battlemaiden Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I was flipping through one of my lesser used bookcases in the family room today and dust began floating all around me. :glare: I dust the shelves in front of the books, but not the books themselves. I'm just wondering if I should consider this "normal" or is it expected I would have them dusted periodically? I hear Fannie in Sense and Sensibility saying, "I never liked the smell of books" and Edward replying, "no..well...it's the *dust* perhaps." :001_smile: Books are supposed to smell dusty, right? ;) Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I'm not as diligent about it as I should be -- as evidenced by my own recent dust shower -- but when I dust the shelf, I also dust the tops of the books. What I *didn't* realize was that I should be dusting the shelf *behind* the books, too! Yuck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I vacuum them. Of course. (see sig line) Maybe once month. I just use the wand brush attachment & whiz it all over the bookshelf & wherever it fits over the books. About twice a year I end up rearranging & purging books (I get rid of books heartlessly & they still keep coming back :confused:) and then I do the full bottom of the shelf & actually flip the book open & vacuum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Yes, you should vacuum them as described above. Now we have doors on our bookshelves. Helps a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I vacuum them. Lampshades, too. I love vacuuming. Ria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I thought I had something in common with you people, but no. Liking to vaccuum? Purging books annually? Nope, we are different species. Maybe even different phyla. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I run the dusting fluff thing over them when I go after cobwebs, maybe 2-3 times a year. Almost all of our bookcases have glass fronts so they really don't get dusty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellycbr Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I'd love to see what they all look like. Should I start a different thread? Can you "see" your books with glass doors? I'm contemplating my future dream home right now. Really, still just a dream.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I'm not the best housekeeper, but yes, I dust my bookcases and books. I worked in a bookstore for five years. One of my major duties was systematically cleaning the bookshelves. That's what put me on to it. I know, when I can write my name in the dust on certain, lesser-used shelves, that's it's time to clean them. Usually I whisk the duster over them. Once or twice a year I take the books down one shelf at a time and wipe it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 The feather duster to knock most of it a way each week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I agree...I am in utter amazement at the fact that people happily, regularly vacuum the actual books. I can't even imagine myself doing this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 What is this thing you speak of called dusting? :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 What is this thing you speak of called dusting? :tongue_smilie: No kidding, that was my first thought too. I never, ever dust unless I can convince the children to do it for me. It's the one household cleaning job I loathe completely. I vacuum them. Of course. (see sig line) Maybe once month. I just use the wand brush attachment & whiz it all over the bookshelf & wherever it fits over the books. This is genius. How did I not think of this? Now we have doors on our bookshelves. Helps a lot. Sadly, we recently gave up our glass-front barrister's bookcases for larger, open shelving. I was not prepared to once again wrestle with the amount of dust that collects on the shelves. I was horrified when I took a close look at them about a month after we (ok, DH) installed them. However, see point number one :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I'd love to see what they all look like. Should I start a different thread? Can you "see" your books with glass doors? I'm contemplating my future dream home right now. Really, still just a dream.:001_smile: Well, mine were somewhat similar to these: http://www.amazon.com/Sauder-Roanoke-Barrister-Bookcase-Classic/dp/B00006IBB5 Yes, we could see the books just fine, and it really cut down on the dust (and the toddler book destruction). I loved them dearly, and if I could have matched them, I would have bought more rather than new shelving. Actually, I still haven't been able to part with them--they're standing empty in my (teeny) dining room right now. I can't bring myself to get rid of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I vacuum them. Of course. (see sig line) Maybe once month. I just use the wand brush attachment & whiz it all over the bookshelf & wherever it fits over the books. About twice a year I end up rearranging & purging books (I get rid of books heartlessly & they still keep coming back :confused:) and then I do the full bottom of the shelf & actually flip the book open & vacuum. Just wow! [Now I'm really feeling like a slob! :)] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Dust my books?! Ha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 What I *didn't* realize was that I should be dusting the shelf *behind* the books, too! I have to rotate through all of the bookshelves, pulling things out from back there. It's where all the pencils go. Otherwise I have to buy a new box of pencils every other month. I only dust if my dad is coming to visit, though. It's just not a high priority. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I highly recommend gentle vacuuming with appropriate attachment. Using dust cloths, wands, swiffer dusters, etc. actually rubs the dust into the pages a bit. Also, you might want to avoid too much furniture polish on your shelves. I vacuum mine every 2-3 years when we move (during the unpacking phase) or as needed. In theory, books should probably be taken off the shelves and everything dusted at least yearly. To prevent dust accumulating--I will quote Martha "minimize dust by hanging crisp lengths of linen from shelves" you can tack it in above the tops of the books or perhaps some Velcro would do the trick. They look like little valances for your books. My other favorite home cleaning guru, Cheryl Mendelson, recommends dusting every few weeks with yearly vacuuming. Of course my bookshelves look fabulous but there have been times I've found notes written in the dust on other pieces of furniture. :blushing: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 To prevent dust accumulating--I will quote Martha "minimize dust by hanging crisp lengths of linen from shelves" you can tack it in above the tops of the books or perhaps some Velcro would do the trick. They look like little valances for your books. : I wonder if there is a person who does everything Martha says to do. If so, I bet s/he is dead now, from being worn out. Martha doesn't count because she has plenty of hired help to do her bidding. That said, I dust my books with a feather duster every so often. The valances are a good idea for keeping dust off the tops of the books. However, if I were to put those on our bookshelves, it would take hours (we have roughly 25 7-foot bookcases at home). Besides, our bookcases are stuffed with books shelved the conventional way, with horizontally-shelved books on top of them -- so I guess, no dust on top. That is the valance-free method. :auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Firmly in the no-dusting, no-vacuuming camp here. (Of the books that is. On occasion I do vacuum other things like the floors. :)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnetteB Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 5 sons = Broken glass doors on lawyer's bookcase (and their bedroom overhead lighting) :glare: We rearrange and purge the books from time to time, dusting as we go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I wonder if there is a person who does everything Martha says to do. If so, I bet s/he is dead now, from being worn out. Martha doesn't count because she has plenty of hired help to do her bidding. That said, I dust my books with a feather duster every so often. The valances are a good idea for keeping dust off the tops of the books. However, if I were to put those on our bookshelves, it would take hours (we have roughly 25 7-foot bookcases at home). Besides, our bookcases are stuffed with books shelved the conventional way, with horizontally-shelved books on top of them -- so I guess, no dust on top. That is the valance-free method. :auto: Hey-its only an idea... and cheaper than new glass door cases. That being said-we employ the stacking method you mention as well as using our hall linen closet as a huge book case. However, books don't like dust and they do need to be "cleaned" periodically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 (edited) Hey-its only an idea... and cheaper than new glass door cases. It's a cute idea, too. For some reason, it amuses me. Bookcases with glass doors would last about a week around here. I like them a lot, and I plan to get some when the kids move out, which I hope is a long time from now. For anyone who is interested, Ikea makes doors for their Billy bookcases, and not all of them are glass. Only the glass ones are see-through, though. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/living_room/11686/ Edited January 9, 2009 by RoughCollie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anissarobert Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Like RC, I have a house full of books! We have somewhere around 10,000, but I refuse to count them, so that is an estimation. We have 30 bookshelves, so they are often dusty! I wipe them with a dry cloth and clean evey shelf and reorganize once a year. I can only do this in the summer, because it takes so long. (Yes, I do purge, but I buy books constantly, so I keep running out of room.) Unlike some here, I hate to vacuum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam "SFSOM" in TN Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 I was flipping through one of my lesser used bookcases in the family room today and dust began floating all around me. :glare: I dust the shelves in front of the books, but not the books themselves. I'm just wondering if I should consider this "normal" or is it expected I would have them dusted periodically? I hear Fannie in Sense and Sensibility saying, "I never liked the smell of books" and Edward replying, "no..well...it's the *dust* perhaps." :001_smile: Books are supposed to smell dusty, right? ;) Jo Dust is a God-given, naturally-occurring substance which, as such, should remain undisturbed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Dust is a God-given, naturally-occurring substance which, as such, should remain undisturbed. Dust is yucky. I try not to think about it. "What is dust made up of? Dust is made up of a variety of things from blowing dirt, bacteria, pollen, pollutants, molds, animal dander, hair, decomposing insects, fibers, dryer lint, insulation, dust mites and their excrement, and mostly, skin flakes that humans shed. " http://www.pagespersonalcleaning.net/household_dust.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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