I Tried the “Balloon Method” to Dust My Apartment
In the winter, as I blissfully look out the window at the morning sun streaking in, that’s usually when I notice the most dust in my apartment. Somehow, when January rolls around, my window sills are instantly coated in a fine layer of cat fur and blanket fuzz, thanks to the windows being closed for months at a time — and I figure it’s high time I do something about it. As a cleaning and organizing writer, I’m always on the hunt for unconventional ways to keep my home tidy, so as soon as I discovered it, I knew I had to try this dusting hack from House Outlook that involves just one thing: a balloon. Yes, really!
Typically I’d reach for a duster or my favorite mini vacuum, but instead, I stopped by my local discount store for a $2 pack of balloons, and got to work. All you have to do is blow up a balloon, rub it on something fuzzy (or your hair), and run it against dusty surfaces. Here’s how it went when I tried it:
What Happened When I Dusted with a Balloon
As soon as I blew up the balloon, I could see dust clinging to it. It was a promising start! House Outlook recommends rubbing the balloon on wool, polyester, fleece, or your own hair to generate static electricity, so I rubbed it on a wool blanket. When I pulled it away, it was already covered in wool fibers and cat hair, so I immediately brought it up to my dusty hanging disco ball.
Immediately, the dust clung to the balloon, which was cool to see. However, the hair and dust stuck to the disco ball’s hardware and small glass pieces and wouldn’t make the jump to the balloon no matter how many times I rubbed the balloon back and forth. Next up, I hoped I’d have more luck on my windowsill.
Full of anticipation, I charged the balloon up again on the wool blanket and lightly rubbed it against my windowsill. This time, the dust that was right on the edge came up and attached to the balloon, but the rest stayed put. It was a bummer to see! Ultimately, at this point, the balloon was covered in hair and dust, probably mostly from what was floating around in the air, but it didn’t seem like all that much was coming up from the surfaces I was targeting.
Then, I tried something different. I took the staticky balloon and ran it along the corners of my bedroom, where fuzz and cobwebs tend to accumulate. And voilà — it worked! The dust stuck to the balloon and actually stayed there, coming free from the wall.
Another trick House Outlook recommended was putting a statically charged balloon on the floor in a dusty room and letting it work silently to pick up loose bits of debris and fluff. I put one at the foot of my bed where it tends to get dustiest, and watched as it collected invisible fur and fuzzies in seconds. After it sat for about an hour, there was a little more dust on the balloon, but not a whole lot more. Maybe if I had blown up a few balloons and let them bump around for a bit it would’ve been more fruitful, but as it was, it just felt a little wasteful.
Next, the part I was most curious about: getting the dust off of the balloon. House Outlook recommends putting the balloon above or in the trash can when you pop it to remove the dust — before I did that, I rubbed the sides of the balloon on the trash can edge to remove as much of the debris as I could. Then, when I popped the balloon just above the garbage, the worst happened: The dust went everywhere. Luckily, I had more balloons to pick up the explosion of dust, but it wasn’t ideal.
I did a little research and apparently rinsing the balloon off into the sink is the best way to get rid of the dust, and you don’t have to pop it. If I try this hack again, I’ll be taking that route!
My Final Thoughts on the “Balloon Method”
I really wanted this hack to work! Unfortunately, I found this trick clever but its usefulness limited — though it’s important to note, while I tried it on the dustiest nooks in my apartment, this trick is also meant to work on especially delicate items you want to be careful with, like artwork or bigger electronics (and perhaps it would work better on those!).
This trick did work on spots where dust wasn’t particularly attached to the surface or item, where it was floating about and could easily detach to hop onto the balloon, like on my walls and floors. If you have a spare balloon lying around, you should definitely try it — and be sure to rinse the balloon instead of popping it to avoid an even bigger mess. While I’m probably going to stick to my duster or mini vacuum, if you try it out, let us know how it worked for you in the comments below!
Further Reading
I Tried the 90/90 Rule and My Closet Is Now Fully Decluttered
We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said
