Keeping your home clean and doing the daily chores is never an easy, or exciting task. And while you may call yourself an organized clean freak, there are often places in your home that are often overlooked and forgotten about. Before you know it, these neglected nooks and crannies begin to collect grime, and attract germs and bacteria. In this article, we highlight 10 spots in your home that are oft times forgotten, and provide you with useful tips on how to keep these spaces clean and hygienic. Underside of beds and furniture
1. Underside of Beds & Furniture
Everyone’s home is always decorated with an abundance of homely, livable furniture pieces. When you take a look under your bed or couch, you often find a few dust bunnies rolling around that can quickly be discarded of. With this said however, if you take a moment to look at the actual bottom of your furniture pieces, you will be shocked to find what is clinging to your table braces, bed frames and bookshelves. Take the time to dust the underneath of your furniture every now and again. Use your vacuum or dust wand to get rid of pesky spier webs, insect eggs and day-to-day dust and grime at least quarter-annually.
2. Tops of Cabinets, Doors & Picture Frames
People often forget to look up, and beyond their level of sight. So, when cleaning your home, take time to look upwards. You may see a lot more dirt and dust than you expect. We tend to disregard hard to reach places beyond our plane of sight. Make a point of routinely cleaning the top of door frames, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom cabinetry, picture frames and ceiling corners. While you’re up there, make a point of cleaning off your light fixtures and ceiling fans as well.
In addition, in today’s contemporary digital society we spend a considerable amount of time reading, learning and researching online. As such, that multitude of books you have standing on your bookshelf are slowly gathering dust. Take a moment to clean those out every now and again.
3. Closet Floors
Cloth fibers are a magnet for dust particles and can often become home to unwanted visitors like silver moths and spiders. While it is easy to see when its time to give your closet a spring clean, and donate those too-tight jeans to someone in need, we often forget to clean our physical cupboards. Cupboard floors, especially if they are carpeted, can gather dust and dirt from outside particles brought in by shoes. These spaces in turn can become a breeding ground for unwanted molds, germs and bacteria’s. At least seasonally, clean out your cupboard spaces thoroughly. Use this as the perfect time to sort through items and accessories you no longer need. Here at Chemstrat, have an array of cleaning chemicals, powders and gels designed specifically to tackle household dirt, grime and germs.
4. Indoor Plants & Under Appliances
We all love adding a little bit of life to our home with pretty plants and flowers. Whether these are real, silk or plastic, they always gather an obscene amount of dust. Living plants are happy to get a quick splash under the showerhead or a wipe from a moist microfiber cloth. Silk plants can also be easily ‘dusted’ with a cloth or using a hairdryer to blow off the dust.
Whether your indoor plants are real or silk, they can accumulate an amazing amount of dust. Most live plants will benefit from a quick trip under the showerhead. If they are too large to move, use a microfiber cloth or disposable duster to wipe down each leaf.
Silk plants can also be “dusted” with a cloth or by taking them outside and using a hairdryer set on cool to blow off the dust. To brighten individual stems of silk greenery or blossoms, place them in a paper bag with plenty of table salt or baking soda. Give the bag a good shake and much of the soil will remain in the salt or baking soda. Finish by dusting off any residue with a cool hairdryer before displaying.
5. Washing Machines & Dishwashers
Even appliances designed to clean need some tender love and care every once in a while. If you begin to notice your clothes have lost that fresh scent just after coming out of the wash, then its definitely time to clean your washing machine. In this same way, if your dishes are coming out of your trusty dishwasher almost as dirty as when they went in, it needs a good clean.
While every washing machine is different, you can clean almost any home machine in just one cycle. Try pouring a mixture of white vinegar with baking soda into your washer and run the cycle on hot. Alternatively, there are various cleaning aids that you can pass through your machine to maintain its durability and effectiveness. Similarly, the filter on your dishwasher should be cleaned out every once in a while. In addition, you also want to ensure all the soap scum, hard-water deposits and food debris is frequently cleaned from the inside of the machine.
6. Shower Curtains & Toothbrush Holders
After one too many showers, your shower doors and curtains begin to collect mildew, dirt and soap scum. The moisture content of a shower makes for the perfect breeding ground for various molds, germs and bacteria. Use a mild detergent to frequently clean off the grime and dirt found in the hard to reach nooks and crannies. Additionally, make use of a strong drain cleaner to ensure your drains stay hygienic and fresh.
When cleaning your bathroom, don’t forget your toothbrush holder! As another hot spot for germs, one should regularly wipe down or soak your holder. Remember, your toothbrush is going into your mouth daily, and you do not want those extra germs following.