How to Get Rid of Dust From Every Type of Surface at Home

Hardwood Floors: To bust that dust, run a vacuum over your hardwood floors weekly, and mop monthly. If your floors get a lot of foot traffic, increase the frequency of both. Also, consider investing in a wet/dry vacuum mop, which sucks and scrubs simultaneously. A two-for-one tool that cuts cleaning hours will always get top marks.

Tineco Floor One S3 Extreme Wet/Dry Vacuum, Amazon, $400.

Wall-to-Wall Carpeting: One of the best dusting methods for carpeting is to stop dust and dirt at its source — us.

Place doormats outside every exterior door to encourage sole scraping before coming inside. Make your home a “no shoe” zone, with a dedicated shoe rack right by the door and maybe even a basket of slides for guests.

Outside of these dust-busting preventions, vacuuming often is a must. Look for a vacuum with its own built-in HEPA air filter, such as Miele’s canister models, to give your regular vacuuming sessions that extra air-cleaning kick.

Complete C3 Limited Edition Cannister Vacuum, Miele, $750.

Beds: Yep, when it comes to dust accumulation, beds definitely count as a household “surface.” Vacuuming under and behind each bed should be done every three to six months, depending on how often you use the room.

When in there, take a few minutes to vacuum both sides of the mattress, too — they can be a hotbed of dust mite activity. A waterproof mattress protector is also a must, to cut down on dust getting into crevices where it doesn’t belong.

Tip: Make sure your sheets and bedding can handle hot-water wash cycles. At the end of every season, haul pillows and comforters to the laundry room for a high-heat wash, which will kill any microscopic critters (blarg!).

Waterproof Mattress Protector, Octave, $69-$148.

Fans and Vents: Safety always comes first, so make sure all the power sources to the fans and HVAC systems are turned off. Now, with an extendible microfibre duster or a soft-brush vacuum-hose extension, remove all the loose dust.

Then go in and wipe down each side of the fan blades or vent cover with a microfibre cloth and your favourite grease-cutting, all-purpose cleaner.

(If you need a step ladder to reach the vents or blades, please have someone to spot you. Remember, safety first!)

OXO Microfiber Extendable Duster, Amazon, $33.

Hard Furniture: To keep dust at bay, we need to be dusting our hard furnishings every week… that’s right, every week. So, we’re talking coffee tables, side tables, dining chairs, floating shelves and bookcases… they all need the onceover once a week.

To help with this daunting domestic task, reach for a microfibre cloth and a furniture dusting spray. Sprays are formulated to trap maximum dust particles, which in turn reduces the elbow grease required.

Thymes Frasier Fir Wood Cleaning Spray, Home Treasures, $23.

Soft Furnishings: Just because we can’t see dust on our sofa doesn’t mean it’s not there — trust us, it is. But since we can’t use a broom or a mop on our favourite upholstered armchair, the best dusting methods for soft furnishings involves steam and suction.

Whether it’s a specialty steam-cleaning machine or a garment steamer you already have, as long as that water vaporizes, so will the dust (kind of). The hot-water vapour lifts odours and kills surface-dwelling dust mites instantly. But you’ll need to go over it afterwards with a vacuum’s upholstery attachment to remove the residual dust particles from the fabric.

CleanWise All-In-One Handheld Steamer, Walmart, $43.

Tech and Electronics: You’re happily typing away in your home office at your “clean” computer until the light hits it just so and you realize there’s more dust than tech!

Notorious dust magnets, such as TVs, computers, printers and speakers, could all use a gentle, weekly wipe down with a clean microfibre cloth. For those hard-to-reach corners and crevices, an extendible microfibre duster should do the trick. Oh, and be sure to vacuum around vents, cords and outlets too — pet hair and larger, lighter bits really like to congregate there.

Note: Always unplug electronics before cleaning on or around electronics.

Pepprig Microfibre Cloth, IKEA Canada, $2/2 pack.

Walls and Baseboards: Cobwebs, drywall dust and pet hair really like to stick to walls and hang out on baseboards. A powerful vacuum, with multiple extension attachments, is one of the best dusting methods for this tricky home terrain.

If a high-end vacuum isn’t available, a dry Swiffer Sweeper makes an effective alternative. Work back and forth from the ceiling downwards, trapping dust as you traverse to the floor. For those sticky baseboard spots (yuck!), wet a cleaning cloth with water or an all-purpose cleaner and wipe away.

Swiffer Sweeper 2-in-1 Dry + Wet Floor Mopping and Sweeping Kit, Canadian Tire, $18.

Curios and Collectibles: For those small precious items — think wood carvings or ceramic objets du art — we need to dust with care. A soft, natural-bristle brush will get into those diminutive dips and dents where dust likes to congregate, and gently lift them out.

Pickup a sweet mini dustpan and brush for those tiny tasks, or raid your makeup cabinet for a no-longer-used powder brush.

Navaris Small Dustpan and Brush Set, Amazon, $18.

Air: No matter how often we wipe, wash or wring, dust is always going to be there. But, with the help of a high-powered air purifier, we can cut down on how much floats around our home on any given day.

Look for one with a HEPA filter that captures contaminants of varying sizes, such as wildfire smoke, dust mites, pollen and animal dander. Bonus if the filter is washable, like this Blueair model, which helps cut down on household waste.

Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max, Home Depot, $400.