Lambswool? Feather? Microfiber? Which Duster is Best for Me?

Dusters come in many materials, shapes and sizes. There are so many different options on the market, how do you determine which one to buy?

Don’t waste your time and your money testing duster after duster. We have your comprehensive guide to picking the best duster for your home and office.

1) Feather Dusters

Brought to fame by their association with a typical maid or housekeeper, these dusters are great for certain tasks. Expensive homes have expensive items such as pictures, artwork, figurines, and other delicate items individuals look to collect and showcase. They collect dust just like everything else, but they cannot be dusted just like everything else. Do you really want your maid using a vacuum cleaner to dust your $10,000 Picasso painting? Neither do we, and that is where feather dusters come in handy. Feather dusters are not good at picking up dust, but are exceptional at knocking the dust off of delicate and fragile items that you do not want to make contact with.

2) Vacuum Dusters

Many people use the dusting attachment with their vacuum cleaner to clean portions of their home and office. The vacuum duster is exceptional for dusting large or very concentrated areas of dust, and it is great at dusting hard to reach areas. Overall the vacuum duster method is as effective as a microfiber duster, but the cost, preparation and labor involved, make it only ideal for large cleaning jobs. Places to use vacuum dusters are baseboards, tables, ledges, on top of cabinets or shelves, or simply a dusty apartment that hasn’t been cleaned in a while. Unlike the other types of dusters, vacuums suck in the dust, so you don’t have to remove dust from the head.

3) Microfiber Dusters

One of the newest and trendiest words in the cleaning industry, “microfiber” is a game changer when it comes to general cleaning and dusting. Manufactured from polyester and other synthetic polyamide combinations, microfiber has become the standard in green cleaning services, materials, and dusters. The material has a self-created electrostatic charge that locks on to dust and dirt, it has tiny fibers that are able to reach deep into surfaces, and with a spray of water it has much greater dusting capabilities. Microfiber is great at dusting surfaces, tables, chairs, ledges, cabinets, floors, walls, ceilings and all flat surfaces. Does it have any weaknesses? Carpets, rugs, sofas, upholstery, delicate and fragile items, and dusty and dirty surfaces are areas not to use microfiber dusters on.

4) Lambswool Dusters

Made from, yes, the wool of lamb, the lambswool duster is a common material for dusters. Just like microfiber, it contains a natural magnetic static that attracts and holds onto dust, which makes it a very ideal material for general dusting. The only difference between microfiber and lambswool is that microfiber is easier to launder, as it can be thrown into the washing machine, while lambswool has very special instructions on how to clean it so that it can still effectively attract and collect dust. Lambswool dusters are good at dusting irregular places, corners, and flat surfaces.

5) Air Compression Dusters

Everyone should have a can of compressed air that is intended to remove dust from electronics, plug holes, and other very small, delicate areas. Great for cleaning keyboards, mice, computers, cell phones, appliances and other home and office electronics. Simply insert the small tube and press the trigger and, voila, it shoots air out the other end.

In order to achieve a comprehensive cleaning program, it is best to have all of the above dusters. Of course it is more than possible to use only one or two of the dusters above, but each one serves a very specific purpose that cannot be accomplished as well as the others.

Which duster do you use in your home or office?