There are a plethora of sophisticated cleaning tools available today for every cleaning project. But if you only want to own a few essentials, a duster should definitely be on your list. While a feather duster might be the first thing that comes to mind, there are much better options.
“The secret is to use the right tool so you don’t waste time and energy,” says Angela Brown, CEO of Savvy Cleaner. Microfiber dusters with flexible heads, fluffy brushes that attract dust like magnets, and retractable options with holes in the middle (for ceiling fan blades) are common these days.
Regardless of the type of duster, the best dusters do two things: remove dust from surfaces and prevent it from floating back into the air.
Best Overall
Swiffer 360 Power Duster Starter Kit
While the Swiffer 360 Power Duster Brush isn’t made of feathers, the bristles have coated fibers that resemble feathers. They feel softer to the touch—we’d even compare them to cotton balls. The handle is ergonomic, so you can always feel comfortable.
It can be tilted at 90 or 180 degrees to reach shelves, blinds, and other hard-to-reach places, and it can be extended to 3 feet in length. This flexibility makes it flexible enough to fit into vases and the corners of bookshelves in our testing.
The Swiffer holds onto dust. During our shake test, almost no dust fell out of the duster. The coated fibers capture every bit of dust, the soft material won’t scratch delicate surfaces like glass or electronics, and the plastic clip that holds the duster is fully covered to prevent accidental scratches.
The extension pole can be bent to different angles, making it incredibly easy to clean the whole house. And the size of the duster itself makes it easy to clean without having to change the duster head. It almost seems to “suck” up dust—even after a thorough cleaning, there’s still enough room for more debris.
The starter set includes three dusters and an extension handle. Since you’ll probably need to replace the duster head after each deep clean, you’ll need to buy refills frequently. A pack of 18 dusters costs about $15. People who don’t like changing duster heads might opt for a reusable microfiber duster.
Best Reusable
OXO Good Grips Microfiber Duster
This OXO hand duster has a large, washable microfiber head and a sturdy, small handle with a rubber grip. Its biggest advantage is flexibility—you can bend the slim duster head to reach tight spaces. It can easily clean hard-to-reach corners, between blinds, and other easily overlooked nooks and crannies.
Despite the short handle, we didn’t get any dust on our hands during the cleaning process, and it was comfortable to hold and operate. It also did a good job of picking up dust, with almost no dust entering the air during the cleaning process. In the shake test, it took several vigorous shakes before a small amount of dust fell off.
Because its handle is not particularly long and telescopic, it is not very suitable for cleaning large areas such as floors. It works best on flat shelves and closed blinds, and it also performs well when cleaning the nooks and crannies inside vases. The toughest place to get to is in larger areas, like underneath an entertainment center.
To reach the deepest parts of furniture, a longer handle would be much easier; otherwise, you’ll have to get down on your hands and knees and reach your arms underneath. However, its flat head and flexibility make it an easy tool to use on flat surfaces, electronics, tables, and windows. And it cleans well, too; all stains came out and left in great condition.
Best for Ceiling Fans
DocaZoo DocaPole Duster Set
This DocaPole duster comes with three duster attachments and an extension pole that extends from 5 to 12 feet, for a maximum of 20 feet. The extension pole’s bi-metal tip also features an attachable hinged head that allows the duster to rotate 180 degrees. It also comes with a spike hook for convenient storage and a sturdy rubber handle.
The three duster attachments can be used alone or with the extension pole: a microfiber feather duster, a flexible microfiber ceiling fan duster, and a dome-shaped spider web remover made from monofilament. The first two duster heads are machine washable, while the spider web remover only requires rinsing.
We noted that the extension pole is very sturdy and doesn’t wobble or bend—perfect for precision dusting in high corners or on ceilings—and that the handle is soft and comfortable to hold. The replaceable dusting heads actually screw into the pole, making it even safer.
However, using the extension pole in the apartment was a bit difficult: it was so large that we worried about bumping into things, and it was difficult to use vertically or horizontally if we weren’t careful. We also got a finger stuck in the thumbstick while extending the pole, resulting in a minor pinch injury.
The feather duster’s length proved to be ideal for reaching under furniture like coffee tables or sofas. As for the duster head, the feather duster was the best of the three: it dusted an entire area in one go, with only gaps or corners needing a second pass. The feather duster felt soft but was very absorbent, and it dropped very little dust during our cleaning and shaking tests.
While the flexible microfiber tip (designed for ceiling fans) worked best under coffee tables, where we could place something heavy on top, it still produced a lot of dust in our shake test. Both microfiber tips came out of the washer clean, but with some loose threads hanging out.
After wringing them out twice, they were still heavy, so you’ll need to allow some time to make sure they’re completely dry before your next dusting. All in all, it’s still the best telescoping handle dusting tool we’ve tested. Plus, this duster can be pole-less, making it easy to clean small areas.
Best for Floors and Baseboards
O-Cedar Hardwood Floor and Baseboard Dust Mop
This O-Cedar duster is the best tool for cleaning floors, and it can be used for both wet and wet mopping, making it a versatile product that has both cleaning and cleaning functions. We found it lightweight and portable, thanks to the comfortable handle and flexible head design, which makes it easy to move around.
The bendable tip also swivels 360 degrees, making it easy to move around areas like table legs. Additionally, the chenille and microfiber cloths are soft to the touch and won’t cause any scratches. In performance testing, it picked up dust easily and quickly.
It did pick up most of the dust on the floor, especially on baseboards, which is made especially easy because the base of the duster is bendable. While we didn’t test its performance as a wet mop, the soft chenille material should do a good job of removing caked-on dirt or stains.
The center of this duster is made up of denser microfiber, while the outer part is made up of loosely woven loops (similar to a mop). It is also suitable for a variety of hard floor surfaces, including wood, laminate, and tile.
One thing to note: The O-Cedar released a lot of dust in the shake test; users should be careful when removing the duster from the floor, as it even released some dust when we lifted it off the ground.
It also didn’t work well in machine washing. While the internal structure remained intact, some of the yarns on the outer layer unraveled, which means it may not withstand multiple washes. Shaking it out of the washer or hand washing it in the sink with dish soap should provide a gentler cleaning.
Best for Under Appliances
OXO Under Appliance Microfiber Duster
The Oxo Good Grips Under Appliance Microfiber Duster is very similar to another Oxo product we recommend, but with some key differences. It has a longer head at 27 inches—almost the size and shape of a fan blade—perfect for reaching under appliances and furniture.
It also comes in two different textures. The outer layer is looser, long fibers, while the inner layer is dense, short fibers, similar to towel texture. The second is better for contact cleaning. It’s a “wipe and you’re done.” With just one swipe, I was able to remove all the dust from my coffee table.
Unlike other Oxo dusters, it can easily reach under furniture or the bottom shelf of an entertainment center. Almost all dust was removed from the surface, and very little dust was left floating in the air during testing. In addition, only a small amount of dust broke free from the fibers during the shake test.
Since this tool is so long, it does require some user maneuvering. While it has a flexible head that allows for cleaning in nooks and crannies, it can be difficult to reach small items like picture frames or figurines. We found it difficult to reach the gaps between blinds, and the long, flexible head made it floppy and a little awkward to hold.
After machine washing in cold water, we noticed some minor linting on the duster, which made us think it would only last about five or six more washes. However, the structure of the duster is still intact, with no fading or stains. Replacement duster heads are available on Amazon for $11.
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