This type of vacuum attachment removes dust from your soft furnishings.
The battle to remove dust from furniture is fought daily in homes across the country with every weapon available in the domestic cleaning arsenal. However, no matter how much time and effort is put into eradicating those pesky dust bunnies, they reappear seemingly almost immediately. You spend the morning working up a good shine on your darkwood furniture and, in the evening when you switch on the lights, you notice a film of fine dust has already re-established itself. You'll never get rid of dust entirely, but there are ways to ensure your furniture remains dust-free longer.
Effective Dust Removal
The best type of duster for any furniture surface is one which grabs the dust and holds onto it, as opposed to one that throws it in the air to settle again. An efficient vacuum cleaner with attachments for a variety of cleaning jobs is a vital part of your campaign to keep your furniture dust-free. Purchase a cleaner with the best filtration system you can afford and use it to its full potential.
Dusting Soft Furnishings
A vacuum cleaner is the best type of duster for fabric-covered seats, cushions, drapes, blinds and mattresses. Use the upholstery tool with an appropriate level of suction to remove dust from all the surfaces of your sofas and armchairs as well as soft cushions. The crevice tool removes dust from the edges between the base and the arms. Close your drapes fully, and use the upholstery tool with a low level of suction to whisk dust off. Vertical and horizontal blinds are dusted with your vacuum's dusting brush. In the bedroom, use the upholstery attachment to remove dust from mattresses and fabric head boards.
Dusting Picture Frames and Curtain Poles
An easy way to dust picture frames and curtain poles is to attach your vacuum's dusting brush to an extension wand and pass it gently along them. Dust is lifted off these surfaces and sucked into the vacuum's dust container. The dusting attachment is also an effective way to remove dust from shelving and the tops of books. If you can fit the attachment between the books and the shelf above, you save the time and effort involved in cleaning each book individually.
Dusting Highly Polished Furniture
A feather duster made from ostrich feathers traps and retains dust.
In an ideal world, all vacuum cleaners would come equipped with a tool to do dust highly-polished furniture. However, only use the standard dusting tool supplied with your machine if you are sure it will not scratch the surface. Otherwise, use an alternative method, but ensure your chosen duster holds on to dust and doesn't just spread it around. Microfiber cloths, genuine feather dusters constructed from ostrich feathers, and lambswool dusters all retain dust until shaken outside or cleaned in some other way.
Microfiber Cloths
Microfiber cloths are made of tiny wedge-shaped fibers which grab and hold dirt. These fibers trap dust, so it does not simply rise into the air and resettle. Once you finish dusting, shake them outside or wash and dry them. To increase their effectiveness, use them to damp dust. This means giving them a light spray of water before cleaning.
Feather Dusters
A feather duster is one of the most traditional pieces of household cleaning equipment in use today. Many people believe these implements simply stir dust up into the air. The website Cleanerregister.com says while this is "probably true of the cheap synthetic kind," those made from ostrich feathers are effective, as the feathers contain natural oils that attract dust and gather it in fine feather barbs. The trapped dust is then removed by a vigorous shaking outside. Cleaningregister.com also says ostrich feather dusters have a large surface area and can "glide gently between objects to dust awkward areas." This makes them suitable for tackling furniture on which delicate ornaments are displayed.
Lambswool Dusters
The lanolin in a lambswool duster traps and retains dust.
Lambswool dusters are more elongated and solid looking than feather ones, but are efficient at attracting and holding dust. The fibers are fine and crimped and, with their rough wool surface and natural lanolin, they are magnets for dust. Lambswool dusters work best on broad, flat surfaces, according to Cleaning Register.com.
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