\nMany people unknowingly make household chores harder than necessary, and in some cases, they accidentally leave their homes dirtier than they were in the first place. In the name of cleaner homes, we\u2019re breaking down some common dumb cleaning habits and mistakes you might not even realize you\u2019re making.\n
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Winging it sometimes works, but that\u2019s rarely the case when it comes to cleaning. For example, if you\u2019re dusting your dresser, that\u2019s great, but make sure you dust the ceiling fan above first; otherwise, you\u2019ll just end up backtracking. That\u2019s why a game plan is necessary. \u201cI recommend cleaning from top to bottom and from left to right,\u201d says cleaning expert Diane Regalbuto. \u201cFor example, dust all ceiling fans and high-reach places and work your way down to baseboards and around the room in a clockwise direction.\u201d When dusting those hard-to-reach areas, use a soft, dry cloth.\n
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\u201cMost household disinfectant holds a three- to 10-minute dwell time, which means the product needs to sit wet on a surface for it to actually disinfect,\u201d says Karina Neff, president, and CEO of MaxiMaids. \u201cAlso note that it\u2019s important to remove debris or dirt from the surface with a microfibre towel before disinfecting.\u201d To properly disinfect, wipe down the surface with your towel to remove soil, debris, and dirt, and then spray the surface with your disinfectant. Follow the label instructions for the product dwell time, then wipe up.\n
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Again, the goal is to make sure your products are working for you and not against you! Dirty sponges are just going to spread gunk. \u201cYour sponge is likely the dirtiest thing in your home,\u201d says Samsoni. \u201cReplace it \u00ad\u2013 or disinfect it with diluted bleach \u2013 regularly so you don\u2019t transfer germs inadvertently when cleaning your dishes and other surfaces.\u201d Having a backup of sponges at the ready will help.\n
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Grabbing a towel and scrubbing at a stain is a knee-jerk reaction, but it\u2019s not doing your carpet any favours. The key is to gently blot the area to pick up as much of the stain as possible \u2013 ideally until the spot is dry. This is better than scrubbing, which not only wreaks havoc on the carpet fibers but also presses the stain deeper into the carpet. Once dry, use a stain lifter and follow the directions on the label.\n
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You\u2019ve got a sparkling clean fridge interior, but that\u2019s all for naught if you\u2019ve forgotten to clean the grill and vent! \u201cThis often gets missed, which causes dust to build up and ultimately slows down the system,\u201d says Regalbuto. \u201cOnce a month, simply wipe it clean.\u201d Spray a soft cloth with an all-purpose spray and gently wipe down the grill and vent. You can also use a vacuum cleaner with a hose extension to suck up dirt and grime in tiny, hard-to-reach spots. While you\u2019re at it, don\u2019t forget the top of your fridge and the area behind it.\n
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Of course, you know that the kitchen has its fair share of grime, but chances are, you\u2019re neglecting a few problem spots: pulls, handles, and doorknobs! Worst of all, these areas are grease, grime, dust, and bacteria magnets. \u201cUse a gentle household cleaner or plain soapy water making sure to wipe dry afterward in order to remove water stains,\u201d advises Regalbuto.\n
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This is another easy-to-forget spot to clean, but boy is it important! \u201cBacteria and germs are super high on light switches,\u201d says Regalbuto. They also start looking really grimy and dirty from all that touching. \u201cClean them about once a week, and increase frequency if you or someone in your family is sick.\u201d Antibacterial wipes are real heroes for this job.\n
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Having a designated cleaning day is wonderful, but note that some things need to be cleaned with more frequency. \u201cWhen you wait to clean your home all at once, the surfaces that should be cleaned more often \u2013 such as doorknobs, keyboards, cabinet handles, and other frequently touched surfaces \u2013 stay dirty,\u201d says Sansoni. He recommends making a set cleaning schedule. Pick a day or days of the week to wipe down and clean the \u201chot spots,\u201d and spread the rest of your cleaning out over time.\n
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Liquid drain cleaners are great for tackling your gunked-up sink, but they are not meant for toilets. If you\u2019re dealing with a clogged toilet, this is where a good, old-fashioned plunger comes into play.\n
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Out of sight, out of mind \u2013 right? Well, until you open up your microwave and see a splattery mess! It\u2019s best to clean your microwave after every use (a simple wipe-down will do), but if you end up with a dry, caked-on mess, you\u2019ve got some options. Regalbuto says, \u201cPlace a bowl inside with lemon juice, water, and vinegar and turn the microwave on for two minutes to let it steam up. After, wipe down the interior with a damp cloth.\u201d Make sure to clean the buttons on the outside, too.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Many people unknowingly make household chores harder than necessary, and in some cases, they accidentally leave their homes dirtier than they were in the first place. In the name of cleaner homes, we\u2019re breaking down some common dumb cleaning habits and mistakes you might not even realize you\u2019re making. Cleaning without a plan Winging it\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14270,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Many people unknowingly make household chores harder than necessary, and in some cases, they accidentally leave their homes dirtier than they were in the first place. In the name of cleaner homes, we\u2019re breaking down some common dumb cleaning habits and mistakes you might not even realize you\u2019re making.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[43,85,61,130,30,149,123],"class_list":{"0":"post-14269","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tie-life-style","8":"tag-cleaning-house","9":"tag-cleaning-mistake","10":"tag-cleaning-tips","11":"tag-house-keeping","12":"tag-household-hacks","13":"tag-household-problems","14":"tag-kitchen-tips"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/mistake.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14269"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14269\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}