Keeping Your House Clean

Tackle Cleaning Jobs as You See Them

By Gem from VA

Keep Your Home Clean and Green: Reducing Dust

Dust Reducing Tips:

• Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter (high-efficiency particulate air filter) on all of your floors and surfaces. HEPA filters catch dust and trap it effectively so you can safely dispose of it outside the home. Many vacuums catch large particles and blow the smaller particles back out into the air. HEPA filtration prevents this re-circulation and isolates all the contaminated dust you capture.

• Vacuum floors and upholstered fabrics once a week to avoid dust build-up.

• Vacuum or (when possible) wash curtains and drapes frequently in hot water.

• When vacuuming, improve ventilation by opening doors and windows. Send children and pets out of the room.

• To kill any dust mites that might be present, bedding and mattress pads should be washed at least once a week in hot water that is at least 130 F. If you don't want to set your water heater that high, use the commercial grade washers at a laundromat.

• Allergy experts recommend washing your pillows occasionally in the washing machine. Feather pillows can be washed using a delicate cycle and a small amount of detergent. Dry them on low in the dryer with several tennis balls to restore their fluff.

• Dust frequently, at least weekly. Avoid feather dusters or other tools that simply stir up dust so you can inhale it before it settles back onto surfaces.

• Use a damp cloth or mop instead, rinsing frequently in a bucket of hot water.

• Use wood or other hard surfaces for flooring wherever possible. Non-carpeted flooring won't trap dust and pollutants and is easier to clean and maintain.

• Where you need something soft, use washable rugs made from natural fibers that won't off-gas toxic chemicals or require the use of toxic adhesives.

• Avoid using traditional spray cleaners or furniture waxes when dusting. These products contain a variety of synthetic chemicals and are considered some of the most toxic cleaning products available.

• Keep walkways and entrances to your home free of dirt, soil, and other materials that can get tracked into the house.

• Make use of doormats near exterior doors, and vacuum them regularly to make sure they don't become a source of dust.

• Shoes are one of the prime ways dust (and pollutants) enter the home. Post a friendly sign asking everyone to remove their shoes before entering.

• Get rid of excess clutter. It attracts dust and makes it harder to keep surfaces clean. (It also makes your brain dusty.) Store and display collections and knick knacks in glass cabinets or display cases.

• Ban smoking in your home. Tobacco smoke contributes to the particulate pollution burden your home's dust carries (especially the volatile organic compound benzene). Secondhand smoke also poses a direct threat to your health.

• Purify the air in every room with a plant. Plants naturally absorb many of the toxic gases that a modern home traps inside. NASA studies have shown that spider plants, philodendron, and pothos can absorb as much as 80% of the formaldehyde in a room in 24 hours.

• Washing your pets regularly and keep them well-groomed to cut down on dander. With a bit of training, even cats will tolerate the occasional bath.

By Ellen Brown

My Frugal Life: How I Save Money By Keeping a Clean House

Entryway or Doorway

Living room, Family room, Hallways and Bedrooms

Weekly (or more often if we use the fireplace), I wipe down the light bulbs with a damp rag, while the light bulbs are cold. Dusty lights do not put out as much light, which makes a person unnecessarily use a higher watt bulb, or turn on more lights than necessary. I also clean the globes on the ceiling light fixtures every month or more often. It only takes a couple of minutes for nice bright results.

I hit the windows once a week on the inside with a vinegar and water solution. The outside I get about once a month. I do have newer windows and I can get the outside from the inside. This allows more light into the house, keeping the lights off.

I wipe down the TV screen and electronics every few days. This keeps dirt and dust from collecting on them and making them last longer.

Once a day, I take a rag damp with vinegar water or bleach water (diluted) and wipe surfaces down to help prevent the passing on of germs. These surfaces include the remote controls, telephones, door and cabinet knobs. It only takes me about 5 minutes to do the entire house.

I don't like clutter in the house. I have been in houses where it is cold, and I see that they have boxes and stuff stacked up over the heat registers. I make sure ours are uncovered while the A/C or heat are on. I also make sure that clutter or shoes do not block doorways. This ensures that doors can be completely shut. I keep our closet doors closed so that we are not paying to heat or cool the inside of the closet.

Twice a year, I rotate and flip the mattresses and then vacuum them. This extends the life of the mattress. If you have a larger/heavier person in your home, you would probably want to flip and rotate them more often.

I wash the curtains every few months and rehang them in the opposite window. This allows them to sun fade more evenly and be replaced less often. I just throw them in with the regular laundry and line dry.

Kitchen and dining room

Bathroom

In the Basement

Laundry

Office

Yard, Garage, Barn

Declutter! Turn unwanted items into cash. Sell them; get them out of the way. If it's trash, then put it out with the trash. Otherwise, you are basically storing garbage, paying yourself to heat and cool it, and to clean around it. Also, you can donate items and get a receipt for your taxes.

By Mom-from-Missouri

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