6 Overlooked Home Cleaning Tasks

Often Overlooked Home Cleaning Tasks for This Spring and Throughout the Year

Springtime is usually when people get motivated to clean, organize, and freshen up their house. Maybe it is because nature appears to be freshening up the outdoors with bright green new growth and flowering trees and plants. With so many people staying at home now because of the coronvirus restrictions, this is a good time for traditional spring cleaning and these six often overlooked home cleaning tasks mentioned in a recent article written by Elizabeth Mayhew. She is a “Today” show style expert and former magazine editor.

Kitchen

Dish Rack: Although you put clean items on your dish rack to dry, the dampness combines with household dust, minerals in the water, and small amounts of soap to become a breeding ground for germs and mold. On a regular basis, you should separate the parts (rack, utensil, tray) and thoroughly wash each one using dish soap and hot water. Use a toothbrush (dedicated for household cleaning) or a scrub brush dipped in distilled white vinegar to help remove mineral deposits and mold/mildew. A pen-shaped non-scratch Scrigit Scraper cleaning tool is very helpful for scraping off mineral deposits from the tray and reaching the bottom of the utensil holder to remove the mineral and mold deposits there.

Sink: The sides of the sink develop a coating of soap, minerals from the water, grease, and a variety of other things that are rinsed off in the sink, including bacteria. Clean your sink with dish soap and water. Use a plastic scrubbing pad or the scrubber side of a kitchen sponge. Then rinse off all the surfaces. Mayhew suggests disinfecting the sink by first spraying on a mist of white vinegar followed by a mist of hydrogen peroxide. Do not mix the two liquid together. Spray each one separately.

Can Opener: Food from the can being opened often gets on the can opener. This applied to manual and electric openers. Wipe down the can opener after each use. Clean more thoroughly on a regular basis. Clean the surfaces of the whole device with dish soap and water. If the cutting mechanism on an electric opener is removable, clean it in the dishwasher. Otherwise, clean the cutting parts thoroughly. A Scrigit Scraper helps get into tight spaces and remove spots of dried food.

Trash and Recycling Cans: Any trash and recycling cans you keep in the kitchen should be cleaned on a monthly basis. Any lids should be cleaned more frequently. Use paper towels dipped in hot soapy water to clean both the interior and exterior of the can. If you can get them, household sanitizing wipes are also good for this task. A bleach solution of 4 teaspoons of household bleach mixed in one quart of water also could be used. Wear rubber gloves and don’t get the bleach solution on any fabric. Let each can dry thoroughly before putting in a plastic bag.

Bathroom

Toothbrush Holder: There are a couple more often overlooked home cleaning tasks in the bathroom. One of them is the toothbrush holder. Rinse the holder in hot water. Then use a paper towel wet with antibacterial mouthwash to clean off the surfaces and the inside of the toothbrush slots. If the holder has an enclosed cup, fill it with mouthwash. Let it sit for a few minutes. Then rinse and let the holder dry before putting in the toothbrushes.

Shower Curtain Liner: Soap scum and and sometimes mold build up on shower curtain liners, specially near the bottom. Clean the liner by removing it from the rings and putting it in your washing machine. Add a half-cup of baking soda and a couple of towels. Run it through a normal cycle with warm water. The towels and baking soda work together to scrub the soap scum off of the liner. Hang up the liner to let it dry. If you don’t think your plastic liner would survive your washing machine, specially if it is a center-agitator model, lay the liner out on a clean old bed sheet on the floor. Use a towel wet with a solution of a half-cup baking soda in a gallon of water to scrub down the liner. Wear rubber gloves. Use a second towel to dry off the surfaces.

Remember to do these six often overlooked home cleaning tasks throughout the year. If you want to see the original article written by Elizabeth Mayhew that inspired this article, click here.