10 Things You Forget to Clean Around Your Home

If you think all the cleaning around your home is done, think again! Here is a list of 10 things you forget to clean that you should be cleaning more often!

Not everyone likes to clean. Cleaning and organizing are never-ending tasks, definitely not for everyone under the sun. So, those who clean the basics: bathrooms, kitchen counters, and floors, most of the times forget to clean some critical places in their homes.

It’s no secret that I love to clean and organize; it is written all over this blog. So when spring cleaning season comes around, I get excited about getting every possible surface of my home clean and shiny. While checking my spring cleaning checklist, I realized that there are a lot of surfaces that I forget to clean more often.

Don’t wait until spring cleaning arrives to tackle these important surfaces in your home. Here is a list of things you should clean often.

1. Remote Controls

We use the TV’s remote control every day, several times a day, yet we forget to clean them. Consider cleaning them more often, since it can accumulate and spread bacteria quickly.

Take a lint-free cloth and spray a couple of times with a disinfecting solution. Do not spray the solution directly on the remote to avoid damage. I like to spray homemade cleaner directly on the cloth and wipe the remotes. You can also use just a plain disinfecting wipe.

2. Gaming Consoles and Remotes

One thing you should clean more often for sure is gaming remotes. Maybe because it’s in the kids’ playroom, or they’re always in kids’ hands or hiding under the couch. Whatever the reason is, do not forget to wipe away all the germs on these as soon as the kids are done playing.

I made it a habit to pick up a disinfecting wipe at least twice a week and wipe each gaming remote and console. With all the kids that come in and out to play, all of them ranging from 5 to 9 years old, I like to keep the germs at bay wiping the remotes –and all the toys– as soon as they’re done playing.

3. Door Handles

I must admit that I am a bit OCD. I probably wipe door handles more than the average person. And even though, I still forget to clean them more often.

The best way to tackle all door handles is grab your disinfecting wipes tub, a small garbage bag, and tour your home. Wipe every handle (remember there’s two on each door!), and you should be done in 15 minutes, tops!

4. Louvered Closet Doors

Closet doors are one of those things people forget to clean, especially louvered closet doors. Louvers, just like horizontal blinds, are huge dust collectors in our homes. Dust hides under the slanted boards and builds up quickly.

I like to use a handheld vacuum with a brush attachment to suck up as much dust as possible, and then finish up by wiping with a clean cloth soaked in my homemade surface cleaner.

5. Light Switches

Light switches are easy to forget to clean because they’re on the walls. And who cleans the walls, really?. But, just like door handles, they are touched every day, several times a day.

After cleaning the door handles, proceed to wipe all the light switches in that particular room. Repeat for each room, and you have killed two birds with one stone.

6. Alarms and other Keypads

In our home, we set the alarm every night before we go to bed. We turn it off when we wake up. We turn it on every time we leave the house and turn it off every time we return. So, in total, we might touch the keypad around 6 times per day.

If you have an alarm system at home, you probably use the keypad a few times a day, too. Don’t forget to wipe those buttons clean at least once a week. You can either use disinfecting wipes or, my favorite, wipe between the keys with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol.

7. Air Conditioner Vents & Filters

Just like the light switches, cleaning A/C vents is easy to forget. They are above our heads on the ceiling. Out of sight, out of mind. If your A/C vents have signs of dust bunnies accumulation, it means you probably need to change your filter.

Change your A/C filters every month, and clean the vents every other month or every quarter, depending on how much dust you see accumulated.

To clean your A/C vents, use a handheld vacuum and pick up as much dust as you can. Then, wipe them with a sponge. Use a magic eraser dipped in water to scrub stubborn grease, especially in vents located in or near the kitchen.

8. Thermostats

Other keypads we constantly touch at home are the thermostats.

Living in South Florida means we have to monitor the air conditioner’s temperature setting constantly. During the night, we lower the temperature to sleep comfortably. We must remember to turn it up during the day, so it does not run all day, resulting in an unusually high electric bill. So, with all the touching, the buttons accumulate grease and dirt.

You can either use disinfecting wipes or, clean around all the keys with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol.

9. Ceiling Fans & Lamps

Again, something on the ceiling. Ceiling fans are my least favorite household item to clean. The blades, the intricate details, the fixtures, it’s all too much!. I totally forget to clean ceiling fans and lamps.

A duster with an extendable handle is the perfect tool for the job. And it makes cleaning a little less annoying. Do the same for the lamps. If they’re easy to reach, you can go for more detailed cleaning with a cloth and some soapy water to remove grease.

Always exercise caution when cleaning ceiling fans and lamps.

10. Trash Cans

Garbage pails and trash cans, even if they’re lined with trash bags, tend to get dirty easily. Especially the lid and the exterior walls. There will always be something that misses the can and leaves a smear down the sides. Or, when the trash can gets too full, food and dirt get in contact with the inner part of the lid.

Wipe smears and runs as they happen using a disinfecting wipe. For deep cleaning, I like to take our kitchen’s garbage can outdoors, rinse it, and spray it with bleach-free hydrogen peroxide spray. I let the disinfectant sit for a couple of minutes and then rinse it out with a garden hose.

For smaller bathroom trash cans, I like to wash them under hot water in the bathroom’s shower or tub. I also like to use these convenient single-use scrubbing pads.

Favorite Store Bought Cleaning Products

Although sometimes I like using natural ingredients to clean my home, I still trust the good old store-bought products. Here is a list of my favorite store-bought cleaners with very low to zero vapors and overwhelming chemical smell.

• This sanitizing spray can be used anywhere, including hard surfaces.
• These are my favorite glass wipes. I keep them one tub in each bathroom for quick clean up of smeared mirrors.
• This bleach-free disinfectant spray with hydrogen peroxide.
• This toilet bowl cleaner, with hydrogen peroxide too.
• These fragrance-free ‘anywhere’ wipes. I use these especially to clean near the stove, or kitchen table.

Cleaning your house doesn’t have to be a full-fledged system, but maintaining a list of chores, makes things much easier. Create a house cleaning schedule that works for you and your family, and keep this list handy so next time you don’t forget to wipe clean those highly-touched surfaces at home.

What other surfaces do you usually forget to clean at home?