Places You Probably Forget to Clean in Your House

Places You Probably Forget to Clean in Your House

Have you ever been in a situation when you can’t remember what you said or did just a few seconds ago?

It’s happened to me many times, I admit!

Back around 2010, there was this huge trend in Singapore and all throughout Asia of calling each other a “golden fish brain” whenever someone forgot to say or do something. It was very popular in my hometown and is still being used to this day.

Forgetfulness

When it comes to cleaning, we know there are some places in your home that you either just forget to clean or mean to save for a later date – except that date never comes thanks to our “golden fish brain”. ?

In the back of your mind, you may be certain that your house is absolutely clean. But, you will be surprised to see how dirty some parts of your home are.

These neglected cleaning spots host a variety of germs and bacteria that could really jeopardize your health and that of your family. Dust and dirt accumulate in places that most of us aren’t even aware of.

So we’re here to help you identify, explain and guide how to clean places that you are most likely to forget when cleaning your house.

1. Underneath Furniture

What/where: under the bed, refrigerator, table, sofa or couch

When sweeping and mopping the floor of your home, many of us tend to skip sweeping under the bed, refrigerator, or sofas.

Whether you miss cleaning under the bed is because you think ‘out of sight, out of mind’, or because scared of the monsters under your bed, it doesn’t matter.

If those places are not cleaned regularly, there’s sure to be a heap of dust and an intrusion of cockroaches.

Why it’s important to clean:

A buildup of dust mites is one of the main causes of the development of allergies and diseases such as asthma and rhinitis. According to the National Institute of Environment Health Sciences, 80% of young adults and children with asthma are allergic to dust mites.

With that in mind, it’s definitely worth putting in the extra effort to clean under your furniture every now and then to reduce the dust mite population.

With just an extra sweeping, you can help yourself and family prevent respiratory allergies from flaring up and give you peace of mind.

How to clean:

Use a long broom to sweep the dust accumulated under the bed, refrigerator, table, sofa or couch frequently. For hard to reach places, use a blowdryer to blow the loose stuff out instead of using a broom, then sweep up the dust bunnies you blow out.

For cleaning hardwood floors, check out this Scrubbi blog to learn how to get your hardwood floors streak free.

2. Hand Touch Surfaces

What/Where: light switches, phone, remote controls, toilet handle, door handles or door knobs

What’s the first thing you do when you come home? Open the door.

What’s the second thing you do when you enter the house, especially at night? Turn on the lights.

And what’s the third possible thing you do? Either look for the remote control and turn on the TV or use your phone.

These three things are among the most hand-touched places and items at home. But given the number of times we touch them, it’s surprising how little we think of cleaning them.

Why it’s important to clean:

I am sure you’ve heard this before, but it’s worth repeating: your smartphone is one of the dirtiest things you touch. On each square inch of its surface, there are up to 25,000 germs. That’s more than your toilet seat!

That being said, these high-touch items like phones, remotes, or door handles are hotspots for germs and bacteria because they are touched by different people, thus passing germs from one person to another.

Not to mention that children love playing around with doorknobs or that we love eating sticky food and licking our fingers while using the remote control.

So, it’s very important to keep these things clean to avoid germ spread in your family.

How to clean:

To clean switches, spray a bit of your cleaning solution onto a piece of cloth and gently wipe down the switch. For better and quicker cleaning, use a microfiber cloth. For the hard-to-reach spots on the light switch plates, use a Q-tip to clean.

To clean door knobs and handles, simply wipe them with a clean cloth. Once in a while, you can even use a disinfectant to get rid of the hidden germs resting there.

To clean remotes or phones, wipe them down regularly using disinfectant (a Q-tip works really well for in between buttons) to banish germs.

3. Air Handling System or HVAC

What/where: heaters, air conditioners, extractors, air filters & vent and air ducts

An air operating system is a must for every home. Whether it’s a heater, air conditioner or extractor, we all need them to regulate the temperature and air flow in our house. So what happens if one of those things doesn’t work properly due to dust mites or rust?

For example, extractor fans accumulate dust and dirt, and over time all the grease and steam from your food builds up on the extractor, making it a really tough job if we leave it for too long.

Or air ducts trap more dust, hair, spiderwebs, and pollen particles than you can imagine.

Why it’s important to clean:

Your HVAC system is important to your health because a well-regulated and maintained system will keep your home free from mold and other harmful organisms.

Mark Mendell, an epidemiologist with the California Department of Public Health studied the health effects of HVAC systems and concludes that “Moisture-related HVAC components such as cooling coils and humidification systems, when poorly maintained, may be sources of contaminants that cause adverse health effects in occupants”

In other words, if we don’t maintain these systems properly, it can become contaminated and potentially harmful to our health.

How to clean:

To clean air ducts, unscrew the air duct cover and use a brush with stiff bristles or damp cloth to clean the grates thoroughly. Vacuum inside the vents using a dusting brush attachment or a microfiber duster.

To clean the extractor, use diluted soapy water to keep your exterior looking nice and clean. You can also soak its filter and wipe it to remove any greasy residue that may have accumulated. And remember to replace the grease filter regularly.

The Bottom Line

Hidden dust and dirt can build in the most unexpected areas in your home. We hope that by reminding you of the above areas that are often forgotten, your home will be left sparkling clean, not to mention the air you breathe.

If you’re busy juggling other tasks and don’t have time to clean these overlooked areas, don’t panic: we are here to help. With our team of professional and experienced cleaners, coming home to a clean house is absolutely possible!