I’ll admit I’m not a big fan of those greasy, filmy spray cleaners for dusting. When I was a kid, my mom would make me dust the entire house with a can of Endust and I’ve kind of grown averse to it since then. So, now I’ve been looking for a greener, more natural way to dust my furniture. I often use Swiffers, but they don’t really get a good deep clean in.

When cruising the forums the other day, I came upon a good idea for a homemade dusting solution:

Mix about three teaspoons of lemon juice ad about 5 to 10 drops of oil in a Ziploc baggy. Shake it up and then place a microfiber cloth in the bag and let it sit overnight. There’s your new dust rag.

As for what types of oils you can use, olive oil is fine, but you can also use tea tree oil to disinfect.

For a spray type cleaner, you can use:

• half a cup of Murphy’s oil soap
• one tablespoon of rubbing alcohol
• one cup of water
• 3 tablespoons of castile soap
• 10 to 15 drops of essential oil (for scent)

Of course, I don’t need to tell you that you should always wipe with the grain and never spray directly onto the wood.  As for preventing dust in the first place, an air purifier helps a bit, but it is also good to remove clutter (newspapers and magazines) as this creates dust in the air. Also, having a “no-shoes” indoors policy reduces the amount of dust floating in the air (and then alighting on your tables and surfaces).

If you’re looking for a good place to get cheap essential oils, check out: Kalyx.com Herbs & Foods

Photo by chaps1