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10 Startlingly Dirty Things You Never Thought About Cleaning

Posted on 25/09/2015

Things You are Not Cleaning But Need To


domestic cleaning


Even if you are thorough and careful in your home cleaning efforts, some areas of your home will likely never receive enough care. Why? Mostly because you never think about cleaning in said areas or they fall victim to the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ rule. Regardless of the reason, you will do well to extend your cleaning service and include the following areas and items in your home, if you want to eliminate these hidden threats as we come in daily contact with them.


- TV remote - has it ever occurred to you as you sit on the couch and use the TV remote in an attempt to find something interesting to watch that the device in your hand is in fact one of the most germ and bacteria-infested items in the room? In a sterile hospital environment, remote controls were found to contain three times more bacteria than anything else in the room. This goes to show just how careful you should be and clean your remote. To do this, you can simply wipe down the device with a disinfectant or rub it with an antibacterial wipe every now and then.


cleaning the remote


- Phone - unless you are using your phone only after you wash your hands thoroughly, chances are that its surface is packed with bacteria and germs. It is understandable, since you cannot always wash your hands on a bus, in a car, or while waiting for a friend and checking your stuff online in the meantime. That is why you should introduce a simple cleaning service to your device - wiping with a disinfectant cloth. Once a week is optimal.


phone cleaning


- Keys - keys, be it to your home or car, go in dirty slots all the time.  Cleaning the keys may not be your top priority, but it should definitely be included in your chores. Besides, how often have your dropped your keys on the ground or other dirty places? Even though most keys are made of brass, which is naturally antibacterial, that doesn’t change the fact that some disinfectant should be introduced at times. Either that or some plain soap.


clean your keys


- Water bottle - if you know the benefits of staying well hydrated, chances are you have a favourite water bottle that you often use. Drink with caution though - bacteria can easily coat the interior of a bottle, making the liquid not-so-harmless after all. What you should do is clean it regularly with a bottle-cleaner sponge and some dishwashing detergent. Every now and then you can soak in bleach solution to ensure thorough sanitation. Choose a bottle with a wide mouth to ease your cleaning service.


water bottle sanitising


- Headphones - if you are using in-ear headphones, consider that these little fellows roll on the bottom of your pocket or bag all day long, picking up all sorts of bacteria and germs. Additionally, one hour of using them coats them in enough bacteria from the ear. To clean your headphones, simply wipe them with water and soap. For the detachable part of your headphones, use a mixture of vinegar and water to soak them in.


disinfecting headphones


- Toothbrushes - bathroom-related bacteria can spread everywhere, including your toothbrush! That is why you have to take the following steps in keeping your mouth safe from bacteria lurking on your brush: ensure you thoroughly rinse the brush after each use; allow it to dry completely; change the brush every 3 months. And while proper sanitising is unnecessary (unless you want to do it every single day), it is a good idea to rinse in milk bleach solution.


sanitise toothbrushes


- Laundry basket - the clothes and sheets you put in that basket are not the cleanest thing in the world. For this reason, neither is the laundry basket. What you can do is put your dirty laundry in a bag and wash that along with the clothes. If you have hard plastic hampers, cleaning service revolves around hard surface disinfectants. Avoid anything that may discolour the item, like bleach for example.


laundry basket cleaning


- Pillows - undoubtedly you clean your sheets and covers regularly enough. The question is: do you clean the pillows as well? They are not just full of feathers, unfortunately, but may be breeding ground for fungi and dust mites. For people with allergies, this can cause discomfort. The way to go here is to acquire some anti-allergen covers, which make an excellent job in protecting pillows from germs.


wash pillows


- Cutting boards - this regularly used kitchen item is prone to cross-contamination, since it sees so much use, be it for cutting vegetables, meat, bread and anything else you like to eat. Whether you use a plastic or a wooden board, one thing is for certain: it has to undergo thorough cleaning every now and again. For plastic boards the solution is to run them through the dishwasher and air-dry them after that. Wooden boards, curiously enough, can be sanitised in the microwave so long as you are careful enough to not let them catch on fire. Remember: replacing nicked boards is the way to go.


clean the cutting board


- Sponges - sponges become breeding ground for bacteria, since the environment they offer is dark and moist. To sanitise your sponges, simply dip them in a bleach solution for 5 minutes. One alternative method features microwaving sponges on high for around two minutes.


disinfect sponges


This concludes the list of 10 items of your home that you might have never paid any attention to. Hopefully, after this friendly reminder, you don’t forget to include them in your cleaning chores and regularly sanitise them. That way you will be safe from germs and bacteria. Your health is important and so is cleaning of these items.

Jessica Ranson
Jessica Ranson

Jessica is a professional cleaner who has knack for organization and attention to detail. Her expertise in cleaning has helped her become one of the best writers who have helped many people enjoy their fresh and clean properties.