It’s time for the September edition of our monthly ‘Do It’ List. We are well into our second year of this monthly publication, and we’ve loved all the feedback from our readers, who tell us this single page get-your-house-in-shape method is methodical, straightforward, and manageable.
Each month, we publish a new list, as well as some tips, tricks, hacks, and ideas for the daily, weekly, or monthly chores. (Visit our ‘Do It’ List archives to brush up on some of the previous topics, or read them for the first time if you’re new to us, and be sure to check out the post on baseboards from September of last year for help with this month’s special, once-per-month task.) 
This month, we’re talkin’ DUST!
Do you ever wonder, What is dust and where does it come from? I did some research and will share the answer. Before you read further, however, I need to ask an important question: Have you had breakfast? If not, stop right now. Do that first. Allow it to digest and then come back. If you have eaten breakfast, you might have a bucket ready.
According to my research, household dust is comprised of many things, including:
- Human skin cells
- Dust mites and their feces
- Pet dander
- Decaying insects
- Carpet and fabric fibers
If you were not motivated to dust before, I’m confident that list has you (like me) racing to grab a rag, duster, or vacuum, and get that junk outta here!
Our ‘Do It’ List has “Dust one room” as an item on our daily to-do list. The premise is simple: tackling just one room each day makes the job manageable. Here are a few suggestions to consider as you start attacking those dust mites at your house:
- Grab your phone. My friend Kathy and I used to talk and dust at 8:30 each morning to check in and get our day started. We mamas are nothing if not multi-taskers.
- Vacuum first. Running the vacuum cleaner stirs up lots of dust. I recommend vacuuming first, then dusting everything else. I personally don’t want to see dust on the furniture immediately after checking my “dust one room” box.
- Employ a top-down approach. This one may be common sense, but after you finish vacuuming, start at the top and work your way down. If you dust the coffee table and then the ceiling fan above it, you’ll have to dust the coffee table again.
- Invest in some good microfiber rags. While the French maid look may be a hit with certain members of the household, that obligatory feather duster really does nothing but push dust from one place to another. And we all have a drawer of rags that began their lives as bed sheets or terry cloth towels – they may be economical, but they are far from effective when it comes to dusting. There’s nothing like a microfiber rag to grab that dust and hold onto it.
- Consider buying a duster with a long (or telescoping) pole. This will be a huge help for high shelves or ceiling fans.
- Check out Bona products for your wood floors. I love the Bona duster, mop, and solution. The cleaning pads are machine washable and work great. My wood floor installer recommended these. I often grab my Bona when I get a phone call. It helps met get my daily steps in, as well as get my floors dusted.
- Use the pillow-case-over-the-broom trick for ceilings. The width of the broom will make quick work of removing cobwebs and dust in the crevice where wall meets ceiling. If your broom bristles are too stiff, they could poke through and damage the walls, so do test this out. Another option would be to attach a microfiber rag to the handle end of the broom. Secure it with a pony-tail holder or rubber band. Needless to say, you don’t want to use your best pillowcase for this job.
- Don’t forget to vacuum upholstered furniture. All that dust that you see on your furniture and floor is also on your sofa, even if you can’t see it there. Don’t overlook upholstered couches and chairs! Give them a thorough vacuuming on dusting day.
- Furniture polish really isn’t necessary for wood furniture. My research says it can cause a build-up on the furniture. A microfiber rag will work just fine.
- Change air filters every 30-60 days. Not only will this help keep your heating and cooling unit functioning well, it will help reduce dust particles in your home.
Do you have additional dusting ideas that work well at your house? If so, we’d love to hear them. Leave us a comment below letting us know how often you dust, what favorite tools make it easier to tackle the dust in your home, and how this article is going to change your dusting habits!
P.S. – By the way, I’m grateful to the woman who came up with the name, dust bunnies – sounds oh-so-much-nicer than having dust mites (and their feces!) under my bed!
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