ONE SCROLL THROUGH Instagram and you’d be forgiven for thinking that every surface in your home should be spotlessly clean, gleaming and germ-free.
If you wash your hands regularly and are mindful of keeping surfaces in your kitchen and bathroom wiped down and clean, you’ll be well on the way to stopping the spread of harmful bacteria.
That should put your mind at ease if you’re not up for harsh products, endless disinfecting and hours of scrubbing.
That said, there are some items in your home that will gather dirt more quickly than others – dirt that often goes unnoticed.
Here are some of the biggest offenders…
1. Your toilet brush
The toilet brush something you should be cleaning weekly. It means the task is never that complicated (or gross) and you also won’t end up replacing your brush just to save you the horror of deep-cleaning it. I’ve written a how-to on this very topic, so dive in.
2. Your kitchen bin
Cleaning out the bin is probably one of the least enjoyable cleaning tasks, but one that is essential. In my house, I wipe the kitchen bin down every time I empty it. If you have a particularly smelly bin, lay a sheet of newspaper down when it’s empty to absorb spills. Then sprinkle with some bicarbonate of soda to absorb odours. Read more in my how-to here.
3. The cutlery drawer
If you’re not cleaning your cutlery drawer at least once a month, get on it. It’s a drawer that is in constant use and so will often catch crumbs and other residue from cooking. To clean, remove all cutlery and wash as normal, then remove the cutlery tray and wash this down (washing-up liquid and warm soapy water will be perfect here), and wipe down the interior of the drawer also. Dry everything and pop back in.
4. Your fridge door
I can’t tell you how much dirt I find here when working on client projects. Rubber seals are magnets for stuff like pet hair and dust. These seals are very delicate, so never use any harsh product. A natural cleaner with one part vinegar to four parts water in a spray bottle is simple but mighty. Use a damp cloth to give the seals a wipe down every couple of weeks, making sure you clean in between the folds. As for the fridge handle, that should be cleaned with your vinegar mix as often as you wipe down kitchen counters.
5. The remote control(s)
Every single person in the home touches these. You don’t need any strong antibacterial mixes or wipes to give remote controls a good clean. Just dampen (don’t soak) a cloth with the water and vinegar mix I mentioned above, and wipe over to kill most bacteria.
6. Door handles (yes, even your front door)
You don’t need to be cleaning these daily, but remembering to wipe them down every week is a great way to keep grime and harmful bacteria out. With the front door, that bacteria is coming from the outside into your home, so it’s a good place to begin.
7. Your toothbrush holder – and your toothbrush
Many toothbrush holders don’t drain and instead gather water every time you pop your toothbrush back in. This stagnant water can start to really stink after a couple of weeks and it is not pleasant to discover. Weekly, I would suggest rinsing it out then filling with warm water and vinegar (4 parts water, 1 part vinegar) and – if you have some – a few drops of tea tree oil. You can also stand your toothbrush handle in this mix to clear it of odours.
8. The shower curtain
A mouldy shower curtain is a common sight but a few spots of mould doesn’t mean it needs to be binned. To treat it, either spray down and scrub with your vinegar mix or pop in a gentle wash (make sure this wash load also has something like towels in it – so the curtain doesn’t get tangled up in itself), then wash as normal with a bio detergent. Just before the rinse stage, add two cups of vinegar to the detergent drawer to kill mould spores. Air dry the curtain. Going forward, always pull the curtain right out of the bath or shower try after using, so it can air dry as quickly as possible.
9. Your dishwasher filter
The biggest question I get asked about dishwashers is, “Why do I find food stuck to the dishes after washes?” The answer is… your filter needs to be cleaned. If you don’t have your dishwasher’s instruction manual to hand, you’ll be able to find it online and it will tell you how to remove and clean your filter in a few easy steps, a task I carry out weekly. No more grit on wine glasses.
Follow @lauradebarra on Instagram for more pro cleaning tips (and plenty of other fabulousness too).
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