Throw away that yellow duster... National Trust has last word on cleaning

Rather than keeping your house spotless you are probably just rubbing the dirt around say experts

A STASH of yellow dusters can be found in almost every household. But whipping one around the sitting room can do more harm than good, according to conservation experts from the National Trust, who recommend that you bin them without further ado.

Staff have compiled The National Trust Manual of Housekeeping, which is filled with tips on cleaning houses – from grand stately piles to more modest dwellings. They will demonstrate the dos and don’ts of house maintenance in a talk at the Hay Festival this week.

Simon Murray, director of curatorship, said: “If you just take a duster to something and rub it, then all you’re doing is rubbing the dust around. Many people have gilt picture frames and if you go at them with a yellow duster, the fibres can catch and pull pieces off.”

Microfibre cloths are even worse, the Trust says. Instead, it recommends doing your dusting with a natural bristle brush, or a linen cloth.

Katy Lithgow, head of conservation, said: “We use hog hair bristle brushes on robust surfaces, and pony hair on more delicate ones.

“A soft bannister brush can be used on a table top. We do use dusters but it’s essential that they are lint free and properly hemmed. Ours are blue and white checked linen. We would never use the yellow ones.”

Furniture polish spray should not be used, the Trust’s experts say, and wax polish used sparingly. “For wood, we probably don’t use soft polish more than once a year. It just builds up layers of polish and that actually attracts dust. And we would perhaps tell you not to use any chemical solutions,” said Mr Murray. Other advice includes covering the vacuum cleaner nozzle with gauze when vacuuming expensive rugs, curtains and tapestries, and bagging up garden statues in the winter.

“We cover our statues in the winter because most get mildew. Little statues by the pond that are from B&Q or somewhere, of course you can pressure wash. But if it’s a Roman bust and family heirloom, you need to be a bit more careful.”

Books should be taken off the shelves each year, dusted and inspected for damp. The Trust uses lavender to deter moths, but said “prevention is better than cure, and lavender is no substitute for maintaining a dust-free environment all year round”. A 50:50 mix of water and white spirit is an excellent de-greaser for the removal of sticky fingerprints.

The Trust will host a “show and tell” event at the Hay Festival on Friday, with members of the public invited to bring along objects for advice on how to care for them.