DUSTERS, and how to fold them, aren't something that many people give a lot of thought to, but at Berrington Hall, they're the first item on the agenda for new members of staff.

Cleaning, and how to do it properly is absolutely key to the conservation of the fabric of the National Trust property and the wealth of historical artefacts it houses.

"We teach staff to fold a duster into a pad so that there are no corners to catch on anything," says house steward Debbie Wallace. "We are always trying to minimise the damage we do when we dust. In some cases, we use very small pony hair brushes, with the metal part, the ferrule, taped to avoid it scratching anything."

The work that takes place behind the scenes is meticulous but largely invisible to the thousands of visitors to the house.

To reduce the impact of constant dusting, for example, the rooms are only dusted a certain distance behind the ropes each day.

"Because dust is mostly dead human skin cells we only clean as far into the room as the dust has travelled," explains Debbie.

And, unseen until it is pointed out, many of the curtains are protected by sheer netting dyed to the same shade as the fabric to prevent the damage caused by people brushing past.

This year, to show people just what is involved in maintaining the house and its contents, Berrington Hall is hosting a series of conservation in action days, the next of which takes place on Wednesday, June 6.

The constant enemies are light, humidity, physical damage and pests such as woodworm.

One carpet, so admired by Prince Charles that he has had the pattern made for himself, suffered from moth damage, but only in the blue centres of the pattern. It was repaired by Presteigne company Bamfords, which has also restored the fabulous carpet in the nursery.

The next big project will be the restoration of the largely wooden chandelier at a cost of around £10,000, which is presenting a considerable challenge in order to avoid a potential Del Boy and Rodney moment.

"It won't be moved until we have worked out exactly how to get it down and remove it safely from the room," explains Debbie. "That involves having a detailed plan of how we move every other item in the room."

To find out more, call 01568 615721.