Dusting is definitely one of my pet hates. I just can't stand watching the mini bits of fluff cascade into the air with a swipe of my dusting rag and then right back down again onto the surface from which It was removed but a moment before. Honestly, rage does not even describe it.

I concede that I am not blameless for this accumulation of dust in my house, far from it. In fact, I create the majority of dust in my house by simply being in it. Most dust is made up of skin cells that naturally shed off your body, and everybody else's body who enters your abode. Yuck! This means that most of the time people who don't bother dusting are just wallowing around in their own shedding skin cells. Of course some people don't mind wallowing around in their own shedding skin cells, but I am not one of them.

Just using a simple hand held vacuum to clean up after yourself when you knock over a pot plant or spill some cracker crumbs can really make a difference to your day to day dust dilemmas. Do not make the mistake of thinking to yourself that you are safe because you don't have asthma, oh no. Recent tests have shown that regular household dust is home to many other types of less organic matter (National Institute of Standards & Technology and EPA [Environ. Sci. Technol., published online Dec. 29]) the regular old dust that collects in ever crevice, every shiny wooden surface, every TV, cable and shelf (I could go on but you get the picture) contains the odd TOXIC chemical. Lead, pesticides and PCBs have all been found hanging around homes.

I am thinking of removing all the carpets in my home as apparently this is the main harbour of dust. I have always fancied wooden floors anyway. They are just so much more organic. Also it is important that when you do dust surfaces around your home that you dust them with the right materials and equipment. Old underpants just wont do in this day and age and beside from the fact that it just doesn't work, it's plain embarrassing. What you need is a proper duster and a really, really good Dustbuster® hand vac. I prefer a cyclonic action Dustbuster® hand vac myself.

Another good tip is to get yourself a proper industrial doormat for the entrance of your house. A lot of the dust in your home is there because someone (usually the husband in my case) has traipsed it in from outside after he has finished talking the dog for a walk.

Finally after you have taken these small but very preventable measures, buy yourself a nice little air purifier for your home to get rid of the last vestiges of toxic chemical floating around in your breathing space.

There you have it ladies and gentlemen! You now know how to have a nice dust free home and you also get an excuse to go shopping and re-decorate your house. Bust that dust!