Dust On The Bottle, and Dust, Well… Everywhere!
Your house is your home and home is where your heart is. You like
to keep it clean and give your best effort to create a great environment for
you and/or your family.
Still, you’re busy like so many people these days and no matter
how well intentioned your cleaning habits are there are days when you simply
forget a few, little things.
You work, you cook, you clean and generally have your life
together. Still, it’s easy for even the best of us to overlook a few trouble
spots in our homes-of-hearts that we didn’t realize collected dust.
Not to worry: it doesn’t take long to uncover and clean up those
spots. A once-a-week addition to your routine can rid your home of hidden dust,
clean up the air and reduce potential allergies or breathing issues.
Here’s a list of nine potentially forgotten locations in your home where dust gathers in secret. But now that the secret’s out you can add another “I got this” moment to your long list of personal accomplishments!
1. Clicking- Double-Clicking and Double-Down-Dusting: The Computer Keyboard
Make a habit of running the vacuum cleaner over your laptop or desktop computer keyboard once a week. There’s a reason there is such a public emphasis on washing hands, and that is because they are harbingers of germs, dust and debris. Unfortunately, if you’re on your laptop as much as I am mine, its keyboard because a catch-all for everything you’ve touched since you last washed your hands.
Use the soft-brush attachment when vacuuming to suck up the dust
that collects between the keys that can’t be removed from wiping them down.
I’ve used Q-tips gently in the past to get in between the keys as
well, but you have to be careful. Barely wet the Q-tip with rubbing alcohol and
rub around the keys while the device is off. This works for sterilizing the
keyboard, but it can also push dust around and into clumps which can slip down
into the device. I strongly suggest you purchase a kit specifically designed
for cleaning computer keyboards and use it prior to my Q-tip/alcohol step. You
can air-blow dust out of the crevices of your keyboard with those kits to avoid
clumpy buildups.
2. Speak Now Or Hold
Your Dust: USB and Stereo Speakers
Speakers move air – it’s how they project sound. But that doesn’t mean that air blows off the dust that builds up around the dial, knobs, grill or cones. Make sure to remember to run the soft brush of your vacuum cleaner over your speakers to get rid of any buildup. It preserves the life of the units and also keeps your hands dust-free when adjust the volume, etc.
3. Deep Inside:
Cabinet and Dresser Drawers
These places are note as prone to dust collection as others are because they’re closed. That doesn’t mean they don’t collect dust, however. You do open and close them frequently, as well as place things in and remove things from them. And those things can collect dust that transfers inside your drawers. Based on frequency of use, make sure to include cleaning out your drawers as needed.
4. Double-Dust Whammy:
The Windowsills
The windowsills get a double-dose of dust that you might not have considered. They get it from both inside and out, and that includes pollen and maybe even smog or smoke from passing cars or ashes from the grill, etc. Include your windowsills in your vacuuming every week. Use the soft brush attachment and also use a slightly damp, microfiber cloth to collect all the dust/debris, especially in the corners.
5. I See, Said the
Blinds: Your Window Blinds
Just like the windowsills, your blinds are subjected to the
crossfire of dust accumulation. They’re also delicate to handle, making them
easily overlooked in the cleaning process. Fortunately there are several
products available that make the job easier by being specifically designed to
fit and clean blinds without damaging them. If you don’t have one of those,
simply use the crevice tool or soft brush attachment on your vacuum. Be sure to
run it gently left-to-right and up-and-down (starting at the top and
working down, of course) to shake loose and collect all the dust.
6. The Softer Side of
Cleaning: Soft Furnishings
You upholstered chairs and sofas collect dust you can’t even see. They also collect food crumbs, which can turn to mold and damage the furniture. You need to make sure to include them in your weekly cleaning process by running the upholstery, crevice and/or soft brush attachment over them, and under the pillows, thoroughly
7. Mite I Have Your
Attention, Please: Your Mattresses
The fact that mattresses are almost always covered makes them easily overlooked in the cleaning process. Vacuum around your mattresses and box springs once a week to avoid unsuspected, dusty buildups as well as nasty dust mites. Flip the mattress at least twice a year and gently run the upholstery attachment over the surfaces. Always read directions/instructions first to verify your mattress can be vacuumed – and better yet, if it can be steam-cleaned.
8. The Forgotten
Fridge: Your Refrigerator Coils
Who wants to pull out kitchen appliance and clean behind them? No one I know, but it still has to be done. It’s where you eat, and prepare food. It’s one of the most highly trafficked areas in your home, too, so it collects more dust than you realize, especially in those hard-to-reach places. Fortunately you don’t necessarily have to pull out the fridge to suck up most of the dust it collects. Use that crevice attachment and run it over the coils. Doing so helps prevent allergies and also keeps the fridge running more effectively.
9. Lions, Vacuums and
Brooms, Oh My!: Your Cleaning Tools
The point of vacuuming and sweeping is to remove dust. Find moreinformation by reading vacuum cleaner reviews to help yourself.
But that dust collects on your cleaning tools too. Vacuum your brooms and brush
tools after each use. Shake off items outside that can’t be cleaned inside to
ensure the dust you thought you removed isn’t just replaced in your home.
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