

First lets talk about what dust is. You could probably guess that much of it is lint. But dust also contains dust mites, pollen, pet dander, and skin cells. Now brace yourself, it also contains toxic particles that are slowly released by many of the plastic items in your apartment. With that in mind, dusting regularly and doing it the right way are really important.

How to dust

• Close windows and turn off fans before you start. Anything that causes the air to circulate will your job harder.
• Start at the top and work down. Otherwise dust will resettle on areas you’ve already cleaned.
• Dust first, then vacuum. The vacuum will pick up anything that’s settled to the floor when you dusted.
• Clean your dusting tools and empty your vacuum regularly. Using dirty or clogged tools will make it harder for you to do a good job.
• Reduce the clutter. The more things you have out around your apartment, the more things you’ll have to dust.

What about equipment

• Electrostatic disposable dusters (like the Swiffer duster) have a static charge to more effectively pick up and hold dust.
• Microfiber dusters are great if you don’t like the idea of creating more landfill waste with disposables. If made with nylon or polyester, they’ll create their own static charge as you work. Best of all, you can wash them out and reuse them.
• Feather and wool dusters will last for years, but they aren’t electrostatic. That means sometimes they just end up pushing dust around rather than picking it up.

Set your dusting schedule

Dusting regularly is important, but it doesn’t have to be drudgery. Break it up and dust one room a day. It shouldn’t take you more than five minutes. Your goal is to get to every room over the course of a week and start again the next week. Another benefit of this approach is that dusting will quickly become a habit…and a really good habit to have.