Dust Be Gone! 6 Tips for Staying Dust Free

Every time I turn around, it seems that a new layer of dust has collected on my furniture. Well, I say, “Dust be gone!” The dust in your home is made of carpet and clothing fibers, pet dander, dirt and grime from outside, and, yes, dead skin cells. Here are six simple ways to reduce the dust in your house.

Rugs and Mats, Inside and Out

An outside doormat encourages guest to wipe their feet before they enter your home. An small rug place inside will help remove even more dust and grime from the bottoms of shoes. Place sturdy mats and rugs inside and outside of every entrance to your home.

No Shoes Rule

Make a No Shoes Rule for your home. Remove your shoes and ask guests to do the same. Shoes worn outside carry in all manner of dirt, dust, and who-knows-what into your home. It’s just good manner to remove shoes when you enter your own or someone else’s house.

Magic Moisture

Feather dusters look nice, but they whisk dust into the air instead of collecting it. A cloth is better for dusting. Rather than using a dry cloth, which pushes dust around and causes it to billow into the air (to settle elsewhere), use a damp cloth to remove dust from furniture surfaces. I’m not saying wet… I’m saying damp. Barely dampen your dust cloth with water and wring it out as much as you can. The moisture will capture and hold the dust tight. Rinse the cloth often. Run it through the washer when you’re finished dusting.

Filter the Air

Your HVAC system has a filter that should be changed regularly. Check the owner’s manual of your system and make sure you are changing your filter often enough. It’s better to change it more often than less often, where dust in concerned.

Clean Air Ducts

Every room in your house probably has at least one air register. A few times each year, I use a dryer brush to clean as much of the air ducts as I can reach. There are professional companies that will come in and give your air ducts a thorough cleaning.

Murder the Mites

Dust mites are attracted to the dead skin and pet dander that ends up in your mattress and pillows. Wash your sheets and pillowcases weekly. Wash your mattress pads monthly. And several time a year, vacuum your mattress and run your pillows through a dryer cycle to keep them as clean as possible.

How do you keep dust from collecting in your home? Comment below so everyone can learn something new.

Cleaning! Ugh! Here's a Helpful Tip #Housecleaning

A clean house. Everyone would love to have one; we just don’t want to be the one who’s doing the chores. I’m just finishing up a new story, and during the final days and weeks of intense focus on getting to The End, I rarely do anything besides write, eat, sleep, repeat. My house grows dusty and grimy. There will be cleaning in my immediate future! If you’re anything like me (an avoider of cleaning until it can be no longer avoided), then here’s a helpful tip that will make any major cleaning job easier.

I saw a post by a friend recently who gave a recipe for an effective cleaning solution that powered through the gray grime in the bottom of her tub. She used a 50/50 solution of blue Dawn dish detergent and white vinegar. She said she saw somewhere that the dish detergent must be the blue Dawn (although, there was no reason given as to why). She mixed the solution and poured the concoction on the bottom of the tub, let it sit overnight, and then used a Mr. Clean Eraser to scour the tub. Here are before and after pictures. The tub looks sparkly clean!

Warning! Mr. Clean Erasers should not be used on resurfaced porcelain. I had one of my bathtubs resurfaced and the installer said Mr. Clean Erasers are a no-no. If you've had your tub resurfaced call the installer and ask if this cleaner is safe to use.

Have you tried this blue Dawn and vinegar solution? If so, how did it work for you? Do you have any tips, tricks, or miracle cures for keeping your house clean? Let’s share and help each other make housecleaning a little easier.