This Incredible Dust-Busting Cleaning Plan Will Instantly Make Your Home Better
Apartment Therapy’s Spring Cleaning Cure is a free 10-day program that’ll help you achieve a tidier home. Chat live in the comments with Apartment Therapy Founder and Author of Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure, Maxwell Ryan, today from 12 to 1 p.m. EDT to get all your questions answered.
Welcome to day one of Apartment Therapy’s Spring Cleaning Cure! Starting now, and for the next nine days, we’ll be taking on some cleaning tasks that’ll have us tidying up all around the home.
Cleaning your home from top to bottom is one of the most effective ways to clean. It’s a tip I’ve heard many times from professional cleaners. It ensures that whatever dirt or dust is lurking above falls down first, so you’re not forced to redo any of the hard work you’ve already done below. This type of efficiency is such an important factor when it comes to cleaning. You only have so much time and energy to give each day, but you also need your home to be clean. So, you want to use that time wisely.
And that’s what we’re all about this year. The Spring Cleaning Cure is made up of 10 core cleaning assignments that can be altered to fit your needs. We’ll share daily tasks that you can change to fit the time (and energy) you can offer them. You can also return to a task or skip it altogether.
Now that you’re all set to clean efficiently, let’s get into the first assignment.
Day 1: Dust the ceiling (and other hard-to-reach high spots).
Grab your preferred dusting tools (and a mask!) and get ready to say goodbye to dust in high-up places — starting with the ceiling, then moving on to other spots if you can.
You might need a variety of tools, depending on what you decide to clean. For instance, a duster with an extendable handle can be helpful for hard-to-touch nooks, while a microfiber cloth or handheld duster can be good for anything within reach. You may also need a step ladder — especially for a ceiling that has any moldings, exposed rafters, architectural details, etc. Just remember to be extra careful whenever you’re trying to access something that you can’t reach; it might be better to have someone with you for assistance.
For anything that may need a more thorough cleaning, consider damp dusting. To do that, lightly dampen a microfiber cloth or your handheld cloth duster with an all-purpose cleaner to get areas you can reach, or spray directly on an expandable microfiber cloth mop to swipe up at areas you can’t easily reach.
Here are some areas to consider dusting:
Ceiling or wall-mounted light fixtures
Ceiling vents or ductwork
Exposed rafters, ceiling molding, or other architectural details
Ceiling fans (try the pillowcase trick!)
Curtain rods
The tops and sides of door frames and window frames
The tops of furniture, like cabinets
The tops and sides of wall-mounted radiators or air conditioning units
The top and sides of a wall-mounted TV
The tops of picture frames that hang on the wall
The best part of getting this task done is how quickly it’ll make you feel good and breathe better — even if you dust just one spot. Make sure to step away from the area you dusted afterward and return later.
PRO TIP: An air purifier can help clear the air after dusting and maintain better air quality in your home overall. This Coway Airmega AP-1512HH was our Air Purifier winner in our 2024 Cleaning Awards.
Have questions about dusting up high or about spring cleaning in general? Submit your questions in the comment section and Apartment Therapy’s founder and author of Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure, Maxwell Ryan, will answer them on April 15 between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. EDT.
Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty
More Ways to Participate in the Spring Cleaning Cure
Sign up for email updates.
Visit the 2024 Spring Cleaning Cure page and catch up on assignments.
Join the Apartment Therapy Cure Facebook group.
Download the Spring Cleaning Cure calendar.
Check off that you’ve completed this task and track your overall progress here.
See all the winners from our 2024 Cleaning Awards.
Sign up for The Refresh, our weekly cleaning and organizing newsletter.
The Cure Program is a tradition here at Apartment Therapy — it happens every January, April, and September. Click here to learn more about the year-round program and when to sign up.
