By now, you probably have settled on a cleaning schedule for your home. You vacuum, mop, dust, and sanitize all the surfaces of your home, and it looks spotless, but there are always ways to improve. There are a ton of surfaces in your home that you might be neglecting. They can be easy to forget because most of them are out of sight and out of mind.
In Your Kitchen
Let’s start with your cabinets, especially your pantry. Dust accumulates inside and outside of cabinets, so even though the doors are closed, there are still dead skin cells and dander settling down on your pots, pans, and food. They won’t get as dusty because they’re in the cabinet, but it’s a good idea to empty and clean your cupboards and pantry every once in a while. It also allows you to reorganize and get rid of what you don’t use.
Cleaning your fridge and freezer is also an excellent idea. Everyone will eventually have some moldy take-out food container in the back of the refrigerator. It gets pushed to the back and forgotten about until an awful odor appears. Cleaning out your perishable food will prevent this from happening and keep your food more accessible. You’ll also have the opportunity to clean any stains on your refrigerator shelves.
After you’re finished cleaning the inside of your fridge, try to clean underneath and behind it too. Dust, moisture, dirt, and food all tend to get unintentionally pushed under the refrigerator. If you can, move your fridge out so you can clean the floor. While it’s out, clean the coils on the back of the appliance. They collect dust and cleaning them can help your refrigerator be more efficient.
The last major kitchen item you should clean is your dishwasher. It needs a deep clean every few months, and it can go through a cleaning cycle every few weeks. Food particles, soap grime, and water can get trapped in some of the mechanisms. Cleaning your dishwasher will help keep your dishes clean and prevent an unpleasant odor from occurring.
In The Bathroom
The bathroom has the potential to be one of the grossest places in your home, and that’s why you probably pay close attention to all areas of it while you’re cleaning. Still, particles filled with bacteria can be thrown around all areas of the room. Here are some places you might have missed.
When was the last time you cleaned and organized the storage space underneath your sink? It’s probably where you store all of your cleaning supplies, but they can’t clean it all by themselves! Our cleaning supplies can get dirty as we make our way through our chores, so it’s always a good idea to disinfect that area now and then.
Another place to pay attention to in the bathroom is the nooks and crannies, like in between cabinets or behind the toilet. Spiderwebs will often appear in those areas and collect dust and germs. It only takes a quick dusting and disinfecting wipes to fix the problem.
In Your Living Spaces
Living spaces, like living rooms, dens, and playrooms, are most likely the area in the home you clean the most. The chances are that you vacuum all the time, you’re constantly wiping down the surfaces, and keeping these areas tidy is part of your daily routine. Like the other areas of your home, you may be forgetting some things.
You need to start disinfecting your remote controls. It’s a surface in your home that everyone touches regularly. People pick up the remote after they pet the family dog, go to the bathroom, and eat greasy food. Thankfully, they’re also the easiest thing to clean because you just have to wipe them down with a disinfectant wipe.
Just like the refrigerator, you should also be cleaning under your living room furniture. Food, toys, trash, and other random things can end up hanging out under your sofa with a ton of dust bunnies. A quick vacuuming will do the trick. Actually, it’s a good reminder to clean under all of your furniture, in all rooms of your house.
Cleaning your washer and dryer is great to do every few months. Like the dishwasher, water and grime can accumulate in the washer. Cleaning the dryer is even more critical because built-up lint can become a fire hazard. You might even get lucky and find some money in your dryer if someone left it in their pants pocket!
In The Bedroom
Unfortunately, cleaning your sheets and pillowcases just isn’t enough to keep your bed clean. Every few months, or weeks, you should also be cleaning your mattress and pillows. Your sheets keep most of the grime off your mattress, but some sweat is going to get through. If you don’t want to clean your mattress, you can put a plastic cover under your sheets. It will keep your mattress looking brand new.
This next cleaning tip applies to your whole house, not just your bedroom, but you have to dust and wash your curtains. Fabric attracts dust like it’s made of double-sided tape. Dusting and vacuuming your curtains once a week helps, but eventually, you’ll have to take them down and wash them. Don’t forget to dust your blinds too!
Around The House
People often overlook ceiling fans and light fixtures when they’re dusting because they tend to be out of sight and out of mind. Still, it’s important to clean them, especially ceiling fans. If you turn on a dusty ceiling fan, it will spread the dust everywhere in the room and potentially cause someone’s allergies to flare up.
A lot of people also overlook their windows because curtains or blinds cover them. You should clean the windowsill, the glass, and the screen, especially when it’s spring. Plus, cleaning your windows is a great reminder to open them every once and a while!
All the items on this list don’t have to be done every week but consider putting them on a list to do every other week or once a month. Please, don’t forget about them! Cleaning these areas will help you keep your home beautiful.
