In theory, cleaning our homes isn’t a difficult process. However, there are lots of small mistakes we can make that can lead to our homes being less clean than we want which might even make you want cleaners stratford.
On that note, here are 7 common cleaning mistakes and how to avoid them.
7 Common Cleaning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
1. Using Dirty Cleaning Tools
How often do you clean the things you use to clean? The chances are that it’s not as often as you should. Using dirty tools to clean your home will drastically affect your results, whether it’s a clogged hoover or an old washing up sponge.
Replace your sponge around once a week and allow them to completely dry between uses. Every couple of weeks, completely clean out your hoover. And don’t forget to regularly wash dish cloths, tea towels, and mop heads on the hottest cycle possible.
2. Using the Wrong Cleaning Products
Generally, you can use something like white vinegar or an all-purpose cleaner for most surfaces in your home. However, delicate or specialist surfaces need dedicated cleaners for best results.
To avoid this mistake, make sure you have a high-quality wood polish and special products for surfaces like natural stone, wood flooring, and so on.
3. Not Cleaning Behind Things
Dust itself can smell, which may be why your home still has a funky odour even after a deep clean. Often, dust and grime can lurk behind furniture and appliances in areas we can’t reach.
The solution is simple: move things around to get at hard-to-reach areas. If you can’t access these on your own, ask someone for help – you should only need to deep clean these areas once a month.
4. Not Allowing Sitting Time
Most cleaning products need contact time with a surface to work properly. This is particularly true for degreasers and antibac sprays, which typically need to soak in for a couple of minutes.
Make sure you follow the product’s instructions where needed and allow it 2-3 minutes contact time with the surface. Simply spray it on, go do another small job, and then come and wipe the surface.
5. Forgetting to Ventilate While Cleaning
Ventilating your home while cleaning is easy to overlook, but it’s surprisingly important. First, some cleaning products should only be used in ventilated spaces. Second, kicking up dust through hoovering and dusting can make the air smell funny and trigger allergies.
Luckily, the solution is as simple as opening the windows. Do this before you start cleaning a room and then give it another 20 minutes or so before you shut them.
6. Overloading the Washing Machine
It can be tempting to cram your washing machine to what seems like full capacity, as this will cut down on the amount of loads you need to run, right? Actually, it can do the opposite because it massively affects how well your machine will clean.
Instead, be mindful of your machine’s maximum weight capacity. While you don’t need to weigh all your clothes, it’s worth remembering some useful approximations:
· Adult jeans weigh about 800-1,000g
· T-shirts weigh about 300g
· A double-bed sheet (e.g., either the duvet cover or mattress sheet) can weigh up to 1.5kg
Based on these, you should be able to figure out how much washing is actually suitable for a single load. While you might have to run your machine more often, your washing will actually come out as clean as it’s meant to.
7. Not Cleaning Regularly Enough
It can be easy to put off cleaning when life gets busy. However, the longer you leave it, the longer you’ll have to spend tackling certain jobs. This isn’t to say you should clean your home every day, though.
Find the right balance for your home, which will depend on how many people live there, how often you use certain rooms, and so on. Once a week is often the sweet spot, especially if you regularly do bigger jobs like cleaning the bathroom.
Regular cleaning will usually save time compared to less frequent, deeper cleans. For example, a daily wipe-down of your kitchen worktops – or even a quick de-clutter every day – will make your “big clean” far easier.
Final Thoughts
Cleaning your home is all about finding a routine and processes that work for you. That said, the common mistakes listed above are things you should try to avoid doing because they’ll impact the results of your efforts. It shouldn’t be too difficult to adjust your cleaning with a bit of practice, though.
