When cleaning day rolls around, your attention no doubt turns to obvious chores like vacuuming, mopping, and sanitizing the bathroom. While these major chores are undeniably important, there are other areas of your home that are equally important and that you might be overlooking. What are some of the most forgotten spots to clean around the house?
Why Some Areas in the Home Get Overlooked During Regular Cleaning
For most people, cleaning isn’t a particularly enjoyable way to spend a few free hours. You might love the end result, but you can no doubt find better ways to enjoy those free hours than actually scrubbing, mopping, and more.
As a result, you might simply go through the motions, rushing to get things done and move on to more enjoyable things. In some cases, important areas are overlooked because they are small or tucked away. These are some of the areas that you might be overlooking during your regular cleaning sessions.
Light Switches and Door Handles
Light switches and door handles are among the most commonly touched surfaces in the home. As a result, they are also among the grimiest and germiest. If you can’t remember the last time that you cleaned and disinfected these areas of your home, rest assured that you’re in good company. The good news is that it’s easy to clean these surfaces.
Simply use a general-purpose cleaning solution, a disinfecting wipe, or even a DIY cleaning solution made with rubbing alcohol or vinegar and water. Light switches and door handles should be cleaned weekly. If someone in your home is sick, they should be cleaned daily.
Baseboards and Trim
Baseboards and trim can collect just as much dirt and dust as other hard surfaces in your home. While you clean the floors and dust the furniture regularly, the baseboards and trim get caked with more grime over the weeks. There are several easy ways to clean baseboards and trim.
For example, you can use a long-handled microfiber duster if you don’t want to stoop over. Another idea is to dust these areas with a dryer sheet. Dryer sheets have a chemical that repels dust, and this actually keeps the trim and baseboards cleaner for longer periods of time.
Ceiling Fans and Light Fixtures
On the same note, dust and dirt will build up on light fixtures and ceiling fans. This is more than unsightly. The buildup on ceiling fan blades can actually scatter throughout the room when the fan runs. This makes your rooms dirtier faster, and it reduces indoor air quality.
A long-handled duster is an efficient tool for cleaning overhead fixtures and fans. You could also avoid a mess while cleaning fan blades by using a pillowcase. Simply cover the fan blade with the pillowcase, wrap your hands firmly around it, and slide the pillowcase and dust off.
Behind and Under Furniture
On a typical cleaning day, you clean around furniture. However, filth will accumulate under your couch, behind your dresser, and in other areas.
In these hidden areas, you’ll find unsightly dust bunnies and a haven for allergy-causing dust mites to thrive. While you don’t need to vacuum these areas weekly, you should move the furniture for deeper cleaning on a monthly basis.
Trash Cans
Even when using trash bags and liners in your trash cans, these areas will grow increasingly dirty. They become a breeding ground for bacteria and develop overbearing odors that can spread across your home.
Every month or two, take your trash cans outdoors. Spritz them with bleach, and use rubber gloves and a scrubber to remove the grime. You can then rinse them with the garden hose and leave them in the sun to dry.
Couches and Upholstered Furniture
Upholstery tends to conceal dust and other debris more easily than carpeting and rugs, so it’s easy to overlook it on cleaning day. However, you can minimize buildup and ground-in dirt by vacuuming upholstery weekly.
Like your carpet and rugs, your upholstery needs to be steamed or deep cleaned every few months to keep it looking and smelling fresh.
Cleaning every nook and cranny in your home is essential, and it can seem like a hassle when time and energy are limited. Rather than trying to squeeze everything in to an already jam-packed schedule, take advantage of housecleaning services. TidyHere is proud to be your preferred Boston cleaning service, and we’re ready to give you the help you need. Schedule your first service with us today.
