These areas of your home are failing to look after for way too long! It is time to roll up your sleeves and provides them each a deep clean.
Light Switches
Just imagine how many times a day you switch on the lights. No matter how clean you think your hands are, each time you touch the light switch, you are spreading germs.
Dampen a cloth with your favorite cleanser, and wipe them down regularly.
Walls
A Sweeper floor mop is useful for higher than just cleaning hard floors. Use it to clean interior walls as well!
Put dry cloth to the rectangle end and press it along your dusty walls and trim. You can take up dust, cobwebs, and dirt safely, without having to step on a ladder.
Gross as it may sound, your TV remote is covered in germs and dead skin cells if you do not clean it on a regular basis.
Wipe it down weekly with an alcohol-based wipe or spray that contains 70% alcohol. Then dry the surface properly.
Pillows
You should wash your pillows every four months or so. Put them in the washing machine on a gentle cycle with hot water to remove dead skin cells and sweat.
And when drying, add a couple of clean tennis balls to help speed up drying and keep the pillow guts from clumping.
Phone
As much as we are on our phones, it is no wonder they are covered in bacteria. Clean it every day using disinfectant wipes with 70% isopropyl alcohol or a disinfecting spray (spritzed onto a cloth, not directly on the phone).
Inside Closets
The next time you are deep cleaning the house, do not forget your closets! Annually make sure to declutter; then wipe down and dust the walls, trim, and shelves in your closet and give it a better vacuum.
Outdoor Lights
Just like anything that lives outdoors, your outdoor light fixtures get dirty. Make it a habit of cleaning and checking your outdoor lights once a year, especially checking for any pest nests.
The heat provided by outdoor lights makes an ideal habitat for mice and other rodents.
Door Knobs
We all have them, which we all touch them. Do you remember when was the last time you cleaned your doorknobs?
It only takes a couple of minutes to kill any lingering germs using an alcohol-based cleaner — just take care to not get any on wood doors or trim, because it will damage the finish.
Despite being covered with sheets and bedding, your mattress still gets dirty. It is a good idea to regularly vacuum it and spot clean any stains that may appear.
Airing it out outdoors within the sunshine for a couple of hours can even do wonders for removing any lingering musty smells.
Air Conditioner
Air conditioners need annual cleaning and maintenance — Spring is the perfect time to make sure your air conditioning is in good working condition. There are a number of easy-to-clean items both inside the house and out at the condenser unit.
Neglecting your air conditioning can cause far more hassle and money spent on repairs.
Refrigerator
Your refrigerator is the most important appliance in the kitchen because it has the critical job of keeping the food you eat fresh and bacteria-free. Regular cleanings help on both counts.
Dryer
Built-up lint inside dryer cabinets causes more than 15,000 fires every year. Clean out the lint trap before and after every use, and clean the dryer vent at least once a year.
The interior of the dryer should be wiped down with a damp cloth about once a week.
Oven
Built-up spills and remnants of old food and liquids inside ovens can cause smoke and smell issues. It’s important to clean up big spills as they happen, and make it a habit to put your oven through its cleaning cycle regularly.
Easy-Off is one of our favorite oven cleaners, or check out these methods for cleaning your oven without chemicals.
Dishwasher
You’d think your dishwasher is pretty much self-cleaning, but unfortunately, it’s not. Food bits and grime find their way into all the nooks and crannies of your dishwasher, leading to bad smells and eventually, your dishes not getting clean.
Garbage Disposal
Does your kitchen sink have a funky smell? It’s probably coming from your garbage disposal. Be sure to clean under the splash guard with a sponge or an old toothbrush, then throw citrus peels down the drain and run the disposal with hot water.
Window Weep Holes
Many sliding windows and vinyl replacement windows have weep holes on the exterior bottom of the frame to drain away rainwater. Weep holes can get plugged with bugs and debris.
To clean them, poke a wire hanger into the hole, or spray it out with compressed air.
Bath Fan Grill
Household dust, moisture and humidity combine to cake bathroom exhaust fans with debris. Luckily, bath fan grills are easy to clean. Grab the edge of the cover and pull down. Squeeze the springs to release them from the slots and remove the cover.
Trash Can
Sure, you line it with a garbage bag, but that doesn’t mean your trash can is free from germs. Who knows what lingers in the bottom of that bin thanks to trash bag leaks. Each time you take out the trash, spray the inside of the trash can with a disinfectant.
Once a month, wash it out thoroughly with bleach and hot water.
Computer Keyboard
In addition to the germs on your hands, your keyboard collects food crumbs, hair and dead skin cells. Yuck. Every two months, use compressed air to get all the crumbs out. Then use a cotton swab dabbed in a little rubbing alcohol to wipe between the keys.
Refrigerator Coils
When was the last time you cleaned behind the refrigerator, including the coils?
Periodically cleaning the coils takes just 15 minutes and can help reduce electricity bills while also extending the life of your refrigerator. Get in the habit of cleaning the coils every six months.
Washer
We know you wash your clothes regularly, but did you know the washer itself still needs cleaning?
Once a month, run an empty load with just hot water and bleach. Front load washers are especially prone to unpleasant smells and liable to mold if not cleaned on a regular basis.
Toothbrush Holder
Your toothbrush isn’t keeping its germs to itself. A study from public health organization NSF International found that 64 percent of toothbrush holders contained mold and yeast, compared to 27 percent of toilet seats.
Most holders can go in the dishwasher, which will get rid of any icky residue and the germs feeding on it, so toss yours in weekly or monthly.
Coffee Reservoir
You probably clean the coffee pot, but you’ll want to give the whole machine a deep clean every once in a while — data show that coffee reservoirs can be even dirtier than toilet seats and toilet handles. Leaving the reservoir open when you’re done making coffee will help clear out the moisture germs love.
Every now and then, clean the reservoir by filling it with equal parts water and vinegar. Turn on the machine so the vinegar cleans the carafe, plus eliminates mineral buildup in the machine’s pipes. Once the pot is done, “brew” a pot of plain water to eliminate any traces of vinegar.
Shower Caddies
Hanging shower caddies are a convenient spot to stash your shower necessities. But often shower caddies are covered with soap residue and shampoo drips. You may be able to simply rinse down the caddy during your shower.
For more stubborn soap scum or mold, let the caddy soak in hot water with a little bleach. Once it’s clean, hang it up to dry thoroughly before returning your products to the caddy. Here’s our favorite shower caddies that don’t get gross.
Hairbrushes
Even if you pull the hair out of your hairbrushes and combs, they should still get a little rinse off every so often to get rid of any lingering debris and residue left behind from your hair products.
Give them an overnight soak in warm water and baking soda (seriously, what can’t baking soda do?) to have them feeling brand new.
Shower Curtains
Your shower curtain attracts all kinds of yucky mildew and more from being in a moist environment, so it’s best to give it a good wipe down with baking soda or a turn in the washer every once in a while.
Always-Fresh Toilet Brush
Toilet brushes are relegated to a filthy task, and the thought of what’s leftover on that brush can leave people a little queasy. So put a splash of Pine-Sol in the bottom of the brush container. Not only does this help to deodorize a bathroom, but it also disinfects the toilet brush.
Under Your Fridge
The space between your fridge and the floor is a magnet for pet hair, dust, food crumbs and other small trinkets. And if gone too long without cleaning, it can attract ants and other pests.
To make this cleaning task less difficult, use a hair trap cleaner (also called a drain cleaning zip tool), which sells at home improvement stores for under $5. This hair trap won’t leave scratches on the floor and can reach further than a vacuum cleaner attachment.
Bagless Vacuum Filter
Vacuum owners empty the dirt canister but often don’t clean the filters. Plugged filters lead to an overworked motor. Take the vacuum out to the garage and clean the pleated filter with a shop vacuum. Some pleated filters have a special coating that you can damage, so be gentle with the shop vacuum nozzle.
Faucet Aerators
Aerators are found on almost every kitchen and bath faucet, and if water flow slows or becomes uneven, clogs inside the aerator are usually the cause. Fortunately it’s an easy problem to fix.