OK, I must have missed the housekeeping genes. I do alright, but my arch enemy on the home front is dust! I swear I could dust everyday, and I’d still have a veritable snowstorm on my furniture! My piano students are always saying, “Gosh, your piano is dusty!” Somehow, I don’t think they believe me when I tell them I just dusted it yesterday.
I’ve tried Pledge, Windex, damp cloths, dry cloths, drier sheets, feather dusters, you name it!
What do you do to keep the dust bunnies from propagating? And am I the only one losing the dust-war?
Got More answers? Head over to Rocks in My Dryer for more questions. Does this remind you of Jeopardy, or is it just me?
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About Sarah Pinnix
Oh no, you’re not the only one. We have to dust every day if we want it to look semi-clean. I like to use the microfiber cloths, they are great at grabbing the dust.
The biggest dust contributor around here is the construction around the block from us.
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Three strange little boys who love to swipe furniture with one of those Swifter duster thingies. Want to borrow them?
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Ooh–how do you get to write your own text on the comments page??? That’s cool!
But back to your question, I prefer Endust and a feather duster, just because it’s fun. I’ll use whatever is handy in a pinch, though–paper towels, old t-shirts, baby wipes … we don’t really have a whole lot of surfaces which require dusting, mostly the piano and a couple of bookcases.
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I use micro fiber cloths, but I also heard (read?) that dryer sheets were good too.
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I’m wondering what type of floor you have, my piano is in a room with a wooden floor (ie no carpet) I have no real problems with dust like once a week would be fine to do the dusting.
Before I was married at my parents house the piano was in a carpeted room and it was a nightmare for dust!
Hope this helps.
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I have carpet in the living room, but we have rented a house with wood floors, and it seemed the dust was worse! Hmmm… Thanks for the tips guys!
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Get your ducts cleaned. If you are constantly dusty, despite daily cleaning, chances are the dust is blowing around in your ducts and all the dusting in the world won’t keep it clean.
Have someone check to make sure the vents are sealed to the furnace. If it’s got a crack in the attic or basement, it’s basically sucking attic dust or insulation dust into the system and blowing it into your house.
Then, make a point to vacuum the vents once a month or so.
And… go to the dollar store. Buy three rainbow furry dusters.
Give them to your kids. Everything less than 4 feet off the floor will be dusted in no time!
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Have you tried dusting with the vacuum… the little brush attachment thing? Since it sucks in the dust instead of moving it around, it really helps.
My WFMW question is “Produce, E. Coli, Bacteria, and You.” I’d love some input!
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I live in a construction zone (new houses) and dust is unavoidable here.
I like the Swiffer dusters.
I’ve also heard great things about Flylady’s dusters (www.flylady.com) but I don’t have one myself.
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we have hardwoods and its not ‘worse’ its just you see what goes into your carpet…therefore, more work! we have a washable air filter and clean it about once a month, otherwise, be sure to change your air filter regularly. also, if you have a newly constructed home, you can always have your ducts cleaned. (can be pricey, but companies sometimes run specials) construction dust in the ducts are a problem in most homes. i love swiffer dusters though, they catch the dust, the feather dusters just move it around…hope this helps….i’m a crazy woman about dust, i can’t stand it, i feel sometimes as though medication is needed…
laci
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I just vacuum everything. I throw the brush attachment into the top of the dishwasher a couple of times a week!
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Ooooh, vacuum and dishwasher! My kind of combination!
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My kids do the dusting, they think it’s a game. And you know it’s bad for their self esteem to redo their jobs, right?
So I rarely to never dust.
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We live full-time on the road in a 300 square foot RV, so dust is a constant for us. Between all the driving and the fact that there are two humans, two cats and one dog in that space, I never win the dust wars.
But, I love my Swiffer. First I use the swiffer cloth to dust my surfaces, then I take that dirty cloth and attach it to the mop head and finish the floors. After that, all the nastiness goes right in the trash.
I also use microfiber cloths, but they never come out completely pristine in the laundry. There’s just something really satisfying about throwing AWAY the dust and not just washing it…
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WOW Louise! What a life! That sounds awesome. (except the dust part)
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Windex is the greatest spray – Christina accuses me off being part Greek (see My Big Fat Greek Wedding) since I use Windex to clean everything.
Here’s a guy for ya though:
Too much cleaning has been linked to increased asthma in children. Some research “suggests” that a little dust doesn’t hurt anyone and the fact that we replace the dust with cleaning chemicals is not a good trade off…
I said it before Dyson is my choice for beating the dust monsters.
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