No matter how hard we clean, dust always comes back. Hands down, the worst place to let it accumulate is your bedroom. Breathing in dust mites and allergens for eight straight hours a night? Luckily, there are ways to reduce dust in your bedroom and remove it more effectively. Fighting dust is a battle that you can win! Here are eight ways to keep dust out of your bedroom: If you’re only going to do one thing to reduce dust in your bedroom, do this. Wash your pillows and bed linens once a week. Tip: To completely eradicate dust mites, wash your sheets at 130 degrees or higher. The fewer surfaces you have in your bedroom, the fewer places dust has a chance to collect. Go minimalist with your bedroom décor by clearing away knickknacks, decorations and furniture that aren’t serving a clear purpose. No matter how seriously you take step number two, you can’t remove your floor, but dust will accumulate there. Be diligent about keeping your clothes off of the floor and vacuum regularly.
If you have rugs, make a habit of taking them outside and beating them with a broom or an old tennis racket once a month. Dusting with a dry microfiber cloth is a great start, but if you really want to remove dust from all surfaces, dampen the cloth. Surface-clean your bedroom once a week with the damp cloth, including all wood or metal furniture. Tip: Don’t forget about windowsills! Take a quick survey of the furniture in your bedroom. Is any of it upholstered? If it is, consider removing it or swapping it out with another piece of furniture in your home. Dust mites love heavy fabric and upholstery. It doesn’t matter if your bedroom closet is full of clothes, bedding or towels – they all collect dust. Box or bag items and place them on shelves that are easy to reach and easy to clean. We recommend clear plastic containers for items like seasonal clothing, because they lock out dust and can be wiped down in a matter of minutes. Not only do shoes track in dirt from outside, they also track in allergens – in other words, dust.
Create a household shoe policy to keep shoes out of the bedroom. Tip: Store them on a shoe rack or in baskets next to your front door, instead. Keep your pet’s toys, bedding and other belongings in a separate area of your home to avoid pet dander from coming into contact with your bed. If you must have your pet sleep in the same room as you, you can reduce pet dander by routinely washing your pet’s bed.Have you ever moved a piece of furniture only to discover a ridiculous amount of dirt, dust and stuff (like toys) under the furniture? It happened to me and I was so embarrassed I vowed it would never happen again. To prevent future embarrassment, I started moving the furniture and cleaning underneath regularly. But that got old fast! It was a LOT of work and it seemed like such a waste since most of the time nobody looked under there anyway. So I came up with a better way and it has served me well! I’m rarely embarrassed when a piece of furniture is moved.
It’s not perfect under my furniture but it’s never very bad. I can live with that. Here’s the easy way to clean under furniture – no moving required! I have several tools I use for cleaning under the furniture: My choice of tools depends on which one I happen to have out. For example, I usually clean under the dining room dresser when I’m mopping. The mop fits perfectly under the dresser and I just swish it a couple of times and it’s good as new. I also clean under the dresser when I vacuum. I put the hose attachment under the dresser and fling it around under there. I vacuum daily and about once I week I use the hose attachment under the couches. Again, not a big deal – I just shove the hose under the furniture and fling it around. It’s amazing how much it gets. If I happen to have the Webster out, it does a great job under the couches & chairs, too: When I’m vacuuming the kitchen, I use the hose attachment to get under the stove and refrigerator and the grill on the front of the refrigerator:
Under my bed has always been a challenge. The wood floor part is easy – I use the broom, vacuum or mop. But we have a rug partially under the big and I definitely don’t want to try lifting the bed and pulling that rug out. I hadn’t figured out what to do until I got my stick vacuum. It fits perfectly under the bed and does a great job on the rug: So if you avoid cleaning under your furniture because you don’t have time to move everything, then don’t. Use whatever tool you happen to have out that will work and get what you can. Is it a perfect method? But it’s definitely better than nothing. Since I’ve been doing this, I’ve never been embarrassed by the areas under my furniture. Do you clean under your furniture? Do you think this method would work for you?Today's mission: to clean underneath the bed. Remove all storage items first. If you can easily move the bed, it will make cleaning a breeze. However, if not, use the long vacuum attachment to pick up the dust and debris, being careful to take notice of small items like hairpins or toy parts that may have fallen underneath.
If the surface isn't carpeted, use the appropriate cleaner to treat the surface. Use our Do-It-All Cleaning Guide for tips on how to clean various surfaces. How to Clear Dirty Drains The Best Way to Clean Grimy Grout How to Banish Cat Pee Stains and Stink How to Clean the Slots in a Knife Block Make Every Single Spot in Your Home Smell Better 4 Ways to Prep Your Home For Winter How to Know When to Replace Your Pillows 50 Years of Helpful HintsDK - House Works, 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited A good night's sleep starts with a good bed. How does yours stack up? Since we spend one-third of our lives in them, beds and mattresses deserve proper care. They'll repay us with a clean, healthy place to sleep. The Pea Princess' Guide to Mattress CareWhile the fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea" was meant to show the delicacy of the true princess, in reality, it showed up her future mother-in-law's housekeeping habits. Keep your castle's bedding in top shape with these tips for mattress care:
Just as our bodies need the support of a good mattress, so mattresses need a proper place to rest. Purchase mattress and box springs as a set to make sure that the two pieces will work together harmoniously. Check the bed frame; larger mattress sizes — queen- or king-sized beds — require center support or full-width slats to span the wider width. Take a seasonal spin. Unless the manufacturer advises otherwise, rotate mattresses from heel to toe when the seasons change. To rotate, revolve the end of the mattress nearest the headboard toward the foot of the bed, then nudge the mattress back into place on the box springs. Rotating mattresses helps prevent the formation of sleeping "wallows," caused by the same body in the same spot every night.Some mattresses should also be flipped when the seasons change. While pillow-top mattresses should not be flipped, other mattresses wear more evenly when the bottom surface nearest the box spring is flipped over to the top of the bed during a seasonal rotation.
Check with your manufacturer for specific recommendations for your model.Kids enjoy bouncing on the bed, but the poor mattresses loathe the practice. Discourage these child gymnasts. Jumping on beds can damage mattresses and box springs, and fracture bed frames.Sweet dreams are the goal, but accidents happen. Protect mattresses from messy mishaps with mattress pads. They'll absorb moisture and spills before they soak through to the mattress.Regular vacuuming will keep mattresses clean and fresh. Remove all bedding from the mattress, then use the upholstery brush to vacuum the top surface and sides of the mattress. Vacuuming removes dust, skin flakes and the dust mites that feed upon body waste. Vacuum mattresses thoroughly when rotating them seasonally.If a stain does occur, use an upholstery shampoo as directed to remove it. An alternative cleaner, recommended by manufacturers for use on mattresses, is called "dry suds." Create them by placing about 1/4 cup of liquid dishwashing detergent in a small mixer bowl.
Turn the mixer on, and add a few teaspoons of water, a teaspoon at a time. The bowl will quickly fill with foam. Scrape the top layer of foam into a small bowl, and take it to the mattress. Rub the stained area gently with the foam, using a sponge or a soft brush, being sure not to wet the padding beneath. Leave the mattress exposed until it is thoroughly dry before replacing the bedding. DK - House Works, 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited Launder bedding and pillows. If you change bedding for the season, air out the spring blankets before putting them on bed. Store winter bedding after having it cleaned. Controlling Allergens in the BedroomCarpet, window treatments and mattresses collect dust and dander and provide a happy playground for dust mites. Found anywhere there are humans, humidity and higher temperatures, dust mites are a major cause of allergic symptoms in the home. More correctly, it's their feces and dead body parts that cause allergic reactions — and their food source is us!
Dust mites feed on discarded skin flakes, making bedding and bedrooms prime dust-mite real estate. Over the years, they'll multiply inside mattresses to the point where it's estimated that 50 percent of the weight of a 10-year-old mattress is caused by dust mites and their leavings. If family members wake each morning with puffy eyes and sneezing noses, it's time to control allergens in the bedroom. Fight back against dust mites, dander, dust and pollen with these tips:Use vinyl covers designed to form a barrier between mites and the mattress.Pillows, comforters and other items should be made from synthetic fibers. Encase pillows in vinyl covers for added protection. Clean well and often. Regular cleaning is the best defense against allergens and dust mites. Send Duff to other quarters. Bed down household pets in an area outside the bedroom if allergies are a problem. Pet dander is an allergen for many, and pets shed fur and skin cells, too, promoting dust mite populations.
Banish Duff from the bedroom at night, and make it up to him with extra walkies in the morning — after a good night's sleep. Keep humidity levels low. Dust mites die back when there's insufficient moisture in the air. In humid climates, use a portable or whole-house dehumidifier to reduce in-house humidity levels to between 30 percent and 50 percent.Mites thrive in warm weather, so keep household temperatures lower in the bedroom.Fight back with spring cleaning. Because mites grow best in warm, humid weather, take advantage of early spring to clean the house. Vacuuming and dusting will remove the mites who've wintered over before they can run riot in spring.Stuffed toys are a comfort for children of all ages, but harbor dust mites just as mattresses do. Replace the teddy bear with a plastic model for a healthier night's sleep. Wash bedding often, in hot water. Temperatures of 130 degrees F are required to kill mites; mites can survive cold water washing. Wash sheets and pillowcases weekly, and give pillows, comforters and blankets a trip to the washer every month to six weeks.