10 Ways to Deep Clean Your Home

Sure, you vacuum the floors all the time and you always put the dishes in the dishwasher at night and tidy up the toys, but does this make your home clean? There is clean and then there is tidy and many parents will stick to the latter category. After all, deep cleaning requires a lot of effort and you may not have the time to do it. So how clean is your home really and how can you find the time to get into those cracks and crevices and maintain a spotless house?

Cleaning Beyond What You Can See

Many people will do a surface clean only. What this means is that if it’s behind the furniture, then it’s off limits. However, below are some of the areas in your home that are often missed and that can make your house a lot dirtier than it needs to be:

• The ceiling and walls this is especially true if you have kids and pets as pet hair will somehow make its way up the walls and even onto your ceiling in no time.
• Ceiling fans the tops of your ceiling fans are also a breeding ground for dust, dirt and debris. Wiping them down with a wet cloth often will keep dust from settling
• Underneath and behind furniture move the couch the next time you vacuum to trap those dust bunnies. If you can, also move the entertainment system, the beds and the vanity units to see what you can find
• Above picture frames dust can settle here and many parents are none the wiser, especially if you only do a surface dust every so often.
• Your bedding this doesn’t just mean washing the sheets (which you should be doing once a week) but also the actual bed and pillows. Replace your pillows once a year or get them steam cleaned.
• The shower heads As gross as this sounds, there could be because there is a layer of bacteria living on the showerhead. And even more gross  – this bacteria could be blasting down on you every time you turn on the hot water. Clean the shower head every week with a wire brush and replace it once a year to prevent this nasty slime from making a home on your shower head.
• Your doors the door handles should be cleaned with a disinfectant as least once a week. Furthermore, look into putting a doormat outside and inside your home to stop dirty feet  from entering the house.
• Sponges and dish towels get into the habit of disinfecting your sponges every cleaning to avoid any leftover yuckies that can lead to E. coli, salmonella as well as yeasts and moulds. Wash your dish towels in the washing machine and put your sponges in the dishwasher once a week.
• Bath and hand towels to avoid mould spores, wash them at least once a week. You can hang them out every day in the sunshine to give them a freshen up in between washes.

It is advised that you do a top to bottom clean every so often which means getting to all of those tough to reach spots, like under the couch and the ceilings. Seem impossible? Dedicate a full day to cleaning or get your kids and partner to help out. Sure, spending one Sunday a month cleaning the house is the last thing you want to do, but allocating jobs can make it go much faster. Until next time, of course!