10 Household Things You Need To Clean Regularly

Friday, August 10, 2018, 15:02

Indeed, our house is where all of us rush to in order to seek comfort. After having survived a long day at work, it is only here that we find peace. This is the reason why many people are seen to be overtly possessive about their homes. They take the best of care of their homes and ensure that only the most superior quality products make their way here.

Once that is done, they like to keep it spick and span and ensure that the house looks beautiful at all times. However, despite all our efforts the house is not always as clean as we would like it to be. This is because there are important areas of the house that we tend to neglect during our cleaning drive sessions.

10 Household Things You Need To Clean Regularly

This article talks about 10 such nooks of the house that we tend to overlook. It also gives you some easy hacks for cleaning the same. Read on to take your house to that level of cleanliness that you had only dreamt about till date.

1. Electronic Items

In today's world, all of us are proud owners of a number of electronic devices, the surfaces of which may either be touch sensitive like that of the phone or it can be physical like that of the keyboard. In either case, chances are that they may often be shared between the different family members.

In such a situation, a wise thing to do would be to make it a practice to use a disinfectant wet wipe to clean the surface every week. This will prevent germs from being transmitted from one member to the other.

2. Door Handles

This is one of the most touched areas of your house and is naturally a storehouse of germs. Doctors have confirmed that most of the bacterial transmissions that take place within the house are through the door handle.

Hence, make it a habit to wipe the door handle with a disinfectant cleaner every three or four days on a normal basis. Understand that the same holds true for the handle of your refrigerator as well. If any family member is currently sick or just got over an illness, make sure that you do this daily. This will play a pivotal role in stopping the spread of germs within the house.

3. Television Remote

This is one item that is used very frequently by different people in the house. The habit of people to binge eat while they watch something on television makes it a storehouse of germs. In order to keep the remote clean it must be ensured that a thorough cleaning takes place at least once a month.

For this, make sure that you take off the battery first in order to avoid damaging any circuit. Take a soft cloth and spay the same with a few drops of a cleaning solution. Wipe the entire remote with it. Now take an earbud and sprinkle a drop of the cleaning solution into that as well. Using that you can clean the cuticles of the remote.

If you find that there is some dirt stuck in the wedges, make sure that you use a toothpick to safely pull out the same. Once all that is dry, let your remote as it is for a couple of minutes before inserting the batteries into place and using it again.

4. Dishwasher

Like every other electronic gadget, make sure that you start with the handle of the dishwasher when you start cleaning the same. Once that is done, pull out the bottom rack and sprinkle a cup of baking soda into it. Now take a cup of distilled vinegar and place the same in the top rack.

Do make sure that the rest of the dishwasher is empty. Now run a heavy cleaning cycle on your dishwasher. At the end of the drive you will be happy to see your dishwasher smelling all clean and looking all sparkling bright. Make sure that you do this once every two or three weeks.

5. Air Filters

For homes that use air filters, make sure that you change the same as frequently as once every 30 to 60 days. The exact duration will depend on the size of your home and the number of people and pets occupying the same. If this is not done, air filters will actually become a storehouse of microbes and will bring in a host of diseases into your family.

6. Cleaning Sponges

Understand that in order to clean your utensils efficiently, you should not just use clean sponges but preferably disinfected ones too. For this, dip your cleaning sponge in water and then place it directly into the microwave.

Allow the microwave to operate at full power for about two minutes. This will kill about 99% of the germs that would otherwise be stuck in the bacterial pores of the sponge. As a precautionary measure, it is advisable that you allow the sponge to cool down fully before trying to remove the same from the microwave.

7. Exterior Of The Toilet

Cleaning the toilet is an essential part of the cleaning routine of most people. Most people prefer to engage in this act on a weekly basis. However, they tend to neglect the exterior of the toilet.

Understand that the exterior of the toiler can get just as dirty as the other parts. In such a situation, it is important for us to ensure that while cleaning the toilet, we should get the seat down and clean the lid, the tank, bottom of the stand and other exterior areas every time you clean the toilet.

Also make it a point to use a disinfectant wipe to clean the flush handle because you never know how many people would have touched the same. In order to ensure that your toilet does not become a storehouse of germs, make it a practice to ensure that the lid of the toilet is always down before you flush.

This will ensure that the microbes are not able to get airborne. If such a thing happens, the airborne microbes may end up setting in different places of your washroom and thereby triggering a host of diseases.

8. Switchboards

Just like the door handles, there are some other frequently touched surfaces at home. This makes them a preferable place for the transfer of germs. That is why it is an absolute must for you to use a disinfecting wipe to clean every switchboard of the house. Make sure that the same is done at least once a week.

9. Drain

Every day we tend to dispose a considerable amount of food waste through the sink. Over time, this may cause the sink to promote the presence of microbes and cause it to stink. To avoid such a thing from happening, what you need to do here is to go for a drain cleaning drill once every fortnight.

Start off by running the tap in full. After that, put in chunks of ice cubes. This will help in cleaning the drain. Alternatively, you can also feed in small chunks of lime into it. Once you have flushed all of it out, sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice over it to keep microbes at bay and allow the sink to keep smelling fresh.

10. Salt And Pepper Holders

This is a major area where the germs that are responsible for cold and flu tend to thrive at home. However, on a positive note, this is pretty easy to clean. All that you have to do here is to make sure that you wipe the top lid of the salt and pepper shakers every night while cleaning your dining table.

This small act will go a long way in maintaining the hygiene of your home and keeping your family healthy. It is advisable that you empty their contents once every couple of months and soak the containers in hot water that has a couple of drops of disinfectants and allow them to stand for 15 minutes after which you can take them off and rinse them with a hand towel.

Once they are completely dry, you can go ahead and refill the same and they would be ready for use.

Now that you have learnt these 10 quick hacks, make sure that you incorporate the same in your daily life. This will not just help you to keep germs at bay but will also pave the way for a healthier living for both you and your family.

An added benefit in this regard will be the fact that your house will look sparkling clean and fresh and you will naturally end up feeling good about the same. Thus, with a little bit of effort on your part, you can actually bring in a surge of positivity for you and your family.