# need tips on keeping up with dust



## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

Its that time of the year, dry and dusty.
any tips on keeping up with the dust would be appreciated.
It's coating every thing and is especially bad if it mixes with the kitchen grease. :grump:


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## Tricky Grama (Oct 7, 2006)

I hate to dust. My tip is, when people come over & you can't keep them from writing in the dust, I tell them to at least NOT date it.

Patty


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## junie (Jun 25, 2007)

The best way to keep dust down is to actually get rid of it, rather than just moving it around. I use a microfiber towel that has been dampened slightly. It really cleans well and holds onto the dust. I put it in the wash when it gets dirty, or when I get done, whichever comes first. Sometimes, I have to replace it halfway through. 

Another important thing is to make sure everything is actually _clean_. If it has a coating of grease, cleaning polish, or tobacco smoke, the dust will stick worse and be harder to clean off. These things will need to be washed. I don't know any way around that. I use a quart of water with a small squirt of liquid dish soap and a slug of rubbing alcohol mixed in. I put this in a spray bottle. It cleans pretty well, for little money, and doesn't need rinsing.


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

consider using one of the "ionic breeze" type of air cleaners. they work great and don't use much electricity.


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## pickapeppa (Jan 1, 2005)

Washing with soap and hot water works really well. I could tell a difference in how little dust there was for several months after the first time I went this route.

A steam cleaner works well too. It kills dust mites in harder to reach areas.


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## cow whisperer (May 3, 2007)

Well I HATE dusting!!!! I guess this feeling was caused from the fact that dusting was my job as child.... and my Mom collected A LOT of things! Dinner bells, salt and pepper shakers, etc......

So anyhow this is how I deal with it.... I have a swiffer duster for shelves, a swiffer vac for the hardwood floors.... (both were given as gifts... I have great friends).... and a "webster" for cobwebs and hard to reach areas......

I wash my stove, fridge, and microwave twice a week with hot water and soap.....


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

If you have a hot air furnace, that thing is constantly putting dust in the air. Make sure the filter is clean. If you have dogs they are bringing the outdoors inside; brush them outside once a week and keep a series of dirt catching mats outside the doors, and another one or two inside of each door. Get one of those screen covers for pans to help keep the grease under control.


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## blue gecko (Jun 14, 2006)

I love my swiffer! I agree that the best way to get it under control is to get rid of it over spreading it around. 

The only way around the greasy kitchen dust is to get it clean. A mixture of Biz laundry additive and Simple Green works like a miracle on that type of grease. I put it in a spritz bottle (2-4 TBS Biz and 1/4-1/2 cup Simple Green in a liter spritz bottle then fill with warm water. Shake to dissolve.) If you mix it by the gallon wear gloves as you work or it will irritate your hands. 

A little story. My dad fell and broke his shoulder. I knew he would have to leave his home for several weeks and stay with me so I spent my time cleaning his house in the days before his MD's appointment. It was awful. Dad lives alone and the greasy accumulation in his kitchen was terrible. The Biz and Green mix took care of it in seconds even on top of the fridge! I'm totally sold. I came up with it while dealing with skunk odor and when I found I still had skunk on the coat I grabbed when I rushed out to drive to my dad's, I picked up more in his home town. Since I had it already I started to use it as a cleaner. Wonderful. It's been 18 months since then and I use it daily.


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## greenboy (Sep 5, 2005)

No carpet not curtains no drapes? where is home for you?


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## ginnie5 (Jul 15, 2003)

this thread is exactly what I was coming here to ask about! I am being over run with dust! There is only carpet left in two of the bedrooms and the curtains have been washed. Our house is old and it seems that I can dust and vacuum one day and the next there's 2x as much dust! Its driving me bonkers right now as I'm in a cleaning mood. I know the dogs are a BIG part of it but they're family so I can't just throw them out. Do the ionic breeze filters really work? I've got a lambswool duster taht catches quite a bit but maybe I'll invest in a microfiber cloth too.


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## TheBiscuitQueen (Aug 31, 2007)

I like naked windows too, and someday we will be also down to no carpets. Our problem is not so much dust as hair. I can sweep several times a week upstairs and get another cats worth! You would think the little buggers would be bald by now. 

I keep hearing really good things about the flylady feather dusters....anyone try them?


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