Removing Dust
Removing dust at this time of year can seem like a relentless task, but we all love a clean and tidy home! With doors and windows open for ventilation and a gentle breeze, dust can easily build up and settle on everything. Always work from the top down, just like your other cleaning in the house. Always dust before vacuuming to ensure that any dust or dirt which falls to the floor is vacuumed up.
The materials you will need
To do the most effective dusting with is a damp, clean, microfibre cloth. To dampen, hold the cloth by a corner and lightly mist with water from a spray bottle. The cloth should be just damp enough to pick up dust without leaving moisture streaks. When dusting a flat surface, move the cloth smoothly from one end to the other, stopping at the end. Don’t flick the cloth, or dust will merely be released back into the air before settling on the floor, instead of getting trapped by your cloth.
Top Tips
- When dusting wall units, lift and dust each object, then dust the shelf underneath and behind. Start from the top of the unit and move to the bottom.
- Never dust a warm or hot light bulb with a damp cloth, as it will shatter. Dampen a clean, soft paintbrush to remove dust from slatted doors or windows, telephones and keyboard keys and any carved furniture.
- To remove dust from Venetian blinds, close the slants, dust, close the slants the opposite way and dust again. Wipe wood surfaces with the grain to avoid streaks. Treat surfaces that are flaking or cracking with care as these should be dusted with a soft paintbrush instead to avoid the cloth from snagging.
- Tumble dryer sheets are great for removing dust from computers and TV screens as the attract the static electricity from the device.
- Dusting lampshades can be an awkward affair, but using a lint roller can be very effective for removing dust.
- To remove dust from soft toys, teddies or dolls, place them into a large plastic bag with 250ml of bicarbonate of soda. Tie together and shake the bag very well outside! The bicarb and static created will draw out the dust. Remove items one at a time, shake off the clumps of bicarb and vacuum the rest using a brush attachment.
