4 Common Household Things You Must Clean Regularly
Even for the people in the world who find cleaning pleasurable — even therapeutic — there are some things in our homes that aren’t cleaned often enough. It happens. Life is busy, and it has a way of steamrolling your plans to spend the day steam cleaning your tile.
You don’t have to give up your day job and resign yourself to a life of servitude to the gods of cleanliness, but there are a few areas of your home that could stand to be a little cleaner.
Read on to find out where you need to focus your efforts.
Your Oven
Ugh. Unless you have a self-cleaning oven, it’s exhausting to even think about cleaning your oven. Most people clean their oven every year…if that. (Raise your hand if you’re guilty!) We should be cleaning our ovens every three to six months. Failing to do so will result in funky smells that can really detract from the ambience of your dinner party.
Pro tip: Use baking soda and vinegar as a green oven cleaner. Simply douse the bottom of your oven liberally in baking soda, and then spray it with white vinegar. Let it sit overnight, and then scrub it in the morning.
Your Carpet
Vacuuming alone doesn’t cut it, friends. Your carpet needs to be cleaned thoroughly every six to 12 months — and by thoroughly, we mean with professional grade equipment. A mere square inch of carpet can contain up to 200,000 bacteria, including the likes of e.coli and salmonella. These germs can make you super sick, resulting in everything from diaherra and vomiting, to skin irritation and trouble breathing.
If you want to ensure you get the best results possible, front the cash for a reputable professional carpet cleaning service. Considering this investment will significantly prolong the life or your carpet or rug, while also improving the health and aesthetic appearance of your space, it’s worth the relatively small upfront cost.
Your Mattress
You’re not the only one taking a snooze on your mattress. Your sleeping with anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million dust-mites, and while you can never totally eradicate your home of these critters, you can significantly cut into their population by having your mattress cleaned regularly. Once or twice a year is ideal.
Dust-mites (more specifically, dust-mite feces) can do a lot of damage, especially to those with respiratory problems or skin sensitivities. In addition to thorough cleaning using a professional service, you can also prevent these mites by getting into your mattress by using a mattress cover. Wash this every two weeks, being sure to use hot water to kill any mites, and you’re golden.
Your Sheets
Most people admit to washing their sheets as little as once every couple of months, and when it comes to cleanliness, this simply won’t do. Your bedding is home to a host of disgusting things, ranging from body oil and sweat to excrement and other bodily discharge to bacteria and dirt.
Yuck.
To keep your bed clean, wash your sheets every two weeks, at least.
Let’s face it: unless you make it your life’s work, your home is not going to be a spotless, sanitary sanctum all the time. This said, it could likely stand to be a bit cleaner if you tidied up these areas.
