I don't know about you, but I hate cleaning the house. It's one of those chores that you need to do from time to time, but I don't look forward to it at all. In fact, I'm sure there are lots of nooks and crannies that need a more thorough clean-up, but I just can't be bothered, ha, ha.
However, if you want to know which areas people usually neglect to clean, a Reddit thread recently asked professional cleaners to list some things, and the answers might surprise you.
"If you have toddlers/short children, the entire inside perimeter of your house at the 2.5-foot mark has a layer of snot-encrusted dirt that’s built up over the years that you are most likely blind to by now."
OMG, what? If you're not grabbing for that spray bottle right about now you only have yourself to blame, haha.
"Here's one people NEVER do but really should: Vacuum your mattress. No, I'm not kidding. When you change your sheets, you should vacuum... so you can suck out whatever dead skin and crap have made their way down there. Also, we all know to wash the fitted sheet. But below that, mattresses sometimes have another removable cover. Please wash that, too."
Um, I never do that!
"On a lot of washing machines, there is a drain trap that needs to be cleaned....not as much as the lint trap in your dryer, but when you drain your water in a spin cycle, there is a place where it traps big gunk."
I bet there's lots of crap in there, lol.
"Oh my God, the window frames....remove the sliding windows entirely if possible and use a kitchen knife and a cloth to get all the dirt and debris out of there. You will find pebbles, dust, sand, dead insects, and even geckos if they live in your area."
I admit, ours are dirty AF, but it isn't our place, so I'm not cleaning it. No, sir!
"A more realistic one that my mum told me: Clean between the seat and the tank on the toilet. According to her, it's a deal-breaker for some chicks."
Well, I always do that, so I would expect other people to do it, too.
"The one that always gets neglected is the extractor fan hood over your cooker. There are filters on there that need replacing (or just cleaning depending on the type), and if you don’t after about 6–12 months they turn into a fire hazard because they get saturated with grease. If you put your hand onto the flat underside of your extractor hood and it feels greasy and gross, that’s because it is. Clean that [expletive] once in a while, folks."
We actually don't even have an extractor fan but if you do then take care of it stat!
"When I did housekeeping during college, I noticed that many people neglect to take down their shower curtains periodically for washing. That's the accumulation of body oils, fluids, etc that has splashed off your body. You can disinfect and make a bathroom sparkle, however, the stench of the ripe curtain...ick."
Yup, our shower curtain is overdue for that, but you know what? I'm busy! That's all. So give me a break, okay?
"The dish drying rack. I've never seen anyone with one that wasn't horrific looking."
Okay, ours is definitely looking past its prime. If anybody knows where I can find a stainless steel one instead of plastic, please let me know.
"People who are busy but wonder how it looks different when I do it, the finishing touches they miss are polishing or wiping down their kitchen bin, kettles, and other shiny things on their counters."
To be fair, most people don't have time for that. I don't, so it would be nice to be able to afford a house cleaner once in a while. Am I right?
"People forget to clean their taps, door handles, and light switches, yet they are probably the most used item."
Nope, I agree. I never do that either. I did do it a bit more when the pandemic first broke but stopped as of now.
"Toilet brush and toilet brush holder. These just become a stew of poop particles if ignored."
Okay, that one I do clean after every toilet clean-up job. I have a special scented soap dispenser for that very purpose, and then I also spray it with vinegar spray.
"Please empty your toaster crumb trays. I have found crumb trays so full that some of the crumbs were BLACK from being burned. That's a fire hazard!"
Yup, I knew about that one. Now that I have a toaster oven, it's a different story, but I still clean the tray when I see too many crumbs.
"Wipe down the walls in your house every once in a while. Lots of people forget to do this. It will cut back a lot of dust and possibly mold growth."
I started to Swiffer my walls. It also helps to eliminate food odors that tend to stick to your walls.
"If you have a front-loading washing machine, take a look inside the detergent drawer. Pull it right out. The inside will be BLACK and this goes on your clothes, every wash. The number of people who don't realize this is quite shocking. The same goes for behind the rubber door seal on your dishwasher, especially the bottom. Clean around the seal at least once a month."
Wow, is that right?
"The blade of their can opener."
Oh, yeah! I definitely notice after a while that there is a lot of gunk on our electric can opener, and I try to remember to wipe it down from time to time.
"Baseboards and windows are less disgusting, but more often neglected."
My mom always gets on me to clean my baseboards to the point that I now do it before my folks' visit. The last thing I need is to get criticized for it, alright.
"Clean your microwave."
"If anybody is wondering how to clean your microwave: get a bowl and add one part white vinegar and one part water. Microwave for several minutes until it’s boiling. Let sit for a minute so you don’t burn yourself, then take the bowl out and use paper towels or whatever to wipe down the microwave. Repeat as necessary. The steam and acid will soften up the hardened-on food splatters and other crap and it’ll just wipe away."
That's a good tip, no?
"Clean the things you use to clean other things. Replace your kitchen sponge at least twice a month. Wash your towels weekly. Leave the door to your washing machine open after each cycle so it doesn’t mildew. You get the idea. If these things aren’t clean, they can manifest in big ways. Ever met one of those people who has a faint musty/sour smell even after showering? Chances are they’ve been using the same nasty bath towel for weeks/months and don’t notice the smell from it anymore."
All I can say is yuck!
I hope you found it as useful as I did. And now that you know about all these neglected areas to clean around the house, will you be more diligent? Or will you revert to your old ways? I learned my lesson, alright. From now on, I'll take cleaning a little bit more seriously. At least, I vow to do so.
