Yes, there’s an accepted order of operations for dusting—are you doing it wrong?

Sorry, stylish cleaning mavens: Those cute French-girl-style feather dusters actually spread more dust than they collect—but even if you’re equipped with the perfect microfiber duster to get the job done, your technique still might not be on point. Apparently, the order in which you clean your space is of the utmost importance when it comes to dusting.

If you don’t stick to a top-to-bottom order of operations—even with the best tools in your arsenal—Apartment Therapy reports there will still be dust that gets away and makes a mess in your home. When you start cleaning at the tallest level—think ceiling fans and overhead light fixtures—the dust that falls down will be taken care of in your sweep of the lower-level dust collectors, like table lamps, your coffee table, and end tables. Dust that falls from those spots will then be swiped for good when you sweep, mop, or vacuum the floors.

If you don’t clean your entire living space from top to bottom, you’ll likely stir up dust that will just settle elsewhere and wind up not getting cleaned.

If you don’t clean your entire living space from top to bottom, instead opting to clean sections, pieces of furniture, or even entire rooms at once, you’ll likely stir up dust that will just settle elsewhere and wind up not getting cleaned. Since no one wants to literally sweep those unwelcome dust-mite roommates under the rug, do yourself, your allergies, and your Zen den a favor and dust with purpose.

These are the cleaning products the Well+Good team swears by. Also, find out which pantry staple doubles as a spring cleaning all-star.