In partnership withLibman

This is the Smartest Way to Dust Your Bedroom

published Mar 30, 2021
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Credit: Nathan Rigaud

Apartment Therapy’s Spring Cleaning Cure is a free 20-day cleaning plan that helps you tackle the most common spring cleaning tasks to give your home its deepest clean yet. Sign up now to get all 20 lessons in your inbox.

Fun fact! I hate cleaning. But I think that’s what makes me such a good cleaning editor: I don’t want to work a second harder or longer than I have to to keep my home looking and feeling its best.

In the spirit of “work smarter, not harder,” let me introduce you to my go-to bedroom dusting routine: It starts at the top, where I dust the ceiling fan, skylight, and everything up high in the room. Then I strip the bed. Then I clean everything else.

If washing the sheets is part of your bedroom cleaning routine, you might be tempted to strip the bed first just to get the laundry going. But when you do that, all the dust from your ceiling fan or light fixture will just hit your bare mattress. Take advantage of your about-to-be-washed sheets as a built-in dust catcher, so you can skip a step and eliminate the mess from your life right away.

Credit: Nathan Rigaud
Taryn is using Libman's Flexible Microfiber Mop to reach way up to her ceiling fan. Its 7-foot extension pole makes it easy to get up to the hard-to-reach areas.

If you have time to launder your sheets today, you can take advantage of my tip. If not, no worries — just be careful and clean up after to make sure you’re not covering your bed in dust bunnies.

Do you want to try it?

Credit: Nathan Rigaud
The Flexible Microfiber Duster uses a reusable, machine-washable microfiber duster with dusting fingers that pick up dust and allergens.

Day 16: Dust the light fixtures and everything up high in the bedroom.

We did this in the living room a few days ago. Now we’ll do the same thing in the bedroom. Grab your dusting tools (if you have something with an extendable handle, that will be handy!) and hit up these high-up hot spots:

  • The ceiling fan
  • Ceiling or wall-mounted light fixtures
  • The tops of door frames and window frames
  • The tops of your curtain rods and finials
  • The tops of picture frames that hang on the wall
  • The top and sides of a wall-mounted TV
  • The top and sides of wall-mounted radiators or air conditioning units
  • Vents or ductwork on or near the ceiling
  • Exposed rafters, ceiling molding, or other architectural details
  • The tops of tall bookshelves or cabinets
Credit: Nathan Rigaud
The "flexible" part of the Flexible Microfiber Duster lets you reach a variety of surfaces, nooks, and crannies; bend the head to get whatever furniture top, fan blade, or picture frame you want to clean.

Once you’re done, you can put those sheets in the wash, or vacuum up any dust you left behind. And if you notice any parts of your bed linens that need more attention, we’ll get to that tomorrow.

Taryn's Tips

The order that you dust your home matters. Start with fixtures and features at the top, allowing dust to fall to the surfaces below — before you clean them too.

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Credit: Nathan Rigaud