6 Things You Probably Forget to Clean

How often do you clean your house? Even if it happens once a week, it may be not enough to make your rooms shiny. Vacuuming and removing dust from your collection of the Game of Thrones DVDs is a nice thing to start with, but there are way more things that require regular cleaning. Read on to learn what you may have missed.

Image Credit: shutterstock.com / sebra

Some of the aspects of cleaning are evident: there is dust, and there is some debris on the floor, which call for hauling the vacuum cleaner into the room and filling it with the noise your cat is so afraid of. Oh yes, there’s the cat – its hair is everywhere, so you don’t have to worry you will have no wool socks to wear in winter. This makes three routine tasks: vacuuming, dusting, and crawling on the floor trying to remove cat hair from the carpet.

Yet these tedious chores are not the only things you should do if you want to clean your house like a professional. There are other surfaces which you may have missed, but they want your attention too.

Microwave

Even if you use special covers to prevent oils from covering the walls of its interior, your microwave needs regular cleaning. If it’s crusted, fill one bowl with water and vinegar (1:1), and microwave it for a couple of minutes. The aim is to make the vinegar-enriched steam soften the grease and grime so that you can remove them (relatively) easily using a paper towel.

Curtains

Whatever the fabric, curtains should be washed at least once a month, as they accumulate lots of dust, which can cause allergy. If you do not want to wash curtains in a washing machine, you can try vacuuming them: some vacuum cleaners are equipped with a special nozzle. Don’t forget to clean the drapes.

Some vacuum cleaners look as if you can use them to fight against aliens in space. Cleaning curtains is still a nice vocation for a vacuum cleaner, though

Sofas, pillows and bed linen

Do you know what all the three share? They are a perfect habitat for dust mites. And so are curtains, by the way. It is recommended to use a wet and dry vacuum cleaner to clean your sofas, as such an approach enables you to remove as much mite poo and particles, to which those allergic to dust mites react, from the inside of the furniture. Pillows should be synthetic, because dust mites love natural fabrics. As to bed linen, wash it at least once a week at 60 ^oC (140 ^oF).

Light switches, door handles, and other stuff we touch but do not notice

You touch them everyday but rarely dust, as they are so humble that they never remind you they can become dirty too. Your fingers are usually not sterile, as turning the lights on while carrying pizza will probably result in leaving a greasy spot on it, even if it’s not that easy to see. The same is true of pet hair flying in the air, coffee drops falling as the cup is hovering in your hand above the door handle, etc.

Can opener

Many people forget to wash it properly, and if left the way it is, a can opener can become home to myriads of bacteria. They get there from the cans you open, including fish, beans, and a lot of other foods that are a perfect environment for germs to thrive. TheKitchn can help you learn how to fix it.

Dish drying rack

If you think that drying only clean dishes will prevent your dish drying rack from becoming dirty, you may well be wrong. It is attacked by dust, grease left on the plates, and particles of soap. Clean it regularly, as failure to do so means your dishes will be dirty as well.