Types of Dusting Tools

The time-honored piece of old tee-shirt from the rag bag – or any white, cotton cloth, is a mainstay for a variety of dusting tasks. Gentle on delicate objects (like vases) and easy to push into most corners, the dust cloth, with or without a dusting spray, is a helpful dusting tool.

Microfiber cloths are a newer variation on the dust cloth. They can be used damp or dry to clean fragile or delicate surfaces, and usually leave very little lint behind.

Compressed Air

This cleaner in a can is the only approved way to get the dust out of a computer keyboard. It’s also one of the best dusting tools for pianos, copiers, faxes, and other office equipment with hard-to-reach places.

Dusters

Whether made of feathers or lamb’s wool, dusters come with an elongated handle to give you extra reach for picture rail moldings and the baseboard behind furniture. Electrostatic dusters hold onto dust better than many other types of dusters on a liner that you strip off and replace when it’s used up.

Mops

A dust mop is a dry mopping device that collects dust from a floor. It is better than a broom at holding the dust—with a broom, you run the risk of spreading it. Mops can be cleaned by shaking them out outdoors or into a bag, or vacuumed.

Swabs

When you need to get dust out of small spaces and don’t want to use expensive compressed air, try a cotton swab. These small, two-headed tools should be moistened to avoid leaving bits of cotton—and it’s worth buying a name brand: the house brands tend to lose their ends or have the stick poke through the cotton more often.

Vacuum Cleaners

A vacuum comes with a variety of attachments to collect dust from many different surfaces, including floors, venetian blinds, walls, ceilings, and upholstery in both the house and the car. For those with dust allergies, a vacuum with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter is one of the most useful of the many dusting tools.