Dusting: A Love Hate Relationship

One of the most frustrating domestic tasks for me is dusting! I can remember back to when I was a kid and my “job” on Saturday morning was dusting. In fact, the hutch that we now have in our home is the same hutch that I used to have to dust on Saturday morning. It’s a beautiful hutch and displays our wedding memorabilia, but it, and everything else in our home, harbors dust like there is no tomorrow!

Monday is my weekly dusting and bed-clothes changing day. I feel it sets the tone for the week. We spend longer amounts of time in the house during the weekend. Between my husband’s hectic work-week schedule and my need for serious down-time on the weekends, we tend to “hang out” together, have game and movie nights, and things like that. I’ve come to the conclusion that if I spend time daily on particular weekly tasks, rather than attempt to fully clean various rooms in the house in a day, I’ll not only save time, but I’ll be less likely to decide that any-given room can wait until another week.

Last week I ran myself out of dusting spray. Then while I made a killing on grocery shopping, I couldn’t find the brand of spray that I had a coupon for. So I went on a search this morning to find the best way to dust without a commercial dust spray. I found several options, one of which I could use this week because I couldn’t find my spare spray bottle. I will share my finds, but I would also like to ask for feedback, because I am struggling with what is the best way to reduce the amount of dust that hangs around after the act of dusting. So please, any thoughts??

The first method I was able to locate was The Damp Cloth method. I found this method straight out of my favorite book, Home Comforts: The Art & Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson. Take a clean rag made of natural fibers, wet it slightly with tap water (distilled water is recommended for valuable antiques) ring it out until the cloth is barely wet and leaves no trace of water when wiped across any surfaces. Proceed to dust top to bottom all dustable surfaces in the usual way, folding the cloth to new clean areas and getting a new cloth when necessary. This was the method I was forced to use since I couldn’t find a spray bottle. I found that it worked just fine, although I still had issues with dust falling back down to the areas I had dusted within about an hour. (Which is still an issue I have with commercial spray as well.)

I also located several home-made cleaner methods. But alas, I cannot say how well any of these recipes worked or didn’t work, although I aim to find out in the coming weeks.

*Oil & Vinegar Recipe (found on eHow.com)

Combine ½ tsp. light olive oil with ¼ cup white vinegar in a 1-quart container, filling the remainder of the container with water. Shake well to combine all ingredients. You may need to shake the container throughout the dusting process to prevent separation.

*Lemon Oil (found on eartheasy.com)

Combine a few drops of lemon oil with ½ cup of warm water in a spray bottle. Shake well to combine ingredients. Use to dust and polish varnished furniture.

*The Dust Sock (found on thedietcokediet.com)

Take an athletic sock, preferably one that no longer has a mate or will not be missed by any family members) turn it inside out and place on your hand. Mist the outside of the sock so it is damp on the outside, but not wet on the inside. Rotate the sock to the clean side as needed during regular dusting.

*Liquid Fabric Softener (found on thrifty fun.com)

Mix 1 part liquid fabric softener to 4 parts water in a spray bottle. Spray directly to dust rag; dust in your usual way.

*Mineral or Plant Oils
Mineral Oil and Plant Oils, such as orange or lemon oil, can also be used to polish wood.

Cheryl Mendelson mentions that you can put a drop or two of lemon or mineral oil on your dust cloth to be used on wood possessions, being careful not to allow it to leave an oily film, as dust is attracted to oily films. (Maybe this was my problem with commercial sprays?)

*Vinegar (found on greenyour.com)

Use a rag dipped in vinegar to clean plastic surfaces, ceiling fan blades, and dust collecting areas such as the tops of fridges and vent hoods.

*Furniture Polish (also found on greenyour.com)

Equal parts white vinegar (or lemon juice) and olive oil shaken together make an excellent wood polish, use similar to Old English by buffing on to the surface with a clean rag until absorbed and wiping off excess with a second clean rag to remove any residue.

While I was able to sufficiently do the job today with just a damp cloth, and I can usually buy my commercial dust spray for little or nothing. I am very interested in trying each of these methods to see which method will help repel dust rather than just let it settle back down again. I am also interested in any feedback you, my readers, have with regards to methods you use and what you find works best for you!

*Methods I have not tried as of Aug 15, 2011 and cannot attest to their usefulness at this point.