Cleaning your house is an essential part of your life because you want a clean environment for yourself and your family. As much as cleaning is performed by many people, most individuals do not know how to go about it the correct way.
If you want to make your home as clean as possible, vacuuming and dusting are two cleaning methods that should not be left out of your cleaning routine. The question is which one should be performed first between vacuuming and dusting?
In this post we will cover:
- Should You Vacuum or Dust First?
- How Often Should You Dust?
- Why You Should Not Vacuum First
- Vacuuming tips
- The Correct Order of Cleaning
Should You Vacuum or Dust First?
Dust Before Vacuuming
It is always good to dust before vacuuming. The reason is that if you vacuum before dusting, the vacuuming will not eliminate small dust particles that are on the surfaces of your home.
When dust forms for a period of time on a surface, the layers become thicker and therefore cannot be easily eliminated.
In such an instance, you will have to dust it with a piece of cloth to remove the layers. Thicker and stubborn layers of dust might require to be cleaned several times to ensure that the surfaces affected are cleaned before they are vacuumed.
Ensure that you thoroughly dust your home so that when you use your vacuum cleaner, all the dust particles floating in the air will be vacuumed up as you vacuum your home. Dust removal is important to prevent exposure to dust, which can cause mucosal irritation.
Allergens and other dust particles are always floating in the air in your house. Therefore, wipe the surfaces of your house first using a microfiber or damp cloth to trap the dust.
Since no dusting technique can completely remove all the dust in your home, vacuuming will eliminate any dirt that remains.
Dust removal prior to vacuuming agitates dust particles from areas that are generally overlooked, such as blinds, ceiling fans, and baseboards.
The dirt accumulated in these areas ends up on your floor after some time. Dusting allows you to wipe part of the dust from where it is known to accumulate.
Dusting Tips
Now that you know that you should dust first before vacuuming, here are some of the best tips that will assist you to dust like a pro:
1. Regularly dust your house: If you want to have a clean home, you must commit to dusting on a regular basis.
The chore has to entail light dusting every few weeks, or more frequently if your house tends to get dusty. Light dusting involves cleaning exposed areas such as floors and other exposed surfaces.
The second thing in the dusting task is heavy dusting, which should be carried out once every few months. This includes cleaning hard-to-access areas that are not routinely cleaned.
Heavy dusting includes cleaning blinds, removing dust from fan blades, and on top of furniture.
2. Use a microfiber cloth: Applying the right cleaning materials is key to removing dust from your home. It is good to invest in microfiber cloths since they can reduce the bacteria amount in an area by 99 percent.
That is a significant difference compared to the 30 percent of bacteria that is usually eliminated by regular cotton cloths.
3. Begin dusting from the top: The best method of dusting is beginning at the top and finish at the bottom. For instance, if you have wardrobes that collect dust at the top, begin there and work your way downwards.
How Often Should You Dust?
The intervals at which you should dust your home depend on the areas that should be dusted in your home. This is because some areas tend to collect dirt more quickly than others.
For ceiling fans, corners, high shelves, and door frames, dusting should take place every three to six months. That is because the areas are more difficult to clean and they do not collect dust quickly.
Tables, electronics, and shelves should be dusted once a month. However, if you have respiratory or allergic conditions, dusting should be as frequent as once a week.
For floors and other lower surfaces, dusting should be done every few days, in particular for houses with high traffic. Dust tends to settle on floors and other lower surfaces quickly, hence more frequent cleaning is required.
Why You Should Not Vacuum First
If you vacuum first before dusting, you will find later that much of the dust in your house will become difficult to remove. That means that you will have to vacuum your house one more time to get the desired results.
Therefore, dusting first and then vacuuming later proves to be a better order of cleaning.
When you vacuum without dusting, some dirt will get stuck in your vacuum, such as pet hair if you have pets. That will prevent the vacuum from properly cleaning your home.
Vacuuming without dusting could result in a dirty atmosphere in your house, which is not healthy for your lungs.
Vacuuming first will pick up some of the dust in your home, but you will miss a lot of dust particles. Dusting after vacuuming will aggravate the situation since the remaining dust will not be cleaned. This will require you to vacuum several times to clean up all the dirt.
Vacuuming is powerful in assisting you to eliminate dust in your home. However, the dusting process should not be skipped or undertaken after vacuuming has been done to ensure that even the smallest particles of dust and thick layers of dust on different surfaces have all been cleaned.
Vacuuming tips
1. Vacuum filters should be cleaned regularly: ensure that the filters are cleaned from time to time to prevent suction loss of your vacuum. How the filters are cleaned depends on the model of your vacuum and the instructions provided in your user manual.
2. Consider pet hair: if you have pets, be aware of the hair shed in your home by them. Be especially careful when vacuuming, as animal hair can get stuck and the tip of your machine preventing the device from collecting dust. Therefore, ensure that all blockages are eliminated.
3. Employ a system of vacuuming: You should vacuum by beginning at one end of your carpet or room and then continuing vacuuming in a straight line. Make a 90-degree turn, then repeat the process until you are done cleaning the carpet or room.
The Correct Order of Cleaning, by First Dusting then Vacuuming
It is better to vacuum after first dusting when you are cleaning. There are different ways to undertake the process, but the best way to ensure the best outcome is as follows:
1. Start by dusting high areas first: When dusting your home, you should not only focus on the floors, but also consider dusting the higher areas, which include shelves, stairs, and tables.
The areas have to be cleaned first, because when you begin with the floors first, the dust that will come from higher areas will fall on places that you have already cleaned.
You should use a cotton, microfiber, or a fabric cloth to clean the dust because they prevent dust from flying everywhere.
2. Dust the floor: After dusting higher areas, move on to the floors. Dust them carefully, ensuring to pick up and clean all the animal or human hair and all the trash on the floor surface. Dusting the floor will provide the highest quality cleaning when vacuuming later.
3. Vacuum high areas: Vacuuming high areas should be done before vacuuming the floors. Use your vacuum’s hose attachment to vacuum the higher areas of your home, such as drapes, walls, and furniture.
4. Vacuum the floor: Just as with dusting, the floor should be vacuumed after higher areas of your home have been vacuumed. After executing all the steps outlined above, it will be easier to vacuum your floor and your home will be cleaner.
5. Dust and clean your home once again: After you have vacuumed the first time, some dust will remain on the floor. In this second cleaning segment, a cloth should be used to clean the remaining dust. A wet cloth is better. After following these guidelines, the cleaning process will be completed.
Conclusion
Vacuuming and dusting are both critical in the process of cleaning your home. However, the best way to start is by dusting to get rid of allergens and other dust particles that have built up in your house since the last time you cleaned.
If you first vacuum, most of this dust will go into the air and settle back on the surfaces in your home after a few hours.
Therefore, effective cleaning requires first dusting them with a vacuum cleaner to avoid repeated cleaning tasks.
