House Cleaning Tip | Feather Dusters

Feather Dusters – The Good and the Bad

The Bad – What most people experience with feather dusters

The big box stores have given these wonderful tools a bad name! So here is a house cleaning tip that will save you a lot of money.

When you go to the grocery store you will inevitably find a feather duster like the one on the right.  You say to yourself “I am tired of buying those $6 static cloths and then throwing them away, I am going to get a feather duster.”  These are usually made from cheep goose or even chicken feathers.  Most sell for around $1, or even a 4 pack for $1.99 (like you need 4 worthless dusters!).  They come with a plastic handle and 15 minutes after you bring them home, you throw them in the trash can.  What Maid to Shine commonly hears from customers is “Feather dusters do not work, they only spread the dirt around, they do not pick up the dirt.”

The Truth – There is a big difference in feather dusters

So what makes a feather duster a “good” feather duster?  The answer is the type of feathers you use.  The best feather dusters come from ostrich down. Only the down feathers of the ostrich trap dirt.   There is also a difference in the color of the duster.  Gray ostrich feather dusters come from female birds and black ostrich feather dusters come from male birds.  The black feathers are softer and trap dirt better, so try to buy one with black feathers, however black will be more expensive as there are approximately 4 female birds to ever 1 male bird.

How much should a good ostrich duster cost?

The average duster should cost between $10 and $20.  This all depends on the type and size of handle you get and how well the manufacture secured the feathers to the handle (the feather will fall out if they are not secured correctly).

How to use an ostrich feather duster

This type of feather duster acts like a static cloths you buy and throw away but you can reuse an ostrich feather duster.

The most important house cleaning tip with using your new ostrich feather duster is to be very gentle.  When we hire a new Cleaning Tech they will always try to push hard on the duster because they want a tactile feeling.  The feather duster has almost no feeling when using the tool.  If you press hard you will loose feathers from the handle.

Cleaning the ostrich feather duster

The great thing about a feather duster is that it is easy to clean.  Simply hold the duster near the floor and shake it vigorously.  The dust will fall to the floor.  Do not worry about getting the duster wet (bird live outside) but do not use the duster wet, it will not work.  The best way to dry a duster is to get an empty and clean glass and put the duster upside down in the glass to let it dry.

Please Check out our other House Cleaning Tips on our Blog from the professionals at Maid to Shine.

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