It can be frustrating to give a room a vacuum only to discover the floor is still dusty the next day, but this often happens if you are not cleaning skirting boards properly. Skirting boards tend to be one of the dustier places in the home as they are made of material that generates a lot of static electricity, which will attract any airborne particles.
This means that dust, pet hair, pollen and other debris will easily stick to skirting boards, but Sharyl Calibayan, an expert from the UK Construction Blog has shared a very simple way to repel dust – and all you need are some dryer sheets. Sharyl said: “Use fabric softener sheets to reduce static and repel dust. After cleaning, wipe the skirting boards with a dryer sheet to keep them dust-free longer.”
Dryer sheets are designed to soften clothes, but they also contain compounds that remove static electricity, preventing clothes from sticking together as they dry.
When you wipe a dryer sheet on a surface, it leaves behind an anti-static coating that helps prevent dust from settling in that area.
This is a simple and effective way to reduce dust buildup in a room, meaning you will not need to vacuum or clean your skirting boards as often.
How to keep dust away from skirting boards
To begin, you need to wash your skirting boards as you normally would to remove any excess dust and dirt.
Dryer sheets only repel dust, so you need to wash away any debris that is already on the skirting boards if you want the anti-static coating to stick to them.
Fill a basin with warm water and a few drops of washing-up liquid. Dip a microfiber cloth or mop into the solution, give the skirting boards a thorough clean, then dry them with a separate clean cloth.
Then, grab a fresh or used dryer sheet, and wipe it across a skirting board. Make sure to get into the top edge and corner as these areas tend to be the dustiest.
Skirting boards can stay dust-free for at least two weeks, and often up to a month or longer. However, rooms with high humidity, carpeted floors, or pets are more prone to dust buildup, so the the dryer sheet method will still help, but the effect may not last as long.