You’re probably doing these 9 house cleaning tasks wrong… But we’re here to help!
We hate to break it to you, but most people out there are doing at least a couple of house cleaning tasks incorrectly, which may explain why certain areas of your home aren’t as clean as you’d like them to be. To help you out, our team has compiled a list of common cleaning mistakes that you can easily correct starting right now.
Not Cleaning on a Regular Basis
If you don’t want dirt and grime to get out of hand, it’s imperative you clean your home room by room at least weekly or bi-weekly, with some tasks like dusting done every two or three days. You can also save time and effort by hiring a professional cleaning company. They can set you up with a weekly or monthly cleaning service, or with a deep house cleaning to get you started.
Letting Dishes Pile Up in the Sink
We’ve all let dishes pile up in the sink, but putting them off creates a breeding ground for bacteria. If you have a dishwasher, be sure to rinse each dish, glass, or piece of silverware after eating and then set it inside. For those of you without a dishwasher, the best course of action is to start a daily dishwashing routine and then stick with it.
Using Feather Dusters for Dusting
There’s no doubt most people reading this have been in plenty of households where feather dusters were commonplace. The problem is that dusters often tend to grab just part of the dust while spreading the rest into the air. Instead, you should use a microfiber cloth to wipe dust from your home’s surfaces. These cloths are designed to attract and capture the dust so that it doesn’t spread around.
Not Ventilating While Cleaning
Even though many people have moved to the use eco-friendly cleaning products, there are still certain situations where chemicals may be needed. This is especially true when doing a deep clean of a kitchen or bathroom where products like bleach and ammonia will work best. Since the fumes of these cleaning products can be harmful, it’s important that you open windows and/or turn on vent fans to keep the air clean. If you’re especially vulnerable, wear an N95 mask.
Cleaning From the Ground Up
Since a home’s floor is a single item that covers a wide area, many people will start there for their weekly cleaning tasks. Cleaning your home from the ground up, however, is a bad idea because if you kick up any dust or other particles as you clean higher surfaces, those contaminants are likely to end up on your clean floor. Instead, always begin with the highest items – ceiling fans, light fixtures, etc. – and work your way down.
Rubbing Stains Out of Carpets
When you get a stain on your carpet, it’s understandable that you might freak out a little and leap into action. This will often result in voraciously scrubbing the stain in an attempt to remove it. This may result in spreading the stain around or pushing it deeper into the fabric. Instead of scrubbing, you want to blot the stain with a white cloth to remove some of the residue, and then follow it up with a stain remover.
Not Disinfecting Your Sponges
Kitchen sponges are a necessary part of keeping your home clean, but the problem is that they’re a wasteland of bacteria. You should replace each sponge every month, but in the meantime, it’s important that you keep them disinfected. The easiest strategy is to put the sponge through your dishwasher’s dry-heat cycle at least once per week. If you don’t have a dishwasher, boil two cups of water and set the sponge in the pot for approximately five minutes.
Running a Half-Full Dishwasher
No one likes the idea of letting dirty dishes stay in the dishwasher for too long, but many people tend to run it when it’s only half-full. The problem, of course, is your dishwasher is going to use the same amount of energy and water as it would on a full load. This will also result in your dishwasher wearing out more quickly since you’re using it more often with no real benefit.
Always Using Hot Water on Clothes
Unless you have severe stains you’re trying to get out, washing every load of clothes or linens with hot water is a mistake. All it typically does is waste a lot of energy, increase your monthly utility bill, and wear out your clothes more quickly. Save the hot water for all-white loads. For the rest, cold water can be used for most clothing and basic washes.
Contact Maid Impressions for Professional House Cleaning Services and Proper House Cleaning Tasks
Maid Impressions provides professional house cleaning in Clearwater, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, and the surrounding areas. If you have any questions about how our cleaning system works or would like to request a quote, reach out to our by calling (727) 222-6019 today.
