High dusting takes traditional dusting to new heights.
No matter how regularly you have your cleaner come in to keep your workplace clean and dust-free, dust and dirt can settle in some of the most hard-to-reach places.
And you can’t escape it. No one can.
How is this build-up of debris taken care of then?
Ever heard of high dusting?
High dusting can often be neglected, yet these places generally have such a high build-up of dust that they shouldn’t be forgotten.
At In-Tec, we ensure that it’s not just the visible areas (floors, etc.) of your office that we dust/clean, but also the areas you wouldn’t think need cleaning. Every year, we have many of our clients asking whether they need high dusting done at their workplace, what is actually cleaned, and of course, can we do the work?
In this article, we go through exactly what high dusting incorporates so you’ll know whether your cleaning company is dusting the correct way – removing the dust, not spreading it around.
What is considered high dusting?
Dirt. Dust bunnies. Spiderwebs. Grime.
You name it.
They’re everywhere. Always lurking way up high in the hard-to-reach places.
So how do you get rid of them?
It’s simple. Get your commercial cleaners to come in and perform high dusting.
High dusting is the process of cleaning difficult to reach spots and removing bacteria, dust, and dirt build-up. Typical high dusting areas include:
- Nooks and crannies,
- Window ledges,
- Recess ceiling voids,
- Ceiling corners,
- Ceiling fans,
- Air vents,
- Skylights, and
- Any other fixtures.
In other words, areas that a cleaner generally couldn’t reach from the ground, or a safe level working platform would be considered high dusting.
I do want to point out that high dusting can be a broad category. There is low-level high dusting which can be considered as top of cabinetry or tops of partition walls as an example (and this type of high dusting can mostly be carried out by the regular cleaning team). And then there is extreme high-level dusting which is considered ceilings in all buildings and window ledges in multi-story complexes.
This type of periodical cleaning service is typically performed once or twice (or more) times a year to ensure these high spots are cleaned properly.
What equipment does a commercial cleaner use for high dusting?
What kind of equipment is even out there that can reach all those high spots?
It seems like it would be impossible to get to those heights and awkward angles.
Have you ever heard of the saying ‘nothing is impossible?’
Well, that’s exactly right when it comes to high dusting.
Getting to those hard-to-reach spots can be simple when using the right equipment and tools.
Although different cleaning companies use different equipment, at In-Tec we use a particular vacuum – the SkyVac system.
The SkyVac is a HEPA 4-stage filtration system. What does this mean? Vacuums equipped with HEPA filtration trap and capture the dirt you can’t see, rather than sending the particles back into the air. A HEPA vacuum is the most effective way to keep fine particles of dust from moving to other hard-to-reach areas.
The SkyVac is essentially an extendable vacuum pole that is connected to a wet and dry vacuum. It works similar to your conventional vacuum – it sucks up dust and dirt. The pole is made out of telescopic carbon fibre which means it’s lightweight and extremely easy for our cleaners to use and manoeuvre.
Remember when I mentioned awkward angles?
The SkyVac has various head attachments that allows it to reach pretty much any and every angle possible! And it even has a camera attachment that allows the cleaners to see the area from the ground.
It really is a pretty awesome bit of equipment. Importantly, it allows our cleaners to eliminate dust in all those difficult to get to areas safely from the ground - let's keep those feet on the ground as much as possible.
Of course, we do not use the SkyVac everywhere. The type of equipment we use is also dependent on how heavy the dust is in a particular area.
For instance, spots that have a heavy build-up of dust such as the tops of cabinets or fridges (areas that you can reach from the floor or a small step ladder) can often be better off with a microfibre cloth and warm water. The wet microfibre is able to remove the bulk of the dust with a dry microfibre cloth following after to pick up any leftover residue.
This method only achieves good results if the cleaner is remembering to do one important thing – constantly change the cloths and water. You don’t want them to be spreading the dust around with dirty water and dirty cloths.
Why is vacuuming better than dusting?
It’s called high dusting, yet commercial cleaners don’t necessarily use dusters to remove the dust/dirt.
They actually use commercial-grade vacuum cleaners.
But why is this?
Dusters actually stir up more dust and dirt than anything else. Conventional high dusting equipment (which is essentially a duster on a long pole) spreads the dirt around and flicks it all to another area. It’s not until a few moments later when you check back in the same vicinity that the dust has settled in another spot.
Vacuuming actually picks up and removes the dust – it’s a more thorough way of high dusting.
However, it’s not to say that all dusters are terrible. If a cleaner wanted to clean and remove some light dust, a quality microfibre duster would be best as they can pick up and hold the dust in the brush.
What are the benefits of yearly high dusting?
Often, we tend to overlook the need for high dusting.
If we can’t see the dust, why bother having it cleaned properly?
Although high dusting doesn’t need to be done during every single clean, there actually are many benefits to having it done on your site a couple of times a year.
If you think about it, dust and dirt falls from the top down. So all that dust that’s hanging around your window ledges, fans, etc. are all eventually going to fall to the floor, benches, chairs, your employee desks, etc.
You don’t want this right?
“Of course not!”
So let’s find out how yearly high dusting is beneficial for your workplace.
- Allergy relief – by getting rid of dust in all those hard-to-reach areas, your employees aren’t vulnerable to allergies
- Improves indoor air quality
- Maintains and protects your site and equipment – when fans, air ducts, and other fixtures are clean, they work more efficiently
- Enhances the appearance of your building
Now you may be thinking these 4 benefits may seem like ‘little things,’ and do they really matter that much?
The benefits actually make a big difference to your workplace and far outweigh what would happen if you didn’t have high dusting included in your yearly scheduled periodicals.
Why you need high dusting performed at your site
It’s easy to see dust and dirt at eye level.
But when we look up to our high ledges, ceilings, air vents, etc., these surfaces often appear to be clean.
However, we’ve learnt that they aren’t as clean as they may seem.
These hard-to-reach spots actually harbour a lot of dust, dirt, and cobwebs which need to be captured and removed at least once a year.
At In-Tec, we recommend having periodical cleans, such as high dusting, included in your scope of works. When these types of services are addressed in a structured manner, you’ll know exactly how much it costs every time, and you won’t have to worry about scheduling it in!
Still have a few more questions about high dusting lingering in your mind? Schedule a call with Paul or Caitlin to go through them all! We’re happy to help with any questions and queries you may have.
