Let’s face it.

Most of us don’t enjoy dusting. While my company does comprehensive dusting as a basic service every visit, if you dust just once a month, it’s one of the easiest ways to get your place looking better than the average home.

Dusting is a good place to start when cleaning your house because it gives you the opportunity to pick things up off the floor, fluff pillows and cushions, fold throw blankets, and perform basic tidying.

When dusting your place, if you miss an area, it’ll be quite visible within a couple of days as compared to everywhere else, so be thorough.

Important: I recommend you use Pledge. I’ve tried a bunch of different products and it always gives me the best results. But make sure you spray Pledge on your cloth, not on the furniture. Micro fiber cleaning cloths also work very well for dusting as well as for mirrors and glass.

Move Items

It’s important to take the time to move items prior to dusting. This is actually more efficient than picking up each item and dusting under it. If you’re worried about how things looked before you moved them and want to make sure everything goes back exactly the same, you can always take a picture on your cell phone or camera before you start.

Window Ledges

When dusting window ledges, raise all blinds or curtains to access all ledges.

Ceiling Fans

Once you get your ceiling fan clean, it’s a cinch to do it every time. I’ve seen many ceiling fans that can be easily reached by a footstool or chair that are literally dripping with dust.

Baseboards

We always do baseboards. Most services never touch them but they are one of the key elements to making your house look clean. Even if you clean everything else, dirty baseboards will stick out. If you haven’t got to your baseboards in a while and they are really dirty, then clean them with a damp mop and/or vacuum them.

Door Jams & Light Switch Plates

A damp cloth with a little cleaning product on it will look after these easy to miss areas.

Patio Doors

Patio doors, and entry doors are a must. Watch for nose prints where animals live.

Basics

These other areas are all part of what I consider to be basic dusting that you can do if your time is limited and you’re just trying to tidy up a bit and get your place looking fresh quickly.

Basics that should not be missed include: bed frames including the side rail, the side of cabinets and armoires, door panels, banisters and spindles, chair legs and bases, curtain rods, pictures and their frames, stairwell ledges, dining room table legs and bases.

If your house has a lot of vacuuming, you should lift the cushions on
your couches and dust crumbs and debris onto the rug or floor. This saves time when vacuuming and avoids having to pull out the vacuum again later when you notice this.