30 Places In Your Home You Are Forgetting To Clean
If you struggle to remember everything that needs to get cleaned around your home, a schedule could help you stay on track. To create a cleaning schedule, Sparkle and Shine say to begin by listing every task that needs to be completed in each room. Then, you should determine how often you need to complete each task, which will be affected by your lifestyle. For instance, if you have pets, you may want to vacuum often. Next, prioritize tasks; maybe having a squeaky clean bathroom is more important than a spotless kitchen. You should also consider how you prefer to clean: Do you like doing a little bit each day, or would you tackle everything at once?
Once you've collected all this information, you'll be able to make a personalized cleaning routine. Perhaps you need help completing the first step, namely listing tasks for each room. If so, you may find the following information helpful. Below are 30 places in your home you may forget to clean, which you could add to your schedule. These are broken down into three categories: first, things throughout the house; second, items in the kitchen; and third, tasks you may be forgetting in the bathroom or laundry room.
1. Light switches
Think about it, when's the last time you wiped down your light switches, something you touch every day? If you can't remember, it's definitely time to do this again. You could add this task to every room on your schedule.
2. Door handles
Just like light switches, door knobs are something we use every day but rarely remember to clean, and this task is super easy to complete in a very short amount of time.
3. Trash cans
Because trash cans hold our garbage, they can become grimy and produce a foul odor. Washing them down with soap and water could quickly freshen up your home.
4. Indoor plants
If there are layers of dust on your plant's leaves, chances are they're not getting enough sunlight. Regularly wiping down your plants with a dry cloth will allow them to thrive. You should also do this with faux plants to create a realistic appearance and make your home cleaner.
5. Along baseboards
Another place that may be collecting dirt is your baseboards. These boards come into contact with shoes, furniture, and dust all the time, so wiping them down often could help you have a much cleaner home.
6. Reusable shopping bags
If you use reusable shopping bags, you may want to throw them into the washing machine or give them a quick scrub in the sink. This is because there could be dirt from unwashed produce hiding in the bottom of the bag.
7. Art and picture frames
While easily forgotten, it's important to dust off your picture frames or artwork, as they can easily collect dust.
8. Surface of the walls
Another place many forget to clean is the surface of their walls. Perhaps you've never thought about cleaning the walls before, but if you've ever wiped them down before painting, you know how dirty they can get.
9. Candles
If you use open candles as décor pieces around your space, it may be time to give them a quick swipe of a damp rag. This is because dirt and dust can get stuck to the wax.
10. Tops of doors
Another place dust could be collecting is on the top of your doors and door trim. To clean this area, use a damp rag or fluffy duster.
11. Remote controls
Here's another obvious item that most forget to clean: The remote control, which is touched just about every day (and sometimes with buttery popcorn fingers).
12. Throw pillows
While we often remember to toss our throw blankets in the washing machine, what about your throw pillows? Depending on the material of your pillow, these could either be washed in the washer or wiped down with a damp or dry cloth.
13. Lamps and light fixtures
Dust loves to cling to the surface of light fixtures and table lamps, so wiping down these areas often is important.
14. Behind pet food bowls
Because pets can be pretty messy while eating, the wall behind their food bowls could need a good scrubbing.
15. Fan blades
One of the dustiest areas in your home may be your ceiling fan. Cleaning your fan's blades is important because, if not dusted regularly, your fan could circulate lots of dust in the air, which could worsen allergies.
16. Soap dispensers
Here's something else we use every day: a soap dispenser. Because you only use this item when your hands are dirty, it's most likely laced with lots of germs.
17. Leather furniture
There are a few ways to clean leather furniture: vacuum, dust, or wipe down the surface. This is important, as leather pieces need to be well-maintained to last.
18. The vacuum cleaner
While the vacuum cleaner cleans your floors, you must clean the appliance. To do this, ensure you rinse the filter often, wipe down the exterior, and remove any trapped hair or dust.
19. Small appliances
Moving onto the kitchen, while many remember to clean their large appliances like an oven, some neglect smaller pieces like the toaster. These typically have a crumb tray, which you should regularly empty into the trash. You could also wipe down the exterior to remove dust or oil splatters.
20. Inside the refrigerator
Another place you probably forget to clean is the inside of your fridge. While this task can be a hassle (and quite annoying since it's so cold), it should be regularly done to prevent any odors from forming.
21. Above the cabinets
If your kitchen has cabinets that don't reach the ceiling, you'll need to clean them above them. If you're wondering why, step onto a ladder and look at what's hiding up there, as you're sure to find quite a few dust bunnies.
22. Chairs and stools
Wiping down your chairs or stools in your breakfast nook, at the island, or along a bar area is important, as these surfaces are used often and may collect small crumbs or spills.
23. The dishwasher
Appliances that clean our items are typically forgotten, including the dishwasher. If you need help locating the filter, it's usually underneath the bottom rack.
24. The automatic coffee maker
Just because you have an automatic coffee maker doesn't mean it will clean itself. Wipe down the exterior and run vinegar through a few cycles.
25. The backsplash
As the same suggests, your backsplash may have oil or food splatters on the surface. Many neglect this task because moving everything away from the backsplash is a hassle, but this job should be added to your schedule.
26. Laundry baskets
In the bathroom or the laundry room, you may neglect to clean your laundry basket, or maybe you've never neatened it. However, this is especially important if you carry your dirty and clean clothes in the same basket, as most people do.
27. The washing machine
Additionally, you may not be cleaning your washing machine inside and out. The outside could be wiped down with a simple cleaner and cloth, while the inside could be cleaned with baking soda and vinegar.
28. Shower heads
If you have hard water, minerals could build up on your shower head, worsening water flow. Make sure you wipe down this area of the shower often.
29. Shower curtain liners
Your shower curtain liner should be cleaned regularly, as the humidity of the shower can easily cause mold growth. To clean it, throw it in the washing machine.
30. Bath mats
You may also forget to clean your bath mat, which could either be thrown in the washing machine or scrubbed by hand.