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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Why oh why is my bathroom so dusty?

39 replies

poachedeggs · 26/04/2013 11:27

I'm suspicious that it's from the loo roll but everybody else has a nice dust free bathroom. Maybe they dust every day.

I mean every nook and cranny, the plants, the bottles, the bath toys, the window sill, the tiles, all of it's covered in a thick layer of dust. I could dust and Hoover the entire room daily and it just comes back. I have pets but they don't come upstairs (the cat does but he's the least dusty) and otherwise I have no idea. Do I just need to exfoliate more? Blush

Any suggestions that don't involved crawling around with a damp cloth daily are welcomed.

OP posts:
dizzy77 · 26/04/2013 11:29

Watching with interest. I also blame toilet roll. Recently refitted (partly to minimise dust collecting crannies eg no skirting, pipes are now boxed in etc) and find the new towels also shed quite a bit despite 6+ weeks of washing.

Littlemissexpecting · 26/04/2013 11:34

Watching with interest. Another with dusty bathrooms

poachedeggs · 26/04/2013 11:36

My towels are ancient Grin

I'm blaming DH because in his wisdom he put the toilet roll holder on upright, apparently to reduce the likelihood of small children/the cat unrolling it all. Perhaps more dust is released due to the angle of the tearing. Or something.

OP posts:
oohaveabanana · 26/04/2013 11:37

I always think bathroom dust is somehow different to general room dust - something distinctive about the texture. I reckon it's a high proportion of flecks of loo paper & skin cells

poachedeggs · 26/04/2013 11:38

It is fluffier than average dust, no doubt about it.

I so need a cleaner who worries about this stuff on my behalf.

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Pootles2010 · 26/04/2013 11:38

I think its just dead skin. Everyone has loo roll so can't be that, if you dry yourself quite vigourously in bathroom then you're exfoliating, the towel rubs all the dead skin cell off and they end up as dust.

Maybe exfoliate in the shower? It might be your other half who's being all flaky possibly?

quoteunquote · 26/04/2013 11:39

It's just lack of soft furnishings to cling onto the dust.

PigletJohn · 26/04/2013 11:39

Grey dust? exfoliated skin.

Have you got an extractor fan? The amount of dust it sucks out is tremendous, and you will notice the thickest layer is on and around the fan.

You might try giving your towel a shake over the bath before hanging it up, then dust, hair and towel fluff are easily rinsed away.

dizzy77 · 26/04/2013 11:40

Yes I choose to pretend skin cells have nothing to do with it. I also wonder if the general dampness in the air means the dust "swells" and becomes more adhesive (I am giving this way more thought than I ever have before you know).

Conventionally positioned toilet roll here. And it's entirely possible the old towels shed too, I just didn't notice as the rest of the room was so mingling.

poachedeggs · 26/04/2013 11:41

Hmm. I tend to wrap myself in a towel and just air myself off rather than rubbing vigorously. I shall be more cautious in future though, every little helps.

DH is likely to be responsible though, I agree. He says it himself "everything's my fault".

OP posts:
Mrsrobertduvall · 26/04/2013 11:41

Maybe deoderant or talc?
It all sticks to the skirting boards, despite washing them every week.

poachedeggs · 26/04/2013 11:42

Away to Hoover the extractor!

OP posts:
dizzy77 · 26/04/2013 11:42

Ah cross post. Will try the towel shaking thing. And start rubbing myself down again with one of those shower flower things.

Startail · 26/04/2013 11:45

Our bathroom is tiny, people grab towels and get dry in their rooms. Likewise DDs spray apply deodorant, brush their hair and do make up in their rooms, but the bathroom is still covered in fluffy dust!!!!!

Littlemissexpecting · 26/04/2013 11:54

I like the idea of blaming the extractor fan!

RawCoconutMacaroon · 26/04/2013 12:06

One of our shower rooms has an extractor fan directly above the loo, and every time the wind blows in a particular direction the loo is covered in dust and little bits of stuff... Looks like I haven't dusted in a month. I do Hoover the vent occasionally but it makes no difference as the stuff is blowing in from outside.

poachedeggs · 26/04/2013 12:11

Right, I've taken the extractor apart as best I can, it's still foul but better.

I will report back with findings (if are any of significance).

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 26/04/2013 12:13

Macaroon

get your ladder out

HazeltheMcWitch · 26/04/2013 12:15

I reckon it's a mix of all of the above. Dust from loo roll, a bit extra skin, crap coming in the open window or extractor; but mostly it's the lack of soft furnishings and the way that the hard, shiny surfaces cling on to dust that make it more visible. Also, lighting tends to be bright, colours tend to be light, so you see it more.

NorbertDentressangle · 26/04/2013 12:17

When I redecorated our bathroom about 6 months ago I bought some new deep red coloured towels.

They are still shedding loads of fluff as all the surfaces quickly have a layer of reddy pink fluff that builds up.

What with that and the fluff they leave behind in the tumble drier I'm surprised there's anything left of them.

In fact.....do towels regenerate? Hmm

RawCoconutMacaroon · 26/04/2013 12:47

Piglet, one of those might solve the problem!

redwellybluewelly · 27/04/2013 21:41

We've no extractor fan in our bathroom (doesn't seem to need it) and we dry off in our rooms due to space and warmth issues but our bathroom has seriously less dust in it than bathrooms in our last house which were big enough to dry off in and also had an extractor fan.

Like it a lot!

PigletJohn · 27/04/2013 22:33

perhaps because you towel off the skin in bedrooms.

Dust mites will gobble it up gratefully.

EarthtoMajorTom · 29/04/2013 19:47

Towel problem here too. Navy towels = blue fluff and dust.

LubyLu2000 · 01/05/2013 13:27

I think it's a combination of people getting changed and skin shedding Confused etc but mostly I think it's lack of carpet & soft furnishings. We have all tiled floors in our house (not UK) & it never ceases to amaze me how dusty everything gets so quickly. Carpet absorbs a lot of dust (which is a bit yuck when you think about it) and stops it floating around the room & settling on everything else.

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