If it’s time for a deep clean of your home, you may want to grab the duster and just go at it. Dusting is a task that should be done on a regular basis, but it’s not always the case. There’s a right way and a wrong way to dust. Read on for a few simple tips to make your dusting tasks a breeze.

Should You Vacuum First? 

When you dust, all of the dirt and particles will fall on the floor. It only makes sense to dust first, then vacuum. You may want to get right to vacuuming, remember that dusting first is always the best approach.

Where To Start

When you're trying to tackle cleaning the entire house, it can be difficult to decide where to start. The best strategy is to start at the doorway of any room and work your way inward. You should also start at the ceiling and work your way down to the floor. It can be easy to forget ceiling lights, fans, and other fixtures that are high up but it’s important to get at these areas because dust often collects thickly there. Some other places to be sure you dust are:

Bookshelves

Televisions

Baseboards

Countertops

Microwave

Door frames

The deeper of a clean that you’re looking to achieve the more areas you’ll need to focus. For routine dusting, you can do more of a once-over approach. This way, you won’t need to spend hours on dusting each time you go to clean your home if you keep up with it. 

Frequent Dusting Will Keep Your Home In Better Condition

The more often you dust, the better condition the things in your home will be. Dust can place undue wear and tear on furniture and break down electronic items. Dusting will prevent scratches and blemishes because dirt won’t be on the issues to scratch them. Your furniture will look like new after a deep clean. You’ll appreciate the shine!                 

Other Areas To Focus On 

Don’t forget to dust these other key areas in your home when you’re doing a deep clean:

Vents

Corners of rooms

Doors

Lights

Picture frames

Lampshades

There are even a few ways that you can prevent dust from collecting in your home. Try using area rugs and pull up wall-to-wall carpeting. Use doormats at each entrance to your home to help keep the dust from collecting there. Keeping the windows in your home closed is also a great way to prevent dust and pollen from collecting in your house. 

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The number one factor that affects the length of time a house remains on the market is curb appeal. That's the consensus of real estate professionals across the country, and was documented in a recent study by a well-known real estate website.

So if it's such a high priority, then why do a lot of homeowners skimp on that aspect of preparing their home for a fast sale? Sometimes it's a lack of awareness; other times it may be a lack of money. In extreme cases, it can be quite pricey to transform a home from "shabby" to "exquisite!" That's an unusual scenario, though, and in most cases the cost of enhancing your home's curb appeal should be both affordable and cost effective.

Where to Begin

The ideal visual (and visceral) effect you want to achieve can be summed up in ten words: fresh, well cared for, aesthetically pleasing, manicured, meticulous, updated, and clean. Perhaps a more concise way to describe the image you want to project to potential buyers is "pride of ownership." Once you're conveying that impression, people are going to make positive assumptions about the value and condition of your home. While it's not necessary that the front of your property and home look perfect in every imaginable way, it is important to pay attention to small details and overall impressions.

Some homeowners will see this goal as an overwhelming challenge, but it doesn't have to be. The first hurdle is to take care of the basics, such as making sure your lawn always looks freshly mowed and that there's no signs of peeling or faded paint on your home and garage. Pulling weeds, placing a few colorful hanging flower baskets in strategic locations, and trimming overgrown bushes and trees are also effective ways to make your property look more desirable.

An advantage of working with a seasoned real estate agent is that they can quickly size up the outside appearance of your home, and make cost-effective suggestions of ways to improve curb appeal and increase the attractiveness of your property. When it comes to selling your house in the shortest period of time, first impressions are vitally important.

One helpful tactic for getting your house noticed by house hunters and real estate agents is to take a walk (or drive) in your neighborhood to see how your curb appeal stacks up to other homes for sale in the area. Ideally, you want your home to look at least as good, if not better, than other nearby properties. Since potential buyers may be focusing their search on specific neighborhoods, such as yours, you'll be giving yourself more of an "inside track" in the real estate market by making sure your home compares favorably to others in the immediate area -- both inside and out.

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