While we all do our best to keep our homes clean, all too often we focus only on the bigger cleaning tasks and tend to forget about the other, smaller but no less important cleaning tasks. To make sure your home is thoroughly clean, try to focus on the following 13 things along with your other, regular tasks:
- The refrigerator
It’s easy to make the excuse that the fridge is always full, making it tricky to clean. But all you need to do is take everything out and place the contents in a cool bag while you get it clean; it shouldn’t take too long, although some of the shelves and fittings may require a bit of a soak in hot soapy water.
- Your pillows
Giving your down or fiberfill pillows a quick wash in the machine every couple of months or so, will keep them hygienically clean.
- Windowsills and tracks
When your windows are being cleaned, just give the sills and tracks a quick wipe down, too.
- Drawers and cabinets
While kitchen drawers and cabinets are often the grubbiest – and perhaps the most important to keep clean – you should try to clean inside all drawers and cabinets in your home at least every couple of months.
- Shower curtain
Mildew and soap scum will quickly build up on any shower curtain, and should be eliminated as often as possible to keep it hygienically clean.
- The cards in your wallet
These can be rife with bacteria and other grubby horrors, so wipe them down with a disinfectant solution regularly.
- Keys
Much as with the cards in your wallet, keys are handled often and can harbor many bacteria. Scrub them with lemon and salt and then rinse them with dish soap to keep them clean.
- Garbage bins
They may contain a lot of dirty trash – that is their purpose after all – but the interior of the bin can quickly get smelly and dirty, and rinsing them out with bleach every couple of weeks can help keep them fresher.
- Door knobs and handles
In many cases, multiple hands touch these items every single day, so it makes sense that we should clean them regularly.
- Small appliances
There are many appliances in our kitchens in particular, and toasters, blenders and kettles can quickly get grubby and become breeding grounds for germs.
- Kids and pets’ toys
These items often go inside mouths (of both our kids and our dogs!), which can spread bacteria in itself, but what if the item has been somewhere grubby before your child pops it into their mouth? Yuk. Wash them with warm water and dish soap at least once a week.
- Computer and TV screens, and keyboards
Screens and keyboards are often riddled with dirt, dust and bacteria, and only regular cleaning will prevent them from becoming not just an eyesore, but a health hazard.
- Sink traps
These can literally trap all manner of harmful bacteria and smelly grime, and should be cleaned every 3 months or so to keep them clean and smelling fresher.
For a simpler way to ensure that every single inch of your home is clean, including these oft forgotten things and places, hire a professional cleaner to come in regularly and get the place spotlessly clean.
