“First, if you mat all entrances, inside and out, you’ll cut dusting and vacuuming in half. Once your matting is down, always DUST FIRST!

            Boo! Hiss! Snort! Argue! “If I dust first, then vacuum, it blows dust on everything I’ve dusted,” says Vera Vacleak, Dust Bowl, Arizona. If your vacuum is in that bad a shape you’re wasting your time dusting or vacuuming. A good vacuum with a decent filter bag and clamps won’t leak and spew dust over cleaned surfaces. When you see “resident dust” (it causes that dusty/burny smell when you turn your vacuum on) as well as smell it, you know your filter’s not good. A vacuum has to be maintained. Dump that bag at least once a year. (I’m kidding, of course.) Seriously, if you dump the thing frequently you’ll spend a little time emptying instead of a lot of time wondering why the vacuum isn’t picking up like it used to.

            Dusting is more than picking up minute particles of lint or airborne residue on a picture frame. Dusting is scraping dirt and dead flies off window sills; wiiping u[ eraser  rubbings and food crumbs that missed the napkin; getting all the ashes, orange and apple seeds, gum wrappers, and fingernail clippings off the living room furniture, as well as the toothpick ends cleverly hidden aroung the lamp by the easy chair; knocking mouse droppings off the drapes. If you vacuum first, all this ugly litter ends up on your freshly vacuumed floor. (Ugh!)

            I’ve heard a lot of Vacuum-Firsters argue that even a good clean well-filtered vacuum blows dust and dirt off undusted or forgotten areas onto dusted ones. Well, get rid of undusted or forgotten areas- use your imagination. Close in that dusty area, or find a way to rig your duster to get it.”

There are many questions that are asked in Do I Dust or Vacuum First that many people ask. I love this book and recommend it very highly. It is also a very funny book!

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