A cleaning fan has lauded her homemade solution for getting rid of dust in her home, preventing it from returning so fast. Carolina McCauley explained how her remedy helps to break down static on surfaces around her home, preventing dust from settling and sticking.

Using just four ingredients, Carolina’s solution has a multitude of advantages, such as white vinegar for making sure dust doesn’t “cling”, and olive oil to repel future dust from settling. In a recent TikTok, she demonstrated how the solution can be used around your home. This is what you’ll need.

How to keep dust away

To prevent dust from coming back after you’ve done your cleaning routine, Carolina swears by a simple solution made from ingredients that you can find in your store cupboard. You’ll need to mix one cup of water with a quarter of a cup of white vinegar, one teaspoon of olive oil, and add in a few drops of an essential oil of your choosing.

Carolina wrote: “I used to dust ALL. THE. TIME. Like… I’d clean one day and the dust would be back the next?? No thanks! So I started making this little spray and honestly—game changer!!

“Here’s the dust-repelling magic I mix up: 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1 cup water, 1 tsp olive oil, a few drops of essential oil (I love lemon or eucalyptus!).

“The vinegar helps stop dust from sticking, the olive oil creates a little invisible barrier (love that), and the essential oil just makes everything smell amazing. Now I’m dusting way less and my surfaces stay clean and shiny for way longer! Try it and thank me later!”

White vinegar added to your cleaning solution as its level of acidity - and its acetic acid content - can help dissolve any dirt, grease and grime. It can also help to kill bacteria on surfaces.

It’s really the olive oil that can help repel dust from surfaces, by creating a protective barrier. When mixed with other ingredients in the solution, the oil helps create a film that prevents dust from sticking.

While it doesn't get rid of dust altogether, it makes it easier to remove when it does settle, and helps keep surfaces cleaner for longer. Olive oil can also help reduce any stickiness left on surfaces, making it harder for dust to stay around.

The addition of essential oils can help your home smell fresh. Zara Stacey from Home & Gardens used a similar solution to repel dust in her home, with the addition of washing up liquid. She wrote: “Of course, nothing can completely eliminate dust from the home – that is something I am just going to have to accept.

“However, my friend's DIY homemade cleaning spray has meant less dust is accumulating between cleans. I’ve found all sorts of surfaces have stayed looking clean for longer and that when I do come to clean again there’s less to deal with, which has been a real time-saver. There is still dust on the floor, of course, but it’s nothing a quick vacuum can't sort.

“My verdict? Anything that can make the surfaces that little bit cleaner for longer is a win.”