Keeping your house clean is an important part of maintaining the health and hygiene of you and your family members. Some people cannot stand even minute traces of dust. For them, the cleaning aspect comes naturally. Others perform weekly or monthly whole-house dusting or cleaning chores. If someone in your family has allergies (dust, pollen, pets, etc.), then keeping the home free from all the dust and grime is a priority. Regardless of the schedule you follow, the area you live in, the type of floor you have, or any other factor, if you have the right set of tools, then maintaining a clean and healthy home shouldn’t be difficult. But what are the best tools for dusting and cleaning?
We spend a lot of family time in our homes and hence it is the duty of every individual to keep dust off of their homes. However, it is easier said than done.
You need to spend time and energy to maintain your house. But there are some tools that can help you with this. In this guide, we will take a look at the list of some of the essential and best tools you can use for cleaning and dusting in and around your house.
Best Tools For Dusting
1. Angled Broom
Let us start with the basics. A simple Broom Stick can help you clean a lot of dust and debris from the floor without much effort. You can use it on all kinds of floors.
The shape of an Angled Broom is perfect to pull dust from tight corners. You don’t have to clean the entire house using a broom but just bring it from the corners for a vacuum cleaner to collect it later. Storing and cleaning the Broom is also very simple.
2. Dustpan and Brush
Other simple yet very helpful tools are Dustpans and Brushes. If the dust or debris is slightly large, then instead of directly using a vacuum cleaner and risking it clogging, you can collect all the visible dust with a Brush and lift it up using a Dustpan.
Afterward, you can use a vacuum cleaner to suck the small and invisible dust off of the floor, surface, or object.
Whether it is a broom or brush, make sure to properly clean it before storing it. Speaking of storing, we recommend you cover the brush and broom with a bag or cloth over it so that it doesn’t attract hair (human or pet) and fiber while sitting idle.
3. Dust Mop
A Dust Mop, similar to a Broom, is useful for dusting or cleaning the floor. If you have a hardwood floor or dry tiles, then a simple Dust Mop is the best option to move even the finest of dust particles.
Regular Dust Mops do not trap the dust and you have to shake them after cleaning a small section of the floor. You can get Electrostatic Dust Mops for cleaning floors that hold dust. Another benefit is you can use them for long periods without shaking or clearing the trapped dust.
4. Feather Duster
This a yet another classic and common tool for dusting and they have been around for a long time. Feather Dusters are not suitable for heavy cleaning but you can use them to dust bookshelves, showcases, display pieces, or any cramped and tight places.
Traditionally, bird feathers (ostrich or other large birds) are commonly used to make Feather Dusters. Nowadays, Synthetic Duster is becoming more widespread.
5. Lamb’s Wool Duster
The natural oils in the Lamb’s Wool Duster help in holding the dust due to static electricity. You can use them in the same way as a regular Handheld Duster. Clean recessed spots such as radiators, lighting, etc. as the Lamb’s Wool Duster can easily smoosh.
Additionally, use an extension system to clean high-reach places such as ceilings and fans.
6. Extendable Duster
Normal Handheld Dusters are useful for dusting and cleaning nearby and reachable objects. What if you want to clean parts of your ceiling or the ceiling fan itself?
This is where an Extensible Duster comes in handy. As the name suggests, an Extendable Duster has a long handle that helps you in reaching high places such as ceilings very easily. You don’t need to climb a ladder.
You can clean dust and cobwebs from the corners of the ceiling, upper portions of the walls, or even ceiling fans.
Extendable Dusters are available in different types such as regular brushes, microfiber cloth, synthetic fiber, etc.
7. Vacuum Cleaner
This is probably the best tool for dusting and overall cleaning. Unlike a Broom and Brush, the vacuum cleaner doesn’t push dirt and dust here and there. It actually collects the dust and contains it in a chamber. We can dispose of this dust later and clean the container.
Handheld Vacuum Cleaners are by far the most common and popular types. Some homes have integrated vacuum systems, where there is a dedicated hole in a wall that contains a long hose.
After cleaning, the vacuum hose will automatically retract back into the hole. But most homeowners still use handheld vacuum cleaners, either with a long extension cord to maneuver the cleaner around the house, or a cordless vacuum cleaner that comes with a rechargeable battery.
Some people find even this a time-consuming chore and invest in a Robotic Vacuum Cleaner. They are still a luxury than a necessity as you have to invest a lot just to clean the floor, that too imperfectly (it can be a hit or a miss depending on the objects around your house and the overall layout of the house).
Some Robotic Vacuum Cleaners work as just vacuum cleaners i.e., collect dust, hair, etc. off of the floor. But some models can even do the job of mopping the floor. Irrespective of the type and design, a Robot Vacuum Cleaner is only suitable for cleaning floors and carpets.
For cleaning or dusting ceilings, walls, sofas, chairs, tables, or anything above the floor level, you again have to use a handheld vacuum cleaner.
Until this point, we have seen the three main ways of removing dirt, dust, and debris i.e., Sweeping, Dusting, and Vacuuming.
8. Electrostatic Duster
Regular Handheld Dusters or Extendable Dusters do not hold the dust. They just displace the dust. An Electrostatic Duster is something special. We studied this in school. When we rub a plastic comb against our oily hair, it can attract small pieces of paper.
This is Static Electricity. Electrostatic Dusters also use the same principle to attract dirt and dust and try to hold on to it without just pushing them.
They are available in several forms such as Mitts, Handheld Dusters, Plain Cloths, Floor Sweepers, etc. An important point about common Electrostatic Dusters that you can find in a hardware store or grocery store is they are disposable.
There are washable type Electrostatic Dusters but they tend to be slightly expensive. As regular options are use-and-throw, it might not seem economical to use them in a long run.
You can get special sprays that you can spray on average microfiber cloths to make them electrostatic.
9. Microfiber Cloth
If you are dusting or cleaning sensitive objects such as electronics, glass, wood, etc. and you don’t want to put any scratches on them, then Microfiber Cloths are one of the best options.
Microfiber Cloth is a woven fabric that doesn’t leave lint or cause scratches. It acts like an electrostatic cloth in the sense that it can hold the dust firmly rather than push it around.
You can use Microfiber Cloths on furniture, glass, car interior and exterior, or any other place you can reach with your hands. The best thing about Microfiber Cloth is that they are machine washable. Just toss them in the washing machine, dry them off, and start using them again.
10. Microfiber Handheld Duster
This type of duster is a very popular automotive accessory. Microfiber Handheld Duster, as the name suggests, contains a wand-like duster with a microfiber cloth up front.
Several car owners use this type of duster to clean the surface of the car and even the windshields and windows without fear of scratches. Apart from cars, you can use it to clean TVs, furniture, refrigerator (on the surface, of course), etc.
Once the duster becomes dirty, like very dirty, it might lose its ability to hold the dust properly. Then, you can wash it in a machine and apply a special spray to rejuvenate its electrostatic ability.
11. Window Blind Cleaner
This is a special type of cleaner that helps you in cleaning the blinds of your windows. We know that window blinds are one of the main objects in a house that becomes frequently dirty and cleaning them is a severe challenge.
But with the help of Window Blind Cleaners, you can easily do the job. If you look at the structure of a Window Blind Cleaner, it has a three-finger-shaped design that you can insert into the blinds and swipe left or right to clean.
As they use a microfiber cloth on the fingers, they will hold the dust and you can even wash them and reuse them several times. You can use them on all kinds of blinds.
12. Cleaning Gloves
Microfiber Cleaning Gloves help you clean in tight spaces or delicate objects such as photo frames, trophies, collectibles, or even plants.
The entire glove is made up of electrostatic microfiber material. As a result, you can use your palms or fingers to clean all kinds of objects and reach tiny places with your fingers.
You don’t have to worry about lint and it will firmly hold the dirt, dust, and debris between its fibers. You can wash them after they get severely dirty.
13. Cotton Cloth
If you have a pure cotton cloth, then you can use it clean anything. The benefit is they are cheap and readily available in all homes. But the problem is they might leave lint on the surface. Also, there is a good chance that they do not trap the dust like the microfiber cloth.
14. Paint Brush
You can use a Paint Brush as a dusting tool. A soft and bristle Paint Brush with natural fibers can help you in cleaning delicate objects such as lamps, photo frames, artifacts, wooden carvings, etc.
15. Lint Roller
Do you have pets in your home? Then you know the headache of pet hair all over your carpet and furniture. In such situations, you can use a simple Lint Roller to collect the pet hair.
Apart from pet hair, you can also the Lint Roller to remove fibers, dust, etc. from curtains, cushions, mattresses, lampshades, etc.
16. Cotton Swab
Technically, this is not a dusting tool but cotton swabs are very useful in several situations. If you have very delicate objects such as artwork, paintings, carvings, etc. then you don’t have to risk handling them with microfiber cloths, gloves, or paint brushes.
Rather, a bunch of Cotton Swabs are mush suitable in these situations. As they are made up of cotton, they can leave lint. So, use oils (linseed oil or any other cleaning oil), rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol), or any other liquid to avoid lint.
17. Compressed Air
A small can of Compressed Air can blow out dust from tight spaces such as computers, keyboards, piano keys, etc. Electronics or objects that do not tolerate liquids or moisture can make use of high-pressure compressed air.
18. Air Purifiers
This is not a dusting or cleaning tool in the traditional sense but offers a great way to purify the air in your home. Air Purifiers suck the air inside the room and in the process they also such invisible dust, pollen, or other small particles.
They trap all these particles in a filter and release only the filtered air back into the room. Most residential Air Purifiers are suitable for medium to large rooms only and cannot purify the air in the entire house.
If you or anyone in your family has allergies (dust, pollen, pets, etc.), Air Purifiers are very useful devices as they try to keep the air free from all these allergens. Some models can even remove bad odors from the room.
Conclusion
Keeping your home clean and dust-free is very important, especially in this day and age where we have airborne diseases that are killing thousands of people all over the world.
Instead of thinking of it as a chore, consider dusting and cleaning your house as a way to safeguard yourself and your family from dust, dirt, pollen, etc. After all, we spend most of the family time in our homes, and hence it is essential to clean and dust every now and then.
You don’t have to clean each and every corner of the house daily or even weekly. There are some parts of the house such as objects close to doors and windows, carpets, furniture, beds, etc. that get dirtier than other objects.
So, using proper tools you can dust them off daily or weekly while other objects and places such as ceilings, fans, bookshelves, etc., can be cleaned on a monthly basis.
In this guide, we saw some of the best tools for dusting and cleaning. We hope that this list helps you in collecting the proper tools for dusting in and around your house.
If you feel that we missed something or want to add anything, do let us know in the comments section below. It will not only help us but also other readers.
