I’ll No Longer Neglect This 15-Minute Cleaning Habit
We have some news that would alarm our grandmothers: Folks just don’t dust the way they used to. Data shows that millennials are especially averse, and while we get it — because, chores — dust is, well, pretty gross. And not just for your surfaces. Dust also likes to linger, affecting the quality of the air you breathe in your home.
Now for the good news: With the right tools, dusting is a quick addition to your weekly cleaning schedule. A few minutes for clearer air, shinier surfaces, and better moods? Who couldn’t use that right now? To prove just how easy and beneficial it can be, we asked Nicole Rufus — associate food editor at our sister site, Kitchn, and professed never-duster — to add the Swiffer Heavy Duty Extendable Handle Starter Kit into her routine. Here’s how it went.
Keep it easy
“I never dust,” Nicole says. “I have a lot of books, toiletries, and decor resting on my dusty surfaces, and I’m too lazy to move them. My duster needs to be slim and flexible—able to maneuver between spaces. That way I don’t have to move as much stuff.” The Swiffer Heavy Duty Duster helped Nicole defeat dust without rearranging all her stuff, and the dust was no match for its thousands of specially coated fibers that grab onto dust and don’t let go.
“I usually think of dusters as big furry contraptions, but this one was almost sleek. It was easy and moved between my things the way I wanted. And I am truly shocked at how dusty my lamp gets!”
Look down, too
When it came to her floors, Nicole tried out the Swiffer Sweeper and was amazed at how much dust it trapped. “It definitely made me much more conscious of needing to clear dust from the floor, not just my surfaces — and of how much my normal cleaning tools don’t collect.” Swiffer Heavy Duty Dusters have thousands of specially coated fibers to trap, lock, and remove more dust than traditional feather dusters, doing more work in less time.
Dust likes to hide
Next, Nicole auditioned the Swiffer Duster Heavy Duty Super Extender, which extends up to six feet, to reach a spot she’d never cleaned before: the molding around her window. “I’ve never peeked up there because it’s so high, and I hadn’t thought of it as dusty.” But just because she couldn’t see the dust doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. “The super extender made it soooo easy to clean an area I would have otherwise neglected.”
Now that Nicole’s had a chance to live in a clean, less dusty home, she sees the benefits of keeping it that way. “Dusting isn’t nearly as daunting as I made it out to be, and I wake up feeling better. I’m also making more of an effort to keep my whole space cleaner, which always lifts your spirits. From now on, every time I sweep, I’ll do a little dusting.”