Most of our homes look neat and shiny with daily cleaning tasks happening like clockwork. Mopping floors, a daily round of dusting, vacuum cleaning the rugs, and laundering bedsheets and pillows may be part of your regular routine. But look closely enough, and you’d find ignored areas which have gathered dust over months and years. Let’s take a look at the things that may not be cleaned often enough in your home interiors.
Knobs of Doors and Shelves
These are used often, increasing the chances of gathering germs from multiple hands. But they are often overlooked in routine cleaning chores. Especially in times like these, you must make sure to make cleaning these thoroughly at least once every two days with a cloth smeared with some disinfectant.
Switchboards
This is another one that’s used every day but cleaned almost never. Look around your home and make sure you don’t miss any when you make time to clean them every few days.
Pillows
We change pillow covers often but may not clean the pillows themselves. They accumulate a lot of sweat and dead skin cells over time. Run them on a gentle cycle in the washing machine once every few months.
Mattresses and Comforters
Vacuum clean your sleep companions once a month to keep them free from dust and dust mites. Hire a professional cleaning service once a year to deep clean your mattresses. Or you can DIY using baking soda, salt and water. Sift some baking soda all over the mattress, and leave it on for 30 minutes. Vacuum clean. Then dab all over with a damp cloth. Next, dab an equal-parts mixture of the above three ingredients, let it sit for half an hour, and then wipe off with cold water.
Sofa and Dining Chairs
All upholstered furniture needs to be vacuum-cleaned once in two weeks. Dust the sofa corners and edges, and in between carvings and designs with a disinfected cloth. Deep clean the upholstery and cushions with the help of a professional cleaner every year. Or DIY using the baking soda-salt-water mix as mentioned above.
All Appliances
You would clean most of your appliances, including your fridge, mixer grinder, toaster, veggie chopper, coffee maker and microwave oven after each use, but they are sure to have gathered dirt and food remains in unlikely corners, especially underneath.
For instance, food particles would have settled on the insides of a microwave oven, causing overheating and eventual damage. So take a bowl of water, and set on the microwave for five minutes. Clean off the inside thoroughly with a wet cloth, and then wipe it dry, at least once a week.
To clean the coffee maker, take out all the removable parts once a week, and clean them with a mixture of vinegar and water.
Mould and residue collect in washing machines as well. Take out and clean the detergent drawer and debris filter with a brush. Run the washing machine on a full cycle with hot water, or with a few teaspoons of vinegar, or use a washing machine cleaner. Wipe clean all other parts.
Bookshelves
Books need to be kept free from dust, insects and mildew. Dust them superficially every day. Once a week, wipe all book tops and spines with a microfiber cloth. Every once in six months, take out all the books, and deep clean the shelf including each book, before arranging them back.
Shower Curtains and Bath Mats
These bath companions don’t take bath along with us, unfortunately. Oil spills, soap studs, mould and dust stick onto them over time. Read the manufacturer’s instructions and run them in a washing machine, followed by drip-drying (Do not machine-dry these). Or hand scrub them with a microfiber cloth dipped in baking soda, followed by soap, and rinse with warm water.
Lamp Shades and Fans
Fans, elaborate chandeliers, your friendly table lamps and wall sconces are notorious places for dust to settle. Wipe them carefully with a microfiber cloth or feather duster once a month at least.
Window Tracks
Wipe off the dust from your window tracks with an old toothbrush and cloth, or use a vacuum with a brush attachment. For a deeper cleaning session, spray white vinegar, let it sit for a couple of minutes, and wipe it off with a clean cloth.
Laptop Keyboard
Little would you guess the number of liquid spills, germs from our hands, dead skin cells, and dust that must’ve accumulated amidst the keys? Use a keyboard brush and screen cleaner every week. Once a month, wipe between the keys with a cotton pad dabbed in rubbing alcohol.