Keeping the house clean can often feel like juggling a million tasks at once, especially if you don’t live alone. Doing the laundry, vacuuming the floors, washing the dishes—every single cleaning chore is an endless cycle that is not only necessary—but is also beneficial to your mental and physical well-being.
You probably have the basics down pat: cleaning the floors, washing the sheets, dusting surfaces. But what about the things that you don’t have to clean regularly? Since you don’t necessarily have to clean them as often, it can be all too easy to forget all about them.
Hence, take this article as a reminder to clean the things that you often forget, such as:
- Light switches
Not a lot of homeowners remember to clean their light switches—if ever at all. However, think about how many times you touch your switches. It’s probably dozens, if not more than a hundred times every week. And even if your hands are clean every time you touch them (which is highly unlikely), you are still spreading germs that can end up on everyone else’s hands.
That said, be sure to disinfect your light switches at least once or twice a week, especially if someone in the house is ill or if you have had guests over.
- Oven
Cleaning the oven is a not-so-easy task that requires quite a bit of elbow grease, which is why it doesn’t come as a surprise that not a lot of homeowners like to clean their ovens. No, the intense heat won’t kill all the bacteria lurking inside, especially when food residue lingers for months.
If you don’t want to clean the oven yourself, hire an oven cleaning service instead. Not only does a professional oven cleaner take this tedious chore off your hands, but they can also do a better job at it.
- Washing machine
Cleaning the washing machine may not make a lot of sense since, well, it’s already being cleaned every time you use it, right? Wrong. The soap residue, the chemicals in your detergent, and the minerals from the water can stay inside your washing machine and form a thin film that traps bacteria. Aside from preventing your washing machine from thoroughly cleaning your clothes, these bacteria can also clog the inner mechanisms of your unit and make it inefficient.
The best way to clean a washing machine is to run an empty load with hot water and vinegar and a cycle with bleach to kill bacteria, mold, and mildew. It is best to do this at least once a week or twice a month, depending on how frequently you use your washing machine.
- Window weep holes
Most sliding windows and vinyl replacement windows have weep holes that drain rainwater. Over time, these holes accumulate debris and bugs and will need to be unclogged to prevent the spread of bacteria.
It is easy to clean window weep holes. Use a narrow, pointed object to dislodge the debris from the holes or use compressed air to do the job more efficiently. Make it a point to do this chore at least once every season, especially during the rainy months.
- Bathroom fan grill
The grill that covers your bathroom exhaust fan traps dust, moisture, and humidity, which combines to form a layer of filth that can reduce the efficiency of your fan—as well as make your bathroom more prone to humidity issues.
To clean your bathroom fan grill, remove the panel from the exhaust fan with a screwdriver and wash it in the sink. If it has mold, soak it in a bleach bath to kill the growth. However, you may want to inspect other parts of your home for mold as it could be a sign of a humidity issue.
- Outdoor trash bins
How frequently do you clean your outdoor trash bins? If you’re just like any average homeowner, probably not so often. After all, they’re not in your house, so why should you clean them regularly?
Well, dirty trash bins can attract all sorts of pests to your property, which can eventually lead them inside your home. Not only that, but not cleaning your trash bins regularly means that you are transferring bacteria onto your hands every time you take out the trash.
Make it a habit to clean your trash bins at least twice a month. Wash the inside and outside with soap and disinfectant, then leave it in the sun to dry.
This is not an exhaustive list of things that a lot of homeowners forget to clean. However, it contains some of the most common ones that you should probably be cleaning ASAP.
