Steve Hanson

Did you know that one of the top cleaning complaints is dusting? It seems everyone has their own way of doing it, and we all use a variety of tools. With the concern over air quality and "green cleaning" these days, the old feather duster is no longer a useful tool for professionals in the cleaning industry.

The best tool to use for dusting nowadays is a microfiber cloth. If you haven't heard by now, microfiber cloths trap dust and soil in the cloth, rather than moving it around the surface like cotton cloths, or making it airborne like feather dusters.

One tool that you should still keep however, is an extension duster. When dusting, you want to start with the high surfaces first, and extension dusters work great for this. You'll be able to reach cobwebs, ledges, and ceiling fans, and when the dust falls, you can pick it up with your microfiber cloth or vacuum.

A "greener alternative" to using extension dusters is to use a back pack vacuum with extensions. Simply add the extentions and a soft brush attachment and you'll be able to vacuum those high areas without creating a mess.

When dusting, work around the room in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. You don't want to go back and forth across the room, as you'll be wasting time by taking more steps than necessary. Plus there's a greater chance that you'll miss something if you jump from place to place.

When using a microfiber cloth, keep it folded. When one side is full, turn it over and continue re-folding to use all clean sections of the cloth. Your cloth will last much longer this way. Microfiber cloths can be used dry for dusting, or slightly damp for surfaces such as glass tops that have fingerprints. If the cloth is too wet, follow up with a dry cloth.

Dusting desks can be a touchy subject. Some people get upset when they find even the smallest speck of dust, while others don't want you touching their desk at all. It's best to work this out during the initial walk-through of the building. You may want to let them know that if the desk is cleared you'll do a thorough dusting, but desks with papers scattered all over won't be touched. In most cases you'll be able to work around a few papers in order to dust other areas of the desk.

When dusting desks, you should move objects such as calculators and phones to dust underneath. Be sure to replace the item in the same location on the desk. One exception to this rule however, is papers - do not move papers on desktops - dust around them. If there are lots of knick-knacks or little photo frames, you should probably check to see if they want you to move these items to dust underneath.

That's it for this week's tip. Next week we'll talk about how to dust the rest of the office.

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Steve Hanson helps owners of small cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through his online community at TheJanitorialStore.com. Read inspirational cleaning success stories at http://www.cleaning-success.com, and sign up for weekly cleaning tips at http://www.TheJanitorialStore.com.