Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - wipe off dust

I am in the process of staining a cabinet (pine). I sanded it with 150 paper and then applied the stain. Then I applied a coat of poly (water based). I then sanded with 400 paper and now need to wipe off the dust before applying the 2nd coat of poly.

What is the best thing to use to wipe off the dust???? I have tried paper towels, t-shirts, "rags in a box" and I have also tried vacuuming it up and even blowing it off with a hair dryer. It's very frustrating that the dust seems to be everywhere.

Thanks in advance!

tack cloths. they're just sticky enough to pick up the dust instead of just moving it around.

that problem annoys me too, which is why i've always tried to do the sanding somewhere other than where i'll be doing the staining/sealing. :)

I usually use a rag damp with paint thinner but that might not work well with latex poly so try a rag damp with water. I think t-shirt type rags work the best.

Thanks. I used the tack cloths and they seemed to work very well.

Now I have a question about sanding...what is the reasoning for sanding in between each of the poly coats? It seems like when I sand, all I do I wipe off the previous coat of poly. I use 400 paper and sand lightly with the grain.

Thanks again!

Sanding is necessary to create a "tooth" for the next coat of poly to adhere to. This is not necessary with a lacquer or shellac finish as each additional coat partially dissolves the coat preceeding it. In either case, sanding may be required to remove minor imperfections in the finish before applying another coat.

Poly sets up completely and is very slick - hence the need to scuff it up a little. As I said it gives the new coat something to hang to.