Split fibres give a wedge-shaped edge that scrapes particles off the surface, plus a static charge that attracts and holds fine dust.

A microfibre filament is many times finer than a human hair, and splitting it during manufacture creates channels and edges rather than a smooth round cross-section.

Those edges lift particles mechanically rather than pushing them along, and the enormous surface area gives the dust somewhere to go.

Movement generates a static charge that attracts fine particles, including the smallest ones that a feather or a cotton cloth simply pushes into the air.

The combination is what allows microfibre to reduce airborne dust during cleaning rather than raise it - the property that matters in healthcare and allergen control.

Not all microfibre is split. Cheaper products use unsplit fibre that looks similar and performs closer to ordinary polyester.

Dry for dusting, because the static depends on it. Damp turns it into a cleaning cloth working by absorption instead.

Dry microfibre attracts and holds dust electrostatically. Wetting it eliminates the charge entirely.

A damp microfibre cloth is still excellent - the split fibres absorb and the edges lift residue - but it is doing a different job, and it will leave a faint film on glass and polished surfaces where dry dusting leaves none.

For dust on furniture, screens, blinds, shelving and fittings, dry is correct.

For anything greasy, sticky or bonded to the surface, damp with an appropriate cleaner is correct, since static cannot lift what is stuck.

A common professional method is dry dusting followed by a damp wipe only where needed.

Warm rather than hot, with detergent only, no fabric conditioner, and dried low or air dried - and washed separately from cotton.

Fabric conditioner is the main killer. It deposits a coating that fills the channels between split fibres, destroying both static and absorbency. The cloth looks fine and stops working.

High temperatures melt and mat the filaments, permanently flattening the structure. Follow the manufacturer's maximum, which is usually well below a boil wash - though in healthcare a thermal disinfection temperature may be specified, and products rated for it should be chosen.

Wash separately from cotton and other linting fabrics. Microfibre attracts lint aggressively and arrives back covered in it.

Bleach degrades the fibre over repeated cycles and should be avoided unless the product is specified for it.

Tumble dry on low or air dry. High heat in the dryer does the same damage as a hot wash.

Typically hundreds of wash cycles if laundered correctly, and a handful if they are not.

The fibre itself is durable. Manufacturers commonly quote several hundred launderings, and in practice products fail from mishandling rather than wear.

The end-of-life symptoms are a cloth that no longer grips dust, feels slick rather than slightly grabby against dry skin, or leaves streaks.

Conditioner contamination produces exactly those symptoms and is usually the cause when a batch stops performing suddenly.

Snagging on rough surfaces pulls loops and shortens life, so dusters used on unfinished timber, brickwork and abrasive surfaces wear faster.

Because the economics depend on reuse, the laundry process is worth specifying and auditing - it is where the value is won or lost.

It applies to dusters exactly as it applies to cloths and mops - a dry tool still carries what it picked up.

A duster used on a washroom fitting and then on a desk transfers exactly what colour coding exists to prevent.

The scheme should be documented, trained and applied to every item, with storage that keeps the colours separate.

In practice, dusters are the item most often left out of a coding scheme, because they are thought of as dry-work tools that do not carry contamination. They do.

Laundering should keep the colours separate too, so a returned set can be issued back to the right area.

Where a single-use approach is preferred in high-risk areas, disposable microfibre and treated duster refills are the alternative.

Flat pads on handles and poles, wands and sleeves, chenille tubes, and mitts - each suiting a different geometry.

Flat pads on a swivel head and a pole are the workhorse for ceilings, walls, high ledges, tops of partitions and under furniture.

Wands and sleeves with a long pile reach into gaps, behind radiators, along blinds and around fittings, and the sleeve comes off for laundering.

Chenille tubes with dense twisted pile hold a great deal of dust and suit heavily dusty environments.

Mitts allow the hand to follow a complex shape - balustrades, handrails, ornate fittings - and are quick for detail work.

Most systems share handles and poles across head types, so standardising on one manufacturer's fitting keeps the kit interchangeable.

Yes - dry microfibre is the standard tool for screens, and it should be used dry and clean, with no cleaner sprayed onto the device.

The fine fibres lift dust and fingerprint oils without scratching, which is why microfibre is supplied with almost every optical and display product.

Use a clean cloth. Grit trapped in a used cloth is what scratches a screen, and that damage is permanent.

Never spray liquid directly onto a device - apply to the cloth if a cleaner is needed at all, and use one specified for screens rather than a general glass cleaner, many of which attack anti-reflective coatings.

Static is worth a thought around exposed electronics, where anti-static tools are appropriate.

Keep screen cloths separate from general cleaning cloths, laundered without conditioner, and replace them when they stop leaving a clear finish.