Dust. Again…

Here we go with the dust post again. I know you’re thinking I’m obsessed with dust, but really; I’m only trying to meet your needs and answer your questions!

How do we do it? Dusting is the one thing our clients tell us that they will skip nearly every time they clean themselves. I used to skip the dusting as well, even though I had a cat. So what gives? Why do we skip this chore the most? Is it because it’s not really a “sanitation” process? Because it’s less likely to be noticed than a dirty kitchen? Those were my thoughts before I started cleaning professionally.

But now I know better. I’ve seen what can happen if you skip that dusting one too many times. It turns into dirt. It can’t be easily swiped to the floor for vacuuming. It now has to be cleaned, and thoroughly. Don’t let a thick layer of dust suck up all of your time!

Shhhhh, keep your voices down for this one. It’s industry-secret time…

We don’t mind dusting. At all, really. It’s the least physically taxing part of our job. The only thing that ever bothers us is a mountain of papers, books and bric-a-brac that we don’t have the time to move so that we can actually get to every single spec of dust. You see, we do your bathrooms and kitchen first. The scrubbing, intensive wet work. Then we: la-la-la, dust! Then comes the grueling floors. Dusting is the breather. The delight in the details. The 7th inning stretch. The…you get the picture.

Here’s what we do:

We’ve already done the bathrooms and kitchen. If it’s a two story house, start on the top floor. Because gravity works. Otherwise, start in the far corner of your home. Look up! Start with frames on the walls, move to tall dressers or shelves. I like to hit a room and head left, following along the walls until I get to the door again. Up, down, up, down. It’s a zen-yoga like rhythm. You can get lost in the pace and actually relax. Dusting may become your favorite part of cleaning. Each room is the same thing. Start at the door, move in one direction until you come to the door again. Always start at the top  and move down. Try it any other way and you will soon see that you need to do it over again. Gravity. Seriously.

The quick, down-low: Slightly damp rag, top to bottom, room to room. Concentrate! Do not flit like an ethereal thing from room to room or wall to wall. Once you learn this, it will be muscle memory.

Take stock of what you are dusting. I’ve noticed that kid’s rooms are the easiest. When they are young, the rooms are sparse, not full of tchotchkes. And kids use their things, leaving less dust on them and more on the floor. We adults have precious memories. Sitting on a shelf, collecting dust. We don’t pick them up. We don’t look at them. We forget they are even there unless someone suggests getting rid of them. Or unless we’re the ones who dust them. Heh.

I don’t skip the dusting any more. The whole house feels cleaner and I feel like I can breathe easier if it is done. (Maybe it’s that the allergens are gone?) I find a peace and relaxation in dusting that I didn’t think was possible while doing a household chore. My hope is that I can help you find the same serenity.