Bedrooms, dust, and the third of your life you spend there

A bedroom looks clean long after it stops being clean, because almost everything in it is soft and soft things hide dust rather than show it.

Where it actually collects

• Under the bed, which is the single largest flat surface nobody looks at.
• The top of the wardrobe and the back of shelves.
• Curtains and the mattress itself.
• Behind the headboard, where air moves least.

What helps

Vacuuming the mattress when the sheets come off costs a minute and makes a real difference to anyone with a dust allergy. Washing bedding weekly matters more than how often the floor is mopped. And a room that is aired every morning collects less of everything.

Under the bed and the top of the wardrobe belong to the deep clean — they need the furniture moved, which a quick visit is not for.