Dial-a-Maid
The average American house accumulates 40 pounds of dust a year, says a 40+ year old Residential Cleaning Service in Evanston, Il. Dust varies from house to house and from location to location around the country. Generally speaking, that film that your kids love to write their names in is made up of particles of more than 5,000 different materials, including skin flakes, pet dander, pet hair, humar hair, food bits, pollen grains, mold spores,insect parts, parts, sawdust, and fiber.
We dust for aesthetic reasons but also for health concerns related to dust. Dust can be a reservoir for contaminants. Lead and pesticides, for instance, are known to accumulate in household dust. In addition, there are a lot of elements in dust, such as mites, that can cause allergic reactions related to asthma.
To properly dust a room and cut down the time dusting takes, vacuum everything first- furniture, walls, windowsills, upholstery, the coffee table, it doesn't matter. Vacuuming is key to dust removal, because it removes a lot of dust without creating a dust storm in the process. Follow up with a damp cloth, and your room should be dust-free for a while.
When you want to remove the dust, use Electrostatic cloths, Grab-it Mitts, to hold the dust. A damp washcloth or microfiber cloth will also hang on to the dust. But if you use a washcloth instead of disposable, be sure you wash it after every use. When the damp cloth doesn't seem to be quite enough, mix 1 tablespoon of lemon extract in 1 quart of water. Use this solution to redampen the cloth, and you'll cut through the film, says a 40+ year old Residential Cleaning Service in Evanston, Il. All of the above are in 2,001 amazing Cleaning secrets by Jeff Bredenberg.
