Can we talk dusting? If you keep up on it, how do you make it an easier process?

[melissel]

I dusted my living room today. I hate dusting. Like, really loathe it. It feels like a never-ending task. 20 minutes after I dusted my TV and stand today, I could see another thin layer of dust on them :banghead: Also, because I dust so infrequently, there was a kind of thin, sticky residue on some things that I had to scrub off :ack2:

 

I don't have a lot of knick-knacks, but I do have a lot of bookshelves and some picture frames with edges that collect dust (even the inside edges of the multi-photo frames, argh!). I feel like no matter how hard I try, I still miss nooks and crannies where dust hangs out. The idea of carefully hand dusting every single inch of my house every week makes me want to go hide under my covers *sigh* There has to be an easier way, right?

 

So what are your methods? How do you make dusting easier? Is there some neat trick that I don't know that makes dusting much less of a chore than I'm imagining? If so, please, PLEASE share :bigear:

 

TIA!

[unfrumpable.]

No help, but I'd love to see others responses. I just had to have black Ikea bookshelves and TV stand. Very easy to see the dust now and I loath dusting.

[CupOCoffee]

:bigear:

 

I will be listening here, as I want an answer to this as well. We need to dust/surface clean more often than we do and I want it to be fast, easy, and doable -- meaning that we will keep up with it. I've posted above asking about using Swiffer or swiffer-like products, hoping that they'll be the answer.

 

I am just sick of everyone looking around and saying "ugh, this place is sooooo dusty...." and nothing gets done. I want something that will make dusting NOT such a chore; my ideal would be for someone (probably DD) to be in charge of running a duster of some sort across all the bookshelves, TV stand, and DVD/movie cases a few times a week.

 

~coffee~

[PhotoGal]

I hate dusting, too. Especially because it really gets my allergies/asthma going. :thumbdown:

 

The one thing we did that helped was buy bookshelves at Ikea that have glass doors. This really keeps the dusting down for those shelves. But of course we have more bookshelves without doors as well. (And other stuff that gets dusty).

 

Has anyone had luck using a vacuum for dusting? I always thought that it would be better than kicking so much dust into the air. But I haven't been able to really get the dust all off with the vacuum. Maybe I should start with the vacuum and then use a dust rag after. We use microfiber dust rags that catch some of it, but there is still dust going into the air.

 

We have a room divider screen thing that is the worst for dusting! It is really pretty with a scroll metal design, but there are like a thousand nooks and crannies on that thing.

[CupOCoffee]

I hate dusting, too. Especially because it really gets my allergies/asthma going. :thumbdown:

 

The one thing we did that helped was buy bookshelves at Ikea that have glass doors. This really keeps the dusting down for those shelves. But of course we have more bookshelves without doors as well. (And other stuff that gets dusty).

 

Has anyone had luck using a vacuum for dusting? I always thought that it would be better than kicking so much dust into the air. But I haven't been able to really get the dust all off with the vacuum. Maybe I should start with the vacuum and then use a dust rag after. We use microfiber dust rags that catch some of it, but there is still dust going into the air.

 

We have a room divider screen thing that is the worst for dusting! It is really pretty with a scroll metal design, but there are like a thousand nooks and crannies on that thing.

 

Currently, this is how dusting gets done in my house -- it just doesn't get done often enough. DH is the one who does it. Lately, all that happens is that he talks about how bad things are getting and leaves it at that. Grrr. Very frustrating.

 

Since I am working on a family-wide chore plan, I hope to make dusting happen waaaaay more often -- hoping that doing it that way helps keep the dust to a minimum.

 

~coffee~

[Hot Lava Mama]

We have our windows open almost always, so it's always very dusty in here. But I don't dust very often. When my MIL comes for a visit, she "asks" if she can dust the shelves for me. She never really does it, so I guess it's her way of telling me to take out a cleaning cloth. I just say "Sure! Go for it! I'm not ever going to get to it!"

 

Hot Lava mama

[mommymonster]

I put my husband's retired socks (holes and whatnot) on each of my precious children's hands, arm them with homemade dusting polish in squirt bottles, and let them go to town. The kids are six and just-turned-three. They are very... enthusiastic! The dusting mostly gets done. And I get a few minutes to do other cleaning. It's better to give each one their own room to do, so we don't have fights break out over who "gets" to do what... :lol:

[Parrothead]

I found that for every couple days feather dusting is the way to go. Not one of those silly little Swiffer things either. A good old fashioned fluffy ostrich feather feather duster.

 

I can flit-flit-flit through 2000 sq. ft and dust all the horizontal surfaces and wall hangings in under 5 minutes if the dog doesn't get in my way. Then another 5 minutes with the dust mop and as long as things are reasonably in their place the house looks clean.

 

Once or twice a month or so I'll polish all the real wood with furniture polish. More often in the winter to keep the wood from drying out too terribly.

[PhotoGal]

When my MIL comes for a visit, she "asks" if she can dust the shelves for me. She never really does it, so I guess it's her way of telling me to take out a cleaning cloth. I just say "Sure! Go for it! I'm not ever going to get to it!"

 

:lol:

 

I have a friend whose MIL starts recleaning pots and pans whenever she comes over. She also does my friend's landscaping! My friend says it makes her feel bad, but I always tell her to send her MIL over here for awhile!

[nmoira]

What does it say about me that "dusting" makes me think of Buffy rather than housework?

[kewb]

I put my husband's retired socks (holes and whatnot) on each of my precious children's hands, arm them with homemade dusting polish in squirt bottles, and let them go to town. The kids are six and just-turned-three. They are very... enthusiastic! The dusting mostly gets done. And I get a few minutes to do other cleaning. It's better to give each one their own room to do, so we don't have fights break out over who "gets" to do what... :lol:

 

Oh how I miss my enthusiastic dusters.

I abhor dusting. The best thing to do is cut down on knick knacks and bric a brac. I can dust empty surfaces in no time flat. It is most unfortunate that most of my surfaces have stacks of stuff on them.

[MSNative]

:lol:

 

I have a friend whose MIL starts recleaning pots and pans whenever she comes over. She also does my friend's landscaping! My friend says it makes her feel bad, but I always tell her to send her MIL over here for awhile!

 

She can come over here when she's done with your house. :)

 

I hate dusting but I love the smell of the swiffer lavender vanilla multi-surface spray. I clean one room a week really well. I grab a can of that and some glass cleaner and two cloths. In less than 10 minutes I can get pretty much every surface clean and smelling good.

 

How often do you change your filters in your hvac? We change ours every 10 weeks. Makes a huge difference in the amount of dust that gets on the surfaces.

[MinivanMom]

Nothing has made me crazier in the past than dusting. It didn't matter what I did, I could never get rid of all the dust. Then we moved to a house with smooth ceilings. Problem solved. I love smooth ceilings.

[Gentlemommy]

Here are my best dusting tips-

 

Make sure your A/C filter gets changed frequently. We do ours monthly, since we have pets and get the best quality we can.

 

Use the chemicals. :001_huh:Lol. Seriously, I tried for YEARS to use only natural/homemade stuff. It doesn't work. Pledge works. Use that.

 

Microfiber dust rags. No lint, and they 'attract' the dust to them.

 

Assign the dusting to the kids.;) I have a 4 and 7 year old. They dust 3x per week-once their bedroom shelves, once the living room, and once the school room.

 

Vacuum frequently. I do the common areas (living room, school room, and kitchen) daily. I do the bedrooms and bathrooms every other day.

[itsheresomewhere]

Dust is a protective furniture cover.

 

 

 

 

I use only a microfiber cloth and water. On wood, I add lemon oil.

[Brigitte]

I was hoping someone would say those air purifier contraptions suck all the dust out of the air. We have ancient wall to wall carpeting and I think it makes the dust even worse. Top that off with two "kittens" who shed like no cat I have ever had before, and you have a VERY dusty house. I want a machine to plug in that will suck all the dust out of the air before it even hits the surfaces. :D

[KungFuPanda]

No help, but I'd love to see others responses. I just had to have black Ikea bookshelves and TV stand. Very easy to see the dust now and I loath dusting.

 

I have those! I'm lucky though, we have very little dust, no allergies, and a dark house. I can put it off for 6-8 weeks before someone draws something in the dust and forces me to deal with it. I've resorted to vacuum attachments in the past, or just a bucket and a cloth that I wring out REALLY well.

[Sun]

An ostrich feather duster really makes it much easier. It collects a surprising amount of dust on it (doesn't just knock it off onto something else). I hand the duster to DS and give him specific instructions on what to dust. Every couple of minutes, he takes it outside and shakes it off. If we do this every couple of days, it really cuts way down on the amount of rag dusting required.

 

A vacuum with a HEPA filter is also a huge help to reducing dust levels. If your vacuum doesn't have this, it's spewing lots of dust back into the room every time you vacuum.

[cajunrose]

This won't be a popular answer but I find those Pledge wipes work well for getting kiddo's to dust. I like them because one lasts a while and an entire can doesn't get used to dust one room when my 8 year old does it..lol

[Desert Rat]

Change your air filters once a month.

 

Start from the top of the room and work down, vacuuming last. Unless you have a not-so-great vacuum; then vacuum first.

 

Spray the cloth not the furniture. For dark colored woods, spray pledge on a paper towel and wipe. I have terribly abused hands. They are rough and calussed. I can't use those microfiber cloths. (Think how icky it feels when fabric catches on your skin.) But, I hear they are wonderful.

 

For multi-picture frames I find spraying a toothbrush with pledge works great. You can also use q-tips.

 

We live in the desert so dust is always a problem. I clean lots of houses so I'm used to dusting. But, it's my least favorite thing. Oh, I don't mind dusting. I'm just so afraid I'm going to break someone's stuff!

 

My favorite rags for most things are old wash cloths. They are uniform shapes and tend to take the cleaner well.

 

For dirty wood I use Murphy's Soap. For super dry wood (a problem here), I use beeswax.

 

HTH

[Dustybug]

I hate, hate, HATE dusting. I have black bookshelves too. :glare:

 

I have to admit, that it just simply doesn't get done very often. We live in an old, old drafty house with all hardwood floors. It's never ending. I do use the Swiffer dry cloths for the swiffer sweeper to swipe off shelves like a cloth though and it works well.

[Shannon in TN]

What does it say about me that "dusting" makes me think of Buffy rather than housework?

 

that we would make awesome friends ;)

[Mandylubug]

you know, I have heard...from someone...not going to disclose who....but if you leave dust on white plantation blinds for 8 years they turn a lovely mustard yellow color and aren't cleanable........:coolgleamA:

[ChrisB]

I have a friend who just had her duct work professionally cleaned and she said it has cut down on the amount of dust tremendously.

[happi duck]

I was hoping someone would say those air purifier contraptions suck all the dust out of the air. We have ancient wall to wall carpeting and I think it makes the dust even worse. Top that off with two "kittens" who shed like no cat I have ever had before, and you have a VERY dusty house. I want a machine to plug in that will suck all the dust out of the air before it even hits the surfaces. :D

 

:iagree: It's truly why I opened this thread! :tongue_smilie:

[lewelma]

I don't get it. I can do an "every week" dust in 5 minutes. What is taking you guys so long? :confused:

 

I use a wet cloth that I fold and refold until it needs rinsing. After my "every week" dust, I add a "deep clean" dust for 5 minutes. Tops of door frames one week, the desk one week, the blinds one week, etc. With about an 8 week rotation. This really does not take long. I have now gotten my 8 year old to do it for his house cleaning job on Fridays.

 

Check your vacuum and make sure that you use allergy bags that catch all the dust coming out of the carpet when you vacuum.

 

Ruth in NZ

[jeninok]

We have an old drafty house, old wood floors, and dogs. I can dust the bookshelves and TV and by the next day there is already a fine layer of dust.

 

I like my fuzzy wuzzy mitts, I have two full sized ones, and a small finger sized on I use for electronics and to get in nooks and crannies.

 

I have considered getting our ducts cleaned, or one of those air sucking things to see if it helps.

 

Another great tip during shedding season, is to get a box fan and tape an air filter to the back of it, it will suck in a lot of dirt and hair!

[kewb]

I don't get it. I can do an "every week" dust in 5 minutes. What is taking you guys so long? :confused:

 

Ruth in NZ

 

For me it is not the fact that it is time consuming. It is the fact that I hate it and don't want to do it. Old house with character equals lots of nooks and crannies.

[fairfarmhand]

using expensive high quality A/C filters in the a/c helped cut down the dust at my house.

[melissel]

I don't get it. I can do an "every week" dust in 5 minutes. What is taking you guys so long? :confused:

 

I don't know!!! That's the problem!

 

I suspect the time aspect is related to the infrequency of my dusting, really, which is why I want to start getting it done every week. However, I agree with kewb that it's not so much the time as it is the nooks and crannies. The shelves have books and CDs and DVDs and picture frames on them. The TV stand has speakers and wires that need to be dusted and worked around and moved around. There are SO MANY little tiny surfaces where dust collects, it drives me insane. We recently visited family for a week, and afterward I asked my mom, how is it possible that there was no dust on any surface in those houses? NONE?! How do they manage it? Argh!

 

Anyway, I'm sure if I try to get it done every week, it won't be so bad. But it seems so hopeless because the dust comes back almost immediately. Of course, it's also possible that I'm a bit Type A about it, so it bothers me more than it does others :tongue_smilie:

 

Thanks for all the great advice above. I forgot that I have microfiber cloths, so I'll start there. We also have plenty of mismatched socks to fit over little hands :D I hate to use Pledge-type products, but I do remember them making dusting SO much easier. Hmm...