Trying to keep dust away in a house full of kids is like raking leaves in a windstorm.
Kids have no awareness of the war against dust. They run through dust dancing in mid-air that appears from sun streaming through a window like they are running through a sprinkler. As early as two years old they figure out if they bounce on the couch a dust cloud will poof out. This makes them smile. As school age children you may even find them writing their names in the dust on your dresser. This activity is only for children who have not yet learned what dust really is.
Everyone receives their first lesson of what dust is made of in junior high biology class. Dust is dead skin cells, dust mite poop and other things not talked about. It is enough to scare any 13 year old to clean their room. It was then I began to understand my mother’s dislike of dust.
My mom would say…:
“How am I going to dust that?”
“That shelf will just be a dust collector.”
“Throw a party on a cloudy day. The dust doesn’t show up then.”
“No more stuffed animals, they are a dust hotel.”
“Dark furniture just shows the dust. Don’t buy it.”
“Oh, I won’t buy that. I’ll just have to dust it.”
After cleaning a house now for over 20 years I finally understand her plight. I am tired of dusting. Therefore I have come up with a few beliefs about dust.
- Dust only the furniture the guests or you see regularly.
- If it requires a can of condensed air or cotton swab to dust it, don’t buy it.
- Accept the dust bunnies as part of the family.
- Shut the blinds on sunny days.
- No one else dusts their drapes, under the washer/dryer or the back of the bookshelf unless they move or their mother-in-law visits.
Yes, trying to keep dust away in a house full of kids is like raking leaves in a windstorm. So, I guess that means not to dust while your kids are still at home. A mother can dream can’t she?
