Keeping a clean home can be difficult when there are so many hard-to-reach areas where dust and debris can gather. While these areas are small or located in awkward places, it is important to get them clean. Otherwise, pests may be attracted to the area — or fungi may grow when moisture is present.
As you clean these hard-to-reach areas, you’ll discover that each requires a different cleaning method. Fortunately, many people have already faced these common challenges and discovered the most efficient cleaning methods.
That’s why it’s a good idea to call a professional cleaning service when you need to deep clean your home. And for advice on keeping those difficult areas clean between visits from your cleaning service, read the following seven tips:
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1.Ceiling Fans and Chandeliers
Fans and lighting fixtures mounted to the ceiling can be difficult to reach without a ladder. If you feel nervous about trusting a ladder, you can use a disposable duster with an extending handle. The material used on a disposable duster will capture the dust to ensure you won’t make a bigger mess by pushing it around.
2.Venetian Blinds
Many people use blinds in place of curtains or shades, but few people know how to clean them well. A good cleaning trick is to use kitchen tongs with a microfiber cloth wrapped around the tongs. Secure the cloth with rubber bands. You can use the tongs to quickly clean both sides of each blind at once.
3.Space Behind Your Toilet
You’ll find it difficult to sweep or mop the area behind your toilet, but it’s still important to clean and disinfect it. Wearing gloves and knee pads, use a stiff-bristled brush to scrub the floor and baseboard in this area. You can use a vacuum with an extension attachment to remove the dirt and debris you have loosened.
After vacuuming, mix warm water with a disinfectant cleaning solution. Using a sponge or soft-bristled brush, wash the wall, baseboard, and floor behind your toilet. Make sure to wipe the area dry with a clean cloth.
4.Sink Faucets
The areas at the base of your faucets are perfect places for mold and grime to collect. You’ll do a better job of removing unsightly stains and mold by scrubbing these areas with an old toothbrush. The bristles will even be effective in removing calcium and lime deposits. Simply dip the bristles in warm, soapy water before scrubbing your faucets clean.
5.Window and Sliding Door Tracks
Even if your vacuum cleaner has an attachment for cleaning crevices, the attachment may still be too wide to fit into window and door tracks. A better solution is to tape a cardboard toilet paper roll to the end of the vacuum hose. Flatten the opposite end of the roll until it’s narrow enough to fit into the tracks.
6.Garbage Disposal
Cleaning your garbage disposal can be tricky since you never want to put your hand or a cleaning brush into the unit. Instead, start by running cold water and turning the garbage disposal on to help flush food particles out. After several seconds, turn off the cold water and garbage disposal.
If the opening to the disposal still emits an unpleasant odor, there are two options for clearing away the smell. You can run cold water and use the garbage disposal to grind up lemon or lime peels. Alternatively, you can sprinkle ice cubes with baking powder and grind them up with cold water.
7.Computer Keyboards
You should clean your computer’s keyboards regularly, whether you own a desktop or laptop.
First, power down the laptop or disconnect the desktop’s keyboard. Shake the keyboard over a trash can to eliminate any loose particles or debris. Hold a can of compressed air at a 75-degree angle and spray to remove stubborn debris from the spaces in the keyboard.
Follow this up by using a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol to clean between the rows. This will remove any stains from spills as well as more stubborn debris from the crevices. Use a new cotton swab for each row.
These cleaning tips will be more effective once you have some practice in using them. Even with a few common hacks, you may still find it necessary to use quite a bit of elbow grease to get hard-to-reach areas clean. Your persistence will pay off when you see the results you expect from any cleaning task.
