Justine Harrington on February 12, 2018 1 Comment These Are the Dirtiest Places in Your Home: Here’s How to Clean Them. For even the most germ-phobic among us (you know who you are!), there are just some out-of-the-way spots that we sometimes forget to clean. Either they’re places that are hard to get to, we forget about certain areas of our homes, or we simply don’t realize how much bacteria has built up… before it’s too late! Here are the dirtiest places in your home – and how to clean them: 1) Light Fixtures Let’s start with an easy one. If you’re anything like the majority of homeowners, your light fixtures are likely loaded down with tons of dust, dander and other air-borne pollutants. Once a week (at least!), be sure to take them down, spray them with a good cleaning solution, and wipe them clean. Trust us, your allergies will thank you! 2) Your Entire Toilet (Not Just the Parts You Can See) Hopefully, you are already cleaning the rim and the inside bowl of your toilet during Sunday cleaning binges. But, it’s equally important to clean the body of your toilet, as well. We recommend using bleach, or a green alternative, to clean all the various parts of your toilet. This would include the following: The toilet seat The lid (and under the lid) The walls behind the toilet The inside of the tank The entire external body of the toilet You don’t have to clean these as regularly as the rim or the toilet bowl, but it would be wise to stay mindful of these areas and clean them as often as you can. Otherwise, you’re looking at significant bacteria buildup. 3) Your Toothbrush and Toothbrush Holder Ironically, the tool we use to clean out the bacteria in our mouths can also easily accumulate quite a bit of bacteria, too. Properly cleaning and replacing your toothbrush, when needed, is crucial. Also, always make sure that your toothbrushes are kept in a cabinet, where they are best able to dry between uses and they won’t be close to the toilet. And, don’t forget about your toothbrush holder! This is often cited as being one of the dirtiest places in your entire home. Make sure that you’re throwing your toothbrush holder in the dishwasher at least once every week or two. This will help kill of any germs that have collected. You could even stand to do this multiple times per week. 4) All Bathmats Your bathmat can get dirty, quick. To combat this: first, always make sure that you’re hanging your mat after each shower or bath – there’s nothing that attracts mold growth like a wet, dirty bathmat. In addition, be sure to clean your bathmat on a regular basis (at least once per week!) Rubber mats can be put in the dishwasher or soaked in bleach, and all other mats can go in the wash. 5) The Kitchen Sink Your kitchen sink sees more use on a daily basis than almost any other area in your home. For this reason alone, it’s important to keep this area clean! Our sinks are basically cesspools for all kinds of bacteria – raw meat and fish, old veggies, leftovers, and who-knows-what-else. You should, of course, be taking the time to properly wipe down your sink every day – but, you should also be disinfecting it. This is especially important if there was “standing water” in the sink. Wash your sink once a day with bleach or a bleach-based cleaner. Or, if you prefer to use an eco-friendly cleanser, baking soda and white vinegar work wonders when combined. And, don’t forget to replace your sponges and rags regularly! 6) The Bathtub & Shower Is there anything more unsanitary than taking a bath or shower in a dirty tub? (Ick!) When you’re in the tub, though, bacteria from your body may stick to the sides of your bathtub, lingering long after you’re done — rendering this one of the dirtiest places in your home. One common and easy way to fight bacteria buildup is to spray shower or tub cleaner in your bathtub after each use. Beyond this, it would also be wise to use a squeegee to remove any water that is left on the surfaces. This will help minimize the build-up of soap scum and eliminate water spots. In addition to this, be sure to deep-clean your tub at least once every few weeks, using specialized bathroom cleaner or baking soda. Just keep in mind that simply wiping down your tub won’t get rid of the scum, at least not entirely. Rather, it’s important to scrub this area as thoroughly as possible. Also, don’t forget to replace your loofah and any other sponges or brushes, as well. 7) The Handles on Doors & Appliances Whether it’s on an appliance or the front door, there are many different knobs and handles that we touch daily. Oftentimes, more often than we can count during a single day, and yet we almost never think to wipe them down. Germs can live and thrive on handles for up to two days at a time — moral of the story? Take a few seconds out of each day to wipe down all the handles in your home, particularly the ones that get used the most. This would include your refrigerator handles, cabinet pulls, front door handles, and, perhaps most importantly, the knobs on bathroom doors. However, keep in mind that some appliances will require different types of cleansers. For example, you should never use bleach or other harsh cleansers while cleaning stainless steel appliances. In many cases, soap and a microfiber cloth will do just fine. 8) The TV Remote Everyone in your household touches the remote control for your TV… which, basically, equals “Germ City.” In fact, a study from 2008 found that over half of the remote controls tested had cold germs on them. Talk about gross! Make it a point to wipe your remote with antibacterial wipes, or just plain ol’ soap and water. While we’re on the subject: Don’t forget about all the other controls and keyboards that you and your family share, such as computer keyboards, tablets, and phones. These surfaces are super prone to bacteria growth, so it’s important to keep them as clean as possible. 9) The Walls & Windows Don’t forget about the walls and windows around your home. Much like the light fixtures listed above, these areas are prone to collecting small amounts of dust, pet dander and other airborne allergens. Think about the last time you cleaned the blinds. It’s always a good idea to give your walls a good scrub! Simply wipe off any dust that’s accumulated (a soft cloth is great for this) and scrub off dirt with a cleaning solution. Are there any dirty, must-clean places that we forgot? Let us know in the comments below!
