Apartment Cleaning: Developing a Dusting Schedule

Dusting is often neglected by busy tenants, but it’s one of the most important aspects of apartment cleaning. Dust can be dangerous to your health and contaminates the air when it’s not cleaned often. Creating a dusting schedule is not difficult. You just have to be committed to doing it.

Health Dangers that Should Motivate You to Dust

You may be surprised at what dust is made of. It’s not just brown, harmless particles that gather on your wood furniture or electronics every once in a while. It’s made up of a many things, including:

• Insect limbs and heads
• Dust mite feces
• Mouse waste
• Lead
• Mercury
• Bacteria
• Viruses

Having this laying around your apartment is not desirable. More than that, it can affect your health. Any of these things that make up dust particles can absorb through your skin, or you can breathe them in. That can lead to disease, respiratory problems, digestive problems and asthma attacks. The effects are even worse on children and babies, with systems that are still developing. Dust also impacts the health of any pets you keep in your apartment. Knowing what dust really is should motivate you to develop a dusting schedule as part of your apartment cleaning routine.

Clean When You See Dust

Use microfiber towels and dusters to remove dust when you see any accumulate. Don’t use paper towels or regular towels, because they push dust around without removing it. Once you get on a regular dusting schedule, you won’t have to wait for dust to build up before cleaning it. However, there are occasions where there may be more dust than usual.

Dust Once a Week

Pick a day once a week to dust around your house. Don’t forget the places that are out of sight, such as on top of the refrigerator, or behind work desks. It takes time and dusting is a hassle, but it’s worth it because you’ll reap the health benefits. You should be able to add this in on a day where you already do most of your apartment cleaning.

Dust Bi-Weekly

If you don’t have the time to dust as often, and aren’t too worried about the health risks, then dusting bi-weekly is not a bad option. However, longer periods are not recommended, because you’ll diminish the quality of air in your apartment. Unless you travel a lot, try your best to fit an extensive apartment cleaning (including dusting) in your schedule at least every two weeks.

Steam Clean Once a Year

Your yearly dusting schedule should include steam cleaning your apartment once a year. You’ll get rid of the spores, dust mites and bacteria in your carpets that make dust. Steam cleaners are expensive, and you may need to rent one. However, they are very effective for deep cleaning carpets. You don’t want to further lower the quality of the air in your apartment by using a carpet shampooer, because those use a lot of chemicals.

Keep your apartment looking great and the air fresh with a regular dusting schedule. Apartment cleaning is a fact of life, and although it’s mundane at times, dusting will make life better.