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In my ongoing battle to actually get important stuff done, it’s tempting to skip the dusting.
But dust is really, really not good for family health. Asthma, eczema, COPD, threadworms, hay fever and allergies are all triggered by dust and it attracts mites, bugs & roaches!!
And if you leave it dust turns into nasty, sticky, hard to get off grime! So I’ve been trying out killer quick dusting tips, that can be done at speed …
Cut Down on Clutter
This one I struggle with.
Our house is jam packed with books and my grandma’s china but I’ve found concentrating clutter on a few surfaces helps. You can then whizz round the free surfaces at speed.
Work From Top Down
When I’m super short on time it’s tempting just to clean downstairs … and sometimes it seems like the only option … but then dust from upstairs ends up downstairs pretty quickly.
If you’re short on time go for coverage not quality and start at the top.
Dust Before Vacuuming
Some people disagree but getting the vacuum to do the hard work is a winner for me. I have a dusting brush head on my vacuum which is the absolute bees knees.
Keep Dust Out of the House
Shaking door mats out and quickly sweeping under them takes less than a minute and saves lots more minutes on dusting and vacuuming!
Get A Telescopic Arm Duster
If you buy nothing else for your house, get yourself a telescopic duster!!
They let you whizz around everything from cornices and lights to shelves, base boards, door frames and the top of furniture in no time at all.
I have got an Oxo Extendable Duster and sad as it may be to get excited about a duster, I can’t even begin to tell you how brilliant it is … particularly if you hate dusting 🙂
It has a washable micro fibre head which attracts the dust as you whizz around and a flippy joint so you can easily clean the top of wardrobes & shelves.
Use Damp Microfiber & Cinnamon Oil
Micro fibre is great dry at attracting up dust but if your family struggles with allergies or the dust has turned to gunge use a damp micro fibre cloth.
Or you can make your own dusting spray with cinnamon essential oil and water and use this with your micro fibre cloth … the cinnamon helps to keep dust mites at bay.
Maintain your vacuum cleaner
Got a vacuum cleaner that has bags? Make sure to change them before they’re fit to burst. Got a bagless vacuum cleaner? Give it a bit of a clean every few months. You should also make sure to clean out the filters, it’s amazing how easy it is to forget about them. But clean filters mean the vacuum will work to the max to get rid of dust.
Quick Dust Under Furniture Often
Dust gathers first under furniture and radiators.
A quick whisk under them with a micro fibre long arm duster only takes seconds but can quell the dust for the rest of the week.
Quick Dust Edge of Stairs
The edge of stairs is another place dust congregates fast.
I am never going to vacuum more than once a week … once is hard enough … but you can quickly dust the edge of wooden stairs with a micro fibre duster and stop it spreading.
Or if you’ve got carpets two of my friend swear by their hand held vacuums that you can get out super quick just to dust bust the edges.
Don’t Forget Base Boards
Base or skirting board take a battering and the dust on the top ridge can soon become grime.
To avoid them turning super grubby whisk a telescopic duster across them as you walk by.
Quick Wipe Floors
If you’ve got hard floors a quick wipe with a damp microfibre mop does a better job of getting up the dust and keeping it away than a plain brush.
And somehow … I don’t know how … it also stops dust forming so quickly on wooden floors after you’ve vacuumed them.
Hang Cushions & Mats on Washing Line
Lots of the dust that causes allergies & breathing problems gathers in cushions & mats.
You could do some good old fashioned beating or … much easier … on a windy day just hang them out, well pegged, on the washing line and let the wind do the work of shaking them out.
Air & Vacuum Curtains
Big thick curtains like ours are a great way of conserving heat in the winter but they’re also a haven for dust and dust mites.
Running the vacuum dusting brush or upholstery brush over them doesn’t quite count as a quick job in my mind but it will help to keep the dust down.
On dry days just getting the windows open for a short while will also help.
Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth
There are some places you are just never going to dust regularly, the top of kitchen cupboards is one of those areas … even with a ladder I can barely reach and there are some overspill clutter baskets of rarely used stuff up there which make dusting tricky.
Diatomaceous earth (UK) is great for anywhere like that … just sprinkle it down and it keeps dust mites, roaches & other nasty household pests at bay.