Cleaning Mistakes You Should Stop Making Now 

Cleaning your home requires a lot of hard work, no matter what room we’re talking about. Are your methods up to par with the stains you’re dealing with? Are you sure you’re not making mistakes during cleaning that cost you dearly in the long run? 

Here are Some of the Most Basic Cleaning Mistakes:

Pre-Rinsing the Dishes

You don’t need to clean your home before a professional cleaner cleans your home. Your dishwasher also doesn’t need any help before it gets the job done. Pre-rinsing might fool your dishwasher into doing a worse job than it was designed for. It negates the benefits of having a dishwasher, specifically its water efficiency. You should scrape over any leftover food into the rubbish, then load the dishes as they are. Overloading the machine may also cause the water to circulate poorly, meaning the dishes won’t be washed well enough.

Not Cleaning the Vacuum

There is no point in attempting to clean your floor with a dirty vacuum. If you want it working at top efficiency, you should remove all hair, fluff and string from the brush rollers before using it again. Check the hoses for blockages and empty the dust canisters often. Wash the filters at least once a month. For bagged models, you should replace the bag when it’s two-thirds full to avoid bursting.

Forgetting to Wipe the Oven

Unless you are the owner of a self-cleaning, pyrolytic oven, you will need to deal with the unenviable task of cleaning your oven with strong chemicals and hard work, right? There may be a much easier way of dealing with this. Simply wiping down the oven after each use and removing the baked-in residue is a great way to keep the oven spotless all year long.

Forgetting to Wash the Washing Machine

Although this may seem like a no-brainer, a lot of us tend to underestimate a washing machine’s need for cleaning. Over time the detergent residue of multiple cycles can build up inside the machine, causing long term issues and flaky deposits on the clothes you wash. Running the machine on a hot, empty cycle with just a bit of detergent is a great way to stop that from happening. Keep the door open between cycles to allow the moisture to evaporate.

Using Hot Water to Clean Stains

Hot water may be a problem during stain removal, depending on the type of stain. Protein-based stains such as blood may become set in the fabric or surface, rather than lifted. Make sure you use cold water with stain removal products in most cases.

Forgetting to Replace Your Sponges

Your everyday household items may not need regular replacements, but kitchen sponges are an exception. They are warm, wet and filled with bits of food, a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Replacing your sponges regularly, using paper towels to wipe your surfaces and putting the sponges in a washing machine for a thorough clean is a great ways to take steps to avoid that. You should never leave the sponges just soaking in the sink. Rinse them and wring them out, then leave them to dry.

Not Cleaning Your Chopping Boards

Dishwashing liquid and warm water are not always enough to keep the chopping boards nice and clean. If you used them to chop meat or poultry, then they may have a leftover unpleasant smell and bacteria breeding inside. Using plastic chopping boards instead gives you an easier alternative when it comes to cleaning. You can simply put them in the dishwasher on a hot cycle, while the wooden variety chopping boards require additional care in the face of hydrogen peroxide to keep them from holding unpleasant odours.

© Domestic Cleaners Ltd