We have finally survived 2020 and stepped into the new year with lots of hopes and resolutions. Yes, we know, quarantine is still going strong and we are spending more time in our homes but that’s just semantics. We can own this year and work on ourselves and our surroundings with a positive attitude.
Nothing says a fresh start like a clean dazzling home with shining surfaces and lovely smelling sheets. Besides, it’s winter. If you wish to make your house all cozy, you need to make your house clean. Only then can you enjoy a mug of hot chocolate and a good book with your scented candles adding more magic to the ambiance!
We all know that house cleaning is fun and satisfactory but with these cleaning tips, it will be worth so much more. Here you go:
1. Ceiling Fan
Perhaps the most neglected part of our homes is the ceiling fans. They accumulate dirt easily and if left uncleaned, spread it to the rest of the house. Buddy up with someone for the sake of safety and climb on a ladder to use a feather duster. If the grime is too old to be dusted away, mix detergent and water, dip an old towel or a sponge in it and use it to wipe the surfaces. Once done, use a clean wet towel to wipe it all away. This might be a slightly messy business so you can either spread old sheets on the floor or make it the first thing you do when deep cleaning your house so then the dirt gets picked up anyway. You can also use a discarded pillowcase to catch the dust inside it.
2. Water Stains on the Faucets
Hard water leaves water stains around the faucets which not only appear dirty but also breed bacteria. Here’s the trick. Soak a paper towel in vinegar and wrap it around the faucet for an hour. Remove it and then give it a good wipe. The watermarks will lighten considerably and even give the faucet a bit of a shine. Do it regularly and the watermarks will be gone.
3. Whiten all your Pillow covers
White pillow covers tend to go yellow over time. As a result, they never appear clean, even when they are. The solution to this problem can be found in our house cleaning tips. Add a spoon full of powdered laundry detergent, ½ cup of borax and bleach in hot water and soak your white pillow covers. After 30 – 60 minutes, give it a full wash cycle in the washing machine. You can use this trick for white sheets and even white shirts.
4. Remove the Stains from the Cutting Board
Cutting boards stain easily and over time, they begin to look dirty and yucky. The solution is easy enough. Rub lemon and salt on it and leave it like that for 30 minutes before washing it with soap. For even better results, leave it in the sun. This trick isn’t just for the sake of appearances but also health and safety. Cutting meat can leave bacteria behind on cutting boards and this can be detrimental to health. Make sure to clean your cutting boards once every week.
5. Make Your Microwave Shine from the Inside
One of the most effective deep cleaning tips you’ll ever find is this one. The microwave accumulates food particles in its various nooks and crannies and it gets relatively hard to reach in there. Well, you don’t have to with this trick. Fill a mug with water, a few drops of vinegar and put a slice of lemon in. Turn on the microwave and let it heat until the glass door fogs up. Let it sit there for a few more minutes. Then all you need to do is wipe the surfaces down and everything will come off easily.
6. Wash the Knick-knacks
If you have a dishwasher, don’t just use it to wash the dishes. You can use it smartly by placing all of the mason jars, vases, candleholders and other kinds of knick-knacks around the house in there for a good wash. It will save you time and allow you to clean everything at once. Just make sure that you are only placing glass, marble and ceramic products in your dishwasher.
7. Clean the Glass Surfaces
Cleaning glass is a tricky job because it almost always leaves smudges and track marks behind. The best option is to use a coffee filter or a damp newspaper to make it shine in just one go. Use a high-quality glass cleaner for the best results or better yet, DIY it. Mix equal parts rubbing alcohol and water with a few drops of vinegar and enjoy the dazzling effect it leaves behind.
8. Wash Your Draperies
Drapery is a favorite place for the dust bunnies to hide. Seemingly they are all clean but give it one good shake and you’ll realize just how much dust it’s packing. We wouldn’t recommend shaking it though as that can turn into a disaster. Just take our word for it and give your draperies a good deep clean. There are several options you can pick from. If you have fabric panels, you can put them in the washer or you can gently vacuum them if they are made of silk or another fine fabric. You can also send them to the dry cleaners or wash them by hand in your bathtub. If you own mini-blinds, use an old sock to cover your hand, dip it in detergent water and wipe them clean, reaching all of the nooks and crannies. If you are vacuuming your blind and shades, make sure to use the brush head. Wipe the rods and rings with a wet cloth.
9. Wash Your Shower Curtain
Neglected shower curtains can grow mildew on them. You can wash it twice a month when deep cleaning your bathroom. There are several ways that you can wash your shower curtain. Most of the time, you can just check the instructions on the label and follow them. Giving it a gentle wash in cold water will do the job. After the dryer, you don’t need to dry the shower curtains completely and you can hang it when it is still damp. If your neglected shower curtains have already collected mildew, soak them in warm water and a few drops of bleach before giving them a gentle cycle.
10. Remove the Odor from the Garbage Can
Garbage cans are one of the most neglected fixtures of our homes when it comes to cleaning. Deep cleaning leaves no stone unturned which means that garbage cans finally get the attention they deserve. Washing the garbage cans once a month is easy enough. The real problem is when it begins to smell. You can’t wash your garbage cans every time you put particularly smelly trash in there. What you need to do is find a way to make sure that it smells great all the time.
Fortunately, there are several ways that you can deodorize your trash cans. One method is to spread baking soda on the bottom of the trash can which absorbs all of the bad odors. Dryer sheets also work great to absorb all moisture from the can, leaving it dry and odorless. If you want them to smell good, make your deodorant by taking a cotton ball, add a few drops of essential oil to it and then place it in the can. You can also use this DIY deodorant for diaper pails and litter boxes.
11. Cleaning and Flipping the Mattress
The mattresses in our homes must be thoroughly cleaned at least twice a year. You can do it in the summer and winter during house cleaning. Strip away all of the bedding from the mattress and give them a full-cycle wash in warm water. Add some fabric softener to make sure they smell amazing. Next, vacuum the top surface of the mattress, flip it and vacuum that surface too. If you are allergic to dust, you should do this more often to keep the dust mites to a minimum. Now you have to take care of all the spots and spills on the mattress. Use your tried and tested detergent and spot clean them as methodically as possible. You can use a hairdryer to dry them afterward. If it has a musty smell, keep it outside for a few hours when the sun is at its brightest.
12. Clean the Doormats
Doormats are like a magnet for dust. They trap every single dust particle that flies its way in addition to lint, hair and even blades of grass and dry leaves. First off, you need to have two doormats, one outside the door and another inside the door. This simple trick will keep your house clean from the muddy shoes and snowy boots that frequent the house. To keep the mats spotless, you have to clean them on a regular basis. They collect too much dust to be neglected even for just a day. Talking of doormats, your bathroom rugs shouldn’t be ignored either. They might look clean but they get just as grimy as your towels. Bathroom rugs collect dead skin cells and when we step onto them, we increase the chances of spreading the contaminants all over the house. Your bathroom rugs should be washed at least once a week. Shake the rug well or beat it with a stick before throwing it in the washing machine.
13. Clean the Air Ducts
Dust mites just need a place to hide and settle comfortably and the air ducts in our houses provide them with the perfect home. Dust, pollen, animal dander and all kinds of dirt always find a way into the ducts. If left untreated and uncleaned, they can accumulate over time and further encourage the growth of mildew, mold and other microbes. This eventually affects the air quality in the house and can lead to several health issues. Additionally, the dust will also end up clogging the air conditioner’s filters. The AC will incur more strain which will not only take more electricity but also won’t be able to cool the house as it should. Save yourself all this trouble by giving your air ducts a good cleaning once every week. Or you can call in professionals once every 6 months for a thorough cleaning.
14. Oil Spills
Oil stains are the worst. No matter how hard you wash and mop, they stay there. Use this home cleaning session as a chance to get rid of them once and for all. First, find all of the oil spill stains in the garage, in the driveway, on your wood tables and even in the kitchen. Pour sawdust on the oil spills and leave it for an hour or a half. The sawdust will soak up the oil and leave that space spick and span.
15. Light Switches
We touch the light switches around our house several times a day and let’s accept it, our hands aren’t always clean when doing so. Not only are the switches packed with germs but they also get dirty relatively quickly with all of the fingerprints. Like all high-touch surfaces, your light switch panels should be part of your daily cleaning. Dip a cloth in disinfectant and squeeze it until all of the liquid is gone and the cloth is damp. Wipe all of the light switch panels around the house. For safety purposes, always make sure that the cloth is damp and not wet. Do not just clean the panel but clean the light switch toggle as well as the wall surrounding the switch panel itself. Make this a part of your routine cleaning so then you and your family members aren’t transferring germs all around the house.
16. Non-Stick Pans
It’s a tricky business to get rid of stuck pieces of overcooked food from your non-stick cookware. We often put it away for” later” and end up neglecting it eventually. The trick to getting rid of stuck-on food from non-stick pots and pans is much easier than you’d think. All you need to do is place a piece of new non-woven dryer sheet in the pan. It should be large enough to cover the entire bottom. Then fill the cookware with hot water and leave it to soak overnight. The next morning, throw the water away and use the same dryer sheet to wipe the bottom of the non-stick pots and pans. The silicone coating of the dryer sheet, encouraged by hot water, will soften up the food. The slightly rough texture of the dryer sheet easily pulls off the food without destroying the non-stick coating of the pan. Once the food is removed, wash it with regular detergent.
17. Coffee Machine
The thing with appliances is that as helpful and lifesaving as they are, they can pose a health risk if we don’t clean them properly. All of us are in the habit of washing the pot of the coffee machine every time after use. We change the filter regularly as well. However, the majority of us do not touch the inside of our coffee machines for years and some people never do. Cleaning the inside part of the coffee machine might seem complicated but it’s not. Besides, it needs to be cleaned at least once every 3 months because all of the leftover beans and hard water gunk accumulates over time and can find its way into your morning cup of joe. You can normally follow the instructions on the box to clean it or you can simply “brew” a pot of white vinegar and water. Once the steam has reached all corners, wash the pot and then brew again with plain water.
18. Reusable Grocery Bags
We almost always forget to wash our grocery bags and only ever remember it when we are going grocery shopping. Grocery bags come in contact with the outside environment, specifically the conveyor belt. Grocery bags also end up gathering the dirt left behind by fresh vegetables and fruits. A little leaky accident isn’t off the list either and then there’s the entire business of raw meat. The trick here isn’t how to wash grocery bags but remembering to wash them. To make things easier for yourself, throw your canvas grocery bag in the laundry basket every time you come home from shopping. So far as recycled plastic bags are concerned, wash them in your kitchen sink with soap and water while you are emptying the bags.
19. Disinfect
Most cleaning household tips only focus on surface cleaning but we need to make sure that we are also cleaning the germs and bacteria that we cannot see. We cannot stress enough how important it is to disinfect your house once every week. Use a fresh-smelling antiseptic to mop your floors, wipe the kitchen counters, disinfect all of the doorknobs around the house and give your bathrooms and all the faucets a good wipe. Do not forget your cell phone as it is a cesspool of bacteria, and the one that comes in contact with you the most. Your PC mouse, laptop screens, keyboard and all the things that you hold frequently need to be disinfected as well. We need you to remember this trick even when we have long since bid farewell to Covid-19.
20. Refrigerator Wires
Cleaning inside the refrigerator is pretty obvious, all of us plan it in a timely manner, but what about behind the refrigerator? We can go all of our lives neglecting the coils and wires of the refrigerator. Cleaning the refrigerator from behind isn’t just necessary for the sake of cleanliness but it also ties into the refrigerator’s efficiency. The crevices around the coils accumulate a huge amount of dust and debris over time. As a result, the system has to strain to work properly which ends up increasing your utility bill. Surprisingly, cleaning such a complicated part of the refrigerator is quite easy. Just roll the refrigerator away from the wall for better access and bring out your vacuum cleaner. Use the upholstery brush and vacuum all the dust away. If your refrigerator has coils on the bottom, use the stiff brush attachment with a long handle along with the bent crevice tool. You have to remove the ventilated grill and then it’s easy enough to brush and vacuum away all of the dust bunnies without bending your neck awkwardly.
21. Picture Frames
Picture frames are the least disturbed and touched surfaces in the house. That is probably why they are left undisturbed and uncleaned for months. They might not be touched as much but that doesn’t mean they do not collect dust. As shiny as they appear from far away, you only need to swipe a finger to realize how fuzzy it has gotten from the layer of dust on it. When deep cleaning your house, pay extra attention to the frames. First, wipe the dust away with a dry clean cloth. Once the dust is gone, use a glass cleaner to make the frames shine. Alternatively, you can use white vinegar which will not only give a streak-free shine but also remove any odor.
22. Stainless Steel
If you have lots of stainless steel around the house, you’ll be well aware of the fact that it easily catches all of the fingerprints, grease and smudge marks. Fortunately, it takes only a few minutes to clean the stainless-steel surfaces and restore them to their original dazzle. Be it an appliance or counter, dip a sponge in the soap water, squeeze it until it’s dry and wipe all of the surfaces. Then take a clean, dry microfiber cloth and wipe it all away.
23. Shower Glass
We often happen to spot stains and dirt when we don’t have anything at hand to clean it up. Similarly, all of the water stains on the shower glass catch our eye when we are in a bath. We have a solution to this problem though. Grab shaving cream when in the bathroom and apply it all over the glass while you’re showering. Leave it on and continue with your bath. Once you are done showering, turn off the showerhead and wipe off the glass with anything you have to hand.
24. Clean all the Shoes
It’s surprising how so many of us end up getting rid of our gym shoes because of their odor instead of just using a little cleaning hack. Once every week, sprinkle some baking soda in your gym shoes to suck up all of the moisture from them. When you head out to the gym next, just tap out the powder and wear odorless shoes.
Another challenging aspect of maintaining footwear is keeping your white shoes, white. Fortunately, there are tons of methods you can try. The easiest one is using an old toothbrush and toothpaste to whiten your shoes. To clean your leather, suede or rubber shoes, dampen a clean cloth with micellar water and give them a good rub.
25. Unclog your Sinks
Now’s a good time to take care of the slow draining sinks in your home. You just need to use the good old house cleaning tip involving baking soda and vinegar. Remember the trick that we all used to do to make the volcano explode in our middle school science project? That’s exactly what you can do to unclog the sinks. Vinegar is the acid and baking soda is the base. The base needs protons and vinegar is eager to give them away. When the two mix, the exchange of protons causes a fuzzy bubbling reaction. This reaction dissolves the hard gunk stuck in your drain and then the running water flushes it all away. Just pour half a cup of baking soda and an equal amount of vinegar in the drain and plug it. Let it sit for 30 minutes before pouring hot boiling water into the drain.
26. Clean your Houseplants
Lastly, what brings the final dazzling touch to your home is bright leafy houseplants. First things first, snip away all of the brown and drooping stems and leaves. The regular trimming of dead leaves and flowers is necessary to keep the plant healthy and thriving.
Next, use a clean dry cloth to wipe away the layers of dust from the leaves and flowers. This can take some time so you can replace the cloth with a soft toothbrush or a fuzzy paintbrush to reach all of the crevices. Next, just dampen a cloth with water and wipe it all away. Alternatively, you can fill a spray bottle with a small nozzle with water and spray the dirt and dust away.
Knowing that our house is spick and span and that no corner is harboring any gunk hits that sweet spot within us. You too can achieve this feat with our foolproof cleaning tips and tricks. If you are not the cleaning type, don’t worry. You can still enjoy this feeling by letting us do the cleaning for you.
Our House Cleaning Service in Philadelphia leaves no stone unturned and ensures that you get that same subliminal pleasure by the time we are done with it.