Admittedly, before launching into the residential cleaning business world, I saw feather dusters as outdated and ineffective, or more like a prop. I’d never actually used one, but I couldn't see how a feather duster would be any help when I had my dust spray (spray the rag, not the furniture) and cloth that worked so well. Fast forward to added experience, and I’ll tell you why I appreciate the feather duster and find it to be an extremely helpful cleaning tool for homes that are regularly cleaned.
For larger surfaces, I will always use a damp dusting cloth (preferably microfiber) to pick up dust and clean furniture. Moving basic decor to dust underneath in this way is best. However, not all decor is created equally. When cleaning a home, whether your own or someone else’s, it’s not uncommon to come across a figurine collection, a grouping of detailed knick knacks, fragile items, or a wall with a large assortment of framed pictures. If you’re starting out with an extremely dusty situation, if at all possible, clearing the surface of items to use the damp cloth method is best. However, from there, most people are less likely to dust as often as they should if they see it as a time consuming task. If it's quick and simple, the likelihood goes up. For residential cleaning technicians, effective cleaning and time management together are key. Here’s where the feather duster comes in handy. What the feather duster does is essentially knock the dust out of the finicky area and let gravity to its job. Because dust settles, it’s best to clean a room top to bottom. The floors are the last thing to collect any wayward dirt and debris from the dusting for the vacuum to eventually take away. It’s faster, easier, and it works.
Two other areas where feather dusters are extremely helpful are window blinds and electronic devices. In the case of blinds, for a feather duster to work well, they need to start out mostly clean. Feather dusting the blinds only works to maintain the cleanliness of the blinds. If you haven’t cleaned your blinds in a while, it may be time to hand wipe with a damp cloth or wash first. Once built up/stuck on dust is off the surface, all that needs to be done to effectively maintain clean blinds is to open them horizontally, and working from top to bottom in each section, quickly brush the feather duster back and forth. With at least monthly dusting, they likely won’t need a thorough washing or concentrated hand wiping in the future.
Regarding expensive electronic devices—many have their own special ways of needing to be cleaned, but a damp dusting cloth is best kept away. A feather duster in the meantime keeps dust to a minimum. It’s also great for quickly brushing the dust out of the computer keyboard.
I’ve become a believer. You may find yourself one too.
Maren
Bright at Home Cleaning
Collin County, Texas
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