13 Surprising places you always forget to clean at home, but really should!
There’s nothing more relaxing than coming home to a spick and span house after a tiring day at work. Keeping your home clean is an art in itself, where the canvas of your home can be transformed with dusters, wash clothes, detergent and every other tool in your arsenal, to create a haven of positive energy and clean living. Even if you are extremely careful and diligently clean every nook and cranny of your home, there might be a few corners that might be harbouring a world of dust and dirt, especially in a country like the UAE where dust storms are common. For all of you who are borderline obsessive about cleaning your house, here is a list of the important things and places you forget to clean at home.
1. Skirting on the walls
For the uninitiated in home cleaning basics, the skirting is the elevated surface around the wall that you find close to the floor. Because they form an indent, dust easily collects in these areas and it’s easy to miss out on cleaning this bit, especially if you are running the hoover around your house. Make sure to clean them either with a feather duster or wipe down to remove all the dust from these deceptive dust traps at home.
2. Under and behind sofas, beds and refrigerators
One of the most common places you forget to clean at home is the area behind and under heavy pieces of furniture including beds, sofas and refrigerators. Make sure to do so at least once a week to avoid the dust bunnies from forming in these surfaces. This is particularly problematic for people who suffer from dust allergies, so add them to your list of places to be cleaned at home.
3. Throw pillows, curtains and upholstery
We are well aware of the need to change the pillow covers and sheets in the bedroom, but what about the throw pillows and the upholstery on the sofas? The covers of throw pillows should be cleaned regularly and upholstery should be vacuum cleaned at least once in the week. On the subject of cleaning fabrics in the house, one of the other things you forget to clean at home is the curtain. While it’s quite difficult to clean them on a weekly basis, send them to the cleaners once in a few months to avoid a lot of dust collecting.
4. Remote controls and keyboards
It is now a well-known fact that we harbour colonies of bacteria on our fingertips thanks to the use of computers and phones for large parts of the day. To avoid your keyboards and remote controls from becoming breeding grounds for diseases, make sure to clean them every day before you use them. You can use q-tips with disinfectant to clean between the grooves and have super clean surfaces to tap on.
5. Kitchen equipment such as microwaves, toasters, coffee makers and dishwashers
While we may meticulously wipe down all the counters in the kitchen and make sure the hob is sparkling at the end of the day, there are a few places even the most conscientious of us may miss. So make sure to clean inside and behind the microwave, take out the crumb drawers of the toaster, wipe down all the knobs and clean out the filter of your coffee makers and dishwater. Maintaining perfect cleanliness is an easy way to give your kitchen an upgrade, so make sure your kitchen equipment is perfectly clean.
6. Frames of doors and windows
One of the important places we forget to clean in the house is the frame around the windows and doors. They trap a substantial amount of dust, so make sure you are dusting these off on a regular basis.
7. Door knobs and handles
Another spot we miss out on cleaning at home is the knobs and handles on doors, drawers and cupboards. While you are doing your usual dusting, make sure you wipe these down. If you have metallic handles and knobs you may even find fingerprints on them. Take special care of the taps and handles in the kitchen and bathroom.
8. Artwork, picture frames and display units
Do you have a collection of antiques or cute decor pieces collected from your travels or a display cabinet full of your favourite books? Run a finger on one of them and you will know that this is one of the places you forget to clean at home. The grooves on your favourite knick-knacks, picture frames and the display surfaces in your home attract a lot of dust and should, therefore, be cleaned meticulously.
9. Under the sinks in the bathroom and kitchen
There are very few places that collect dust in homes quite like these two spots. It’s one of the spots you may miss out on cleaning because you are focussed on cleaning out the actual sink. But make sure you dust and wipe down the area under the sinks in the bathroom and kitchen. There are also chances for mould to develop here so with the kitchen, in particular, keep the doors under the sink open so you air it out a little.
10. Washing Machines
Similar to the dishwasher, this is one of the things you forget to clean at home that you really must! For an appliance that is actually used to clean your clothes, the washing machine builds up quite a bit of dirt over time. You can create a DIY detergent using 2 cups of vinegar, 1/4 cup of bicarbonate of soda and 1/4 cup of water and run a wash cycle at the highest temperature to kill all the mould and bacteria. Make sure to also clean out the fluff trapped behind the seal.
11. Light fixtures, fans and switches
One of the other places you forget to clean at home is the light fixtures on the ceiling and walls. Tubelights, floor lamps, table lamps and wall lamps all are places that collect dust at home. So make sure to clean them regularly. While most of the newer homes in the UAE do not come with ceiling fans, some of the older apartments and villas in Dubai and the rest of the country still have them. Make sure to dust and wipe down these fans as they too collect a lot of dust. On a related note, make sure to also clean switches and switchboards frequently as dust can settle here.
12. The shower curtains and bathroom supplies
Some of the places that we really need to clean more often include shower curtains, toothbrush holders and loofahs in the bathroom. Since they are exposed to moisture, it’s easy for mould to form in these places, so make sure to clean them all thoroughly. Make sure to also check your soap dishes and clean them out as they can accumulate sludge over time.
13. The cleaning supplies
This has to be the most ironic one on our list of things and places you forget to clean at home! But we often forget to clean out the mops, wash clothes and cleaning equipment. Remember to also replace brushes, sponges and towels frequently so that you don’t end up adding to the dirt when you are cleaning.
There you have it! Our comprehensive list of the 13 most overlooked spots in your home for cleaning. Are you now itching to get your rubber gloves on and start with the places you are forgetting to clean in the house? We wouldn’t blame you! Make sure to also check out our tips on home maintenance so you build a more comfortable living environment.
Stay tuned to the best property blog in the UAE for more insights on how to maintain your home perfectly.