5 Laundry Room Cleaning Tips for Less Dust, More Safety

House cleaning tips involving your laundry room frequently only focus on organizing. The laundry room, as it is known to fire investigators, is a source of an annual 13,000 home fires (as outlined by Nuflo Services). Since 4,000 of these house fires can be traced back to lint buildup in dryer vents, it stands to reason that a well-maintained and dust-free room yields more benefits than just aesthetic ones. Five laundry room cleaning tips make it possible to quickly and decisively control dust and lint buildup.

1. Clean the Dryer Vent

Much of the laundry room dust comes from an inadequately venting dryer. The problem is a clogged dryer vent. As outlined on Associated Content from Yahoo!, cleaning dryer vents prevents fires. It also lets the appliance vent unobstructed to the outside, which sends a lot of lint and dust away from the room.

2. Update the Vent Hose

Exchange the flexible accordion setup you probably have -- connecting the dryer to the vent -- for a solid metal tube. It takes a bit of cutting and fiddling to get it to fit just right, but it cuts down considerably on trapped lint and therefore dust accumulation in your laundry room.

3. Dust from the Ceiling to the Floor

Dust and lint form a formidable layer of grime. Rely on a long-handle duster and dust-gripping cloth to remove as much of the loose material as possible. Dust the ceiling -- vacuum it with the bristle attachment, if you have acoustic ceilings -- and the wall. Do not forget to also dust behind the appliances! You may need to move the washer and dryer away from the wall to reach all the way back there.

4. Damp-dust Your Laundry Room

Laundry room cleaning tips must include damp dusting -- in part because higher moisture levels frequently cause the lint and dust to create a grimy patina on the walls and appliances. While dusting alone removes loose soiling, only a moist cloth or sponge can remove the "caked on" dirt. Put a bit of mild soap into a water bucket and rinse out the sponge quite frequently. Repeat this process until you successfully remove all of the grime covering the surfaces. Do not forget to also damp-dust the floor. There, too, will be a significant amount of lint and dust buildup. Be sure to move the appliances as needed.

5. Consider Organizing the Laundry Room for Easier Access

Professional house cleaning tips frequently point out that hard-to-reach places are cleaned far less often than rooms that offer easy access to corners and walls. While your laundry room may be small, organizing the laundry room with easy access in mind is still possible. De-clutter the area; leave enough space behind -- and next to -- the appliances to allow for mop handle access.

Do not put off this important task. Getting a handle on the dust today might just save you from a house fire tomorrow.

Source

Nuflo Services: "January 25, 2008 - Consumer Reports"

Associated Content from Yahoo!: "Cleaning Dryer Vents Prevents Fires"