When it comes to keeping our homes clean, it can be far too easy to miss the little nooks and crannies we don’t think about on a daily basis. In fact, some of them may never even cross our minds at all.

But, whether it’s for the sake of keeping things working properly or simply a matter of hygiene, many of these small parts of our homes need a good wipe down every now and then too. Here are eleven places in your home that are crying out for a clean. You’ll be thanking us by the time you reach the end!

Wall vents

Are you suffering from allergies at any time of the year? Is your home seeming dustier than usual? The air vents in your walls might need seeing to. Though it’s not uncommon to forget about cleaning air vents, or to not even know they need cleaning at all, a dirty vent can have a negative impact on your home. This includes more dust in the air than usual and mould spores being blown around your house or flat. So, next time you’re on the clean, give any vents in your home a quick wipe or dusting. Your lungs will be eternally grateful.

Appliance filters

This one is a little more general, but there are many appliances in your home that have filters. An oven needs somewhere for the smoke and steam to go, a dishwasher needs a small filter to catch all the wastage, and so on. That’s why you should make sure you check and clean your appliance filters on a regular basis. A dirty or clogged filter is a filter that won’t work, and this easy cleaning job can soon turn into an expensive repair if you don’t keep on top of things. Luckily for you, we have a filter maintenance video playlist on our YouTube channel which will teach you everything you need to know about cleaning, changing and maintaining the filters on all your household appliances!

Cutlery drawers

It’s easy to clean cutlery after use and assume that’s all the upkeep they need, but a dirty cutlery tray or drawer is the bane of any kitchen. Make sure you aren’t eating with knives and forks that spend most of their time resting on a build-up of dust and grime. Think of your cutlery drawer or tray as a bed for your cutlery – the sheets need cleaning every now and then if you’re going to rest easy, and the cutlery drawer needs cleaning if your kitchen utensils are going to be up to scratch too.

Shower curtains and screens

This one may be a bit more obvious, but that doesn’t change the fact that many of us neglect our shower curtains or screens time and time again. After all, they get hit by water every day… right? Well, unfortunately, it’s not that simple. The longer you leave a shower screen without a clean, the worse the filth and discolouration will get due to dampness and mould. And, when it comes to shower curtains, you can save a fortune on replacing them when they get too grimy by just finding a couple of minutes to remove that grime instead.

Behind toilets and sinks

Now we come to the areas in our homes that are most overlooked but most susceptible to filth. The backsides of toilets and sinks are incredibly easy to forget, but when you do remember to look back there after months and months of neglect… quite frankly, it can be the stuff of nightmares. Whenever you clean your bathroom, it’s vital that you get behind your sink and toilet. Dust, cobwebs, stains, leaks; all are commonplace in those rear crevices, and reminding yourself to give them a little clean every now and then can go a long way.

Bin interiors

Wondering why the smell is still lingering long after you’ve changed the bin bag? Double-check if the inside of your bin needs scrubbing clean. Though food and waste are meant to go inside the bin bag, spillages happen and bags get torn. As such, it can leave the interior of your bin looking (and smelling) a little worse for wear. Don’t worry, it’s nothing a bit of soapy water can’t fix – as long as you don’t leave it too long!

Lampshades

Oh you shady lampshades, you, gathering all that dust on the sly. When a lampshade starts to accumulate a layer, it happens so gradually that it often goes amiss… that is, until the day your hand brushes it and you’re hit with a cloud of dusty terror. Remembering to give your lampshades a quick turn when you’re dusting can save you from such peril, and it’ll certainly leave them looking brighter than ever. After all, lampshades can be a decorative feature as much as they can be a useful one!

Door handles

I know what you’re thinking… door handles? Who has time to clean door handles? Believe it or not, cleaning door handles is crucial for the hygiene upkeep of your home, and the clue is in the name. You handle them every day. As such, any dirt, any germs, anything that you touch gets passed onto door handles, and it stays there until you decide to do something about it. It’s not a hefty job; it takes twenty seconds to clean the door handles in your home, and the benefits of doing so make those twenty seconds worth it.

Fridge shelves

Cleaning fridge shelves is one of those jobs that’s notorious for being left until it has really spiralled out of hand. Far too often do we leave our fridges without a proper clean until the shelves are stained and the smell gets too noticeable to keep on ignoring. Unfortunately, nothing should be allowed to get that bad before it receives a good scrubbing, especially not something we store our food inside. For the sake of your shelves and your stomach, it’s worth trying to make cleaning your fridge a regular part of your housekeeping schedule. Our cleaning video above will teach you everything you need to know about cleaning not just your fridge shelves, but the rest of your fridge freezer too!

Under furniture

When it comes to cleaning under furniture, many people overlook it because they consider it pointless. Why bother hoovering or sweeping something nobody ever even sees or touches? Well, there’s more to it than that. Sweeping or hoovering beneath furniture is necessary to keep your flooring or carpets in good condition, as well as stopping dust build-up that can affect the rest of the room or even the whole home. Manoeuvring the hoover under the sofa might not be the most enjoyable job, but it’s better in the long term to get it done and dusted (excuse the pun) every now and then.

Keyboard

Last, but certainly not least, we have keyboards. Now that working from home is common, we can’t rely on helpful office cleaners to see to our work equipment. For the efficiency and cleanliness of your keyboard, it’s of utmost importance to get your typing tool cleaned up whenever it’s starting to look a little unpleasant. Whether the surfaces of the keys have built up a greasy layer or there’s dust and debris stacking up beneath them, keeping your keyboard in tip-top shape should not be overlooked. Just make sure you check for the safest and most effective way to clean your specific make and brand of the keyboard or you might be in for a nasty shock!

Now that you’ve finished reading about the eleven places in your home that are crying out for a clean, why not check out our ultimate checklist for spring cleaning? You can never be too militant when it comes to the cleanliness of your home!

Tags: Cleaning Tips, Home Cleaning