You know the routine … You dust the coffee table, bookshelves and mantel only to look at them the next day and, you guessed it, there’s the dust again. Dust, pet hair and cobwebs just accumulate overnight. It seems we just can’t catch up on our dusting no matter how hard we try. Not to offer up more work, but there’s another item you should add to your “to dust” list at least once a month: houseplants. Certainly, your plants will look better if you remove the dust and grime that’s settled onto the leaves, but you’ll also improve the health of your plants.

In an episode of the TV show “Sex and the City,” fashionista Carrie Bradshaw went to a party where the hostess asked the guests to remove their shoes. Carrie balked at the request because her high-priced shoes were the perfect complement to her outfit. Well, what Carrie didn’t realize is that she could take some steps to a healthier home by leaving her shoes at the door.

When it comes to cleaning homes, each one is different. Some have pets leaving trails of fur and paw prints while others need a dusting and a bathroom scrub. We try to accommodate each customer’s tastes, preferences and living styles. One population we take a particular interest in is senior citizens. This is a fast-growing demographic and a group of people used to their independence who want to stay in their homes as long as they can.

What if there was a scientific way to measure “clean?” Sure, you can look at a surface and see it is free of dust, grim and dirt. Sure, you can see the vacuum marks in the carpet or the shine on the wood floors. But is it truly clean? Our company has been experimenting with a product that can measure the cleanliness of a surface. No guessing or eyeballing; this meter objectively determines the level of clean.

Walking through the aisle of cleaning products at your local store can make your head spin. There are products to clean the bathroom, the kitchen, glass, wood and floors. There are green and environmentally friendly products. There are towels, wipes, cloths, mops and brooms. There are products that shine, sanitize, disinfect and deodorize.

Check most cleaning cabinets or buckets and you’ll find a sponge, some paper towels and probably a few cotton towels. When it comes to wiping up grime, grease and germs, it seems those are the only choices. But we’ve discovered a new kind of towel and have been using it for quite a while here at Castle Keepers. Microfiber towels allow us to clean for health, eliminating germs, time, cross-contamination and the added waste of tossing away half a roll of paper towels.

Ask anyone his or her least favorite room to clean and chances are you’ll hear “the bathroom.” And, really, who wants to clean the icky toilet, scrub the soap scum from the shower or wipe all those water spots off the mirrors? Despite the lack of enthusiasm over bathroom cleaning, we all know it’s important to keep the bathroom spic and span. You’ve heard the warnings about germs flying from the toilet and spewing all over your toothbrush.

A vacuum is a vacuum, right? Wrong. Most people purchase a vacuum with a goal of sucking up dirt, hair, lint, dust and possibly small spiders. Their ultimate interest is in eliminating unwanted grime via the super suction of the vacuum cleaner. What most people don’t realize is vacuum cleaners do indeed suck up dirt, but they also spit a lot of it back out.