I love dusting for pest control and do some on almost every single job, even the mundane routine ones that haven’t had a bug in years. (maybe that’s why they haven’t) Dusts not only have great knock down and a fantastic residual they can also present a physical barrier that most bugs don’t want to cross if they detect it. Dusting takes practice and trust to get real good at and while the industry has so many great dusting tools out there it’s hard to carry all that inside. I’d like to share a tip that I’ve used for years that will increase your reach with the simple puff duster so you can dust out of the way places, get around corners and prevent a big problem that we’ve all dealt with which is blow back.
Puff dusters are a awesome tool but unless you’re ‘6 foot 5 or you are a great contortionist you can’t reach all those wonderful little hiding spots above cabinets or under the sinks that are filled with all those safe household chemical bottles. I’ve actually heard my shoulder pop as I try to lay 1/2 on my side reaching around the insinkerator with my head turned down to make room. As my ribs dig deeper into the edge of the cabinet I blindly poke my injector up around the dishwasher lines that are conveniently placed in the top back corner, my neck strained I lower my head just a bit and get a little relief as I rest my chin on a bottle top of Draino which smells and is kinda wet around the cap. Thinking I have my target I plow some dust into that void and shazam, my hair is now a frosty white and a cloud od dust billows out as the anxious house wife has a worried look on her face with a towel over her mouth. Not good.
This can be avoided with a simple extension of your duster and it is very simple to do. The easiest way to lengthen the normal puff 
duster is with a drinking straw. The size is perfect for a good tight fit and you’d be surprised at what having an extra 5 or 6 inches will give you. You’ll be able to reach what you never could before and if you really want to get high tech use a ‘bendy’ straw. Now your talking! Not only do you get reach but you can even get around corners. Woo hoo! When done the straw slips easily in your bait gun holster or bag and is ready and waiting for the next out of reach place.
There is another extender I use for added length out of plastic tubing like used for fish tank air hoses. The only problem is that the hose is droopy so I tape a wire (cut hangar) to it and it works fairly well. The wire allows you to bend it around but makes it harder to stow away- it also looks a bit cheesy so I use it mainly outside if I don’t feel like going back to my truck to get a dust pole or gun.
Reach is the main reason for extending your duster but as mentioned, blow back is the other. What I described above isn’t really the blow back I’m speaking of here. You see, unless you can get the tip deep into a void and angled anyway but straight you’re likely to have dust come rolling out almost as soon as you puff it in. It’s as if the dust and air currents ricochets right back at you because there is so little room for this sudden rush of material. By getting the tip deeper and angling upwards you diminish this blow back to almost nothing. Especially if you do a nice light even squeeze.
Well that’s a little tech tip I thought I’d share and hopefully it will improve you’re dusting dramatically. Just think, the next time you’re in a parking lot talking with another exterminator you can compare dusters and he’ll be so envious. He’ll have his little puffer out bragging about it and you’ll have yours with the extender and he’ll have nothing to say- why? because in dusting, size matters.
