Whether your housekeeper is hired or lives in the house (ie. you), there are places that can be easily forgotten when it comes to cleaning. Those places can often be some of the dirtiest areas of the home and have the most germs. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Keep these places in mind the next time you clean your home.
Top Ten Places a Housekeeper Usually Forgets to Clean
- Door Knobs – Unless you wash your hands as soon as your enter your home, you are bringing the germs you’ve picked up throughout the day into your home. This includes doorknobs. Don’t just think external doorknobs. Think about what could be on your hands immediately before touching the pantry doorknob. Then think about what you touch directly after that…perhaps food?
- Cabinet Pulls – Cabinet pulls are very similar to door knobs and they are often forgotten when cleaning cabinets, etc.
- Toilet Handles- Many housekeepers clean the inside of their toilet on a somewhat regular basis. But, few clean the outside of the toilet and even less thing about wiping down and disinfecting the toilet handle.
- Throw Rugs -Rugs placed by doors to wipe feet as one enters the home are often forgotten when the floors are vacuumed. This means that dirt and pesticides are scraped onto the rug daily without every being cleaned.
- Refrigerator Coils – I honestly don’t know anyone who cleans refrigerator coils. If you don’t have a fancy refrigerator that doesn’t require cleaning, your dirty refrigerator coils may be costing you money in lost energy savings.
- Kitchen Sponges - There have been numerous studies done on kitchen sponges and how they are laden with bacteria. If you just can’t fathom ridding your kitchen of this item, take the time to clean your kitchen sponge often.
- Cutting Boards – While we’re talking kitchen cleanliness, most housekeepers forget to clean their cutting board properly. It’s been said that wood cutting boards can have 200 times more fecal bacteria than a toilet seat, so make sure to do your research on which is the right fit for you. Then clean it on a regular basis.
- Under Beds – Most housekeepers rarely, if ever, clean under the bed (or under a couch, chair and other furniture for that matter). Since the area is hidden and covered, it’s often forgotten about. Not to mention it’s difficult to reach.
- Remote Controls – If you look at your remote control(s), you will most likely see dirt and buildup in between the buttons. If you don’t actually see the dirt yet, it’s still probably one item in your home that’s covered with germs. Next time you have a spray bottle of vinegar or rubbing alcohol out, spray it and wipe it down. You’ll be glad you did.
- Cell Phones – A hired housekeeper probably won’t be cleaning your cell phone, but you definitely should clean your own. Cell phones are handled 24/7 and contain more germs than we want to know.
Some of these areas may not be on the top of your list to clean. But others should definitely be added to your cleaning schedule!
What places do you usually forget to clean?
Linked to Top Ten Tuesday
iDreamOfClean
I’m a wife. I’m a mom. And I don’t like to clean! With a house full of boys, though, cleaning is inevitable. That's why I've made it my mission to find the best organizing and cleaning tips. Hopefully, those tips will help us spend less time cleaning and more time with the ones we love.
Latest posts by iDreamOfClean (see all)
- Easy Way to Remove Sand from Hands and Feet at the Beach - May 12, 2013
- Clean Faster by Timing Yourself - May 9, 2013
- Easy Way to Make Memories with Your Kids this Summer - May 8, 2013
- Natural Green Ant Repellant - May 6, 2013
- The Path to a Minimalist Wardrobe - May 4, 2013
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I just cleaned out underneath my couches (and couch cushions, too). Yikes!! Lots of great tips. Thanks.
Thank you! This is a very useful list!
Have a wonderful day!
Melanie
Oh, remote controls is one thing I don’t think of!
Yikes! I can safely say that I clean almost none of these places regularly or really, ever. I am a freak about my sponges and cutting boards, which are plastic so hopefully no fecal matter(yuck!).
Pardon me, but I have to go hose down my entire house with vineager and water now. lol