Half the dust just goes into the air and resettles elsewhere. It seems like I am making the situation worse.
How can I wipe the dust in a way so as to avoid just pushing it around so much?
I did some web searches but none of them seem to have much helpful advice on this.
I just use water with a bit of cleaning stuff and a damp cloth.
How can I wipe the dust in a way so as to avoid just pushing it around so much?
Vacuum it. My friend has a Roomba that does her whole house automatically. I thought those things were ridiculous until I actually saw it.
Also, as someone said, air filtration should get some of the dust out of the air. That is healthy for breathing. If you don’t mind the noise, you can make a powerful air filter from a box fan and 4 furnace filters: look up “Corsi-Rosenthal box” for how to do that. Otherwise you can get a smaller one.
Use a decent quality duster, cheaper options retain way less dust.
Dust from high to low in a room or area.
After a few strokes, tap out the duster at ground level, on your ankle or a hard surface. This minimizes dust getting in the air.
Finally, vacuum.
Damp cloth to capture the dust? Or a strong vacuum to capture it once airborne?
A hepa filter to perpetually clean the air prevents dust. But a damp cloth captures nearly all dust if you are careful.
Vacuum with good filter
My wife uses an ostrich feather brush. It carries an electrostatic charge that holds the dust.
About these, how do you ‘clear’ the brush of the accumulated dust?
You can wash it off. Just hold the duster under a tap and run cold water over it.
Taylor Swift: inhales
Tap it off on your ankle or a chair leg.
Static is your friend.
Buy microfiber dusters and mops.
Buy a couple and see if it’s enough. You want to always have clean ones available. So buy more than what you need for a single cleaning session. At my place we always have a bit more than double what we need for a single cleaning session.
For carpets, you can get a sweeper. They also use static and they’re fantastic.
How to use them? As others in this thread have said: from high areas to low areas.
Should you get the microfiber wet? I’m not sure. Try out both and see what works! I personally don’t like wet microfiber because it adds friction and makes me go over areas slower. But be aware that this could be a me thing. Wet microfiber still picks up dust, so do whatever works for you!
I can recommend wiping the floor regularly with a damp cloth. Removes a lot of the dust from the room, so that it can’t get kicked up and land in other places. And it’s relatively quick to do, especially since you don’t have to reach all the corners for that either.
You may want to add a bit of lemon acid to the water every few months or so, since the water will leave behind limescale when it dries, which will make your floor less shiny.
The floor? Have you heard of brooms and mops?
Sorry, I meant a mop. Couldn’t think of the word and wanted to express that it should just be damp, not actually wet…
Hahaha okay great I was just feeling sorry for your back!
You can buy disposable dust cloths which are good at picking up and holding onto dust.
