4 Areas of Your Home that May Not be Clean

By lb50 on September 25, 2017

Bet you never thought that visible dirt and grime could help you have a cleaner home. But it’s true. When areas of the house look noticeably dirty, chances are high you are more likely to get out the cleaning supplies and put in some elbow grease. However, it is when surfaces look to be clean that is easy to put off or overlook cleaning them. But just because it looks clean, doesn’t make it so.

Germs, bacteria, and particles are not visible to the naked eye but still accumulate in places you wish they wouldn’t. Some bacteria are good for you. But others that are not taken care of can cause sickness and lead to food poisoning, among other ailments.

Wonder what areas of your house you should be cleaning but aren’t? Here are 4 areas that don’t get the attention they need and what you should do about it.

Your kitchen sink and sponges.

The National Sanitation Foundation did a survey to find the germiest places in a typical house. The result? Over 75 percent of dish sponges within the survey contained the salmonella bacteria.

Among those surveyed, the biggest misconception was that the bathroom contained the most germs. As the sponge testing showed, the kitchen was by far the most bacteria-ridden place. Kitchen sinks, counter tops, and cutting boards also contained a high concentration of germs.

Tips for keeping your kitchen in better shape? Healthline recommends placing damp sponges inside of the microwave for 1 minute to kill the germs. Alternatively, they recommend soaking sponges in a bleach solution on a regular basis. And just as a part of your daily routine, scrub out your sink. But do it with a different sponge than the one you use to wash your dishes.

Your door handles.

It’s hard to get into a house without touching the door handle. Like it or not, it is highly probable you’ll be introduced to a wide range of germs in this manner. Research shows that just one doorknob can spread germs far and within only a couple of hours.

Get into the habit of wiping down door handles. Commit to making it a part of your daily cleanup routine. And if that is a bit of a long shot, always, always wash your hands before eating or preparing food.

Your upholstered furniture.

According to the experts in cleaning services in Atlanta, you should be cleaning your upholstered furniture once a week. They say, “A hot wash will not only kill off the dust mites, but will also keep the bed smelling, and feeling, fresh and clean. Unfortunately, that’s only the easy part.”

They go on to suggest a deep clean every six months to a year. You can do this by moving your couches outside to soak in the sun. Beating out dust is better done outside than indoors. And if you are short on time? A regular vacuum clean of your upholstered furniture can keep your furniture in good shape until you have time for a deep-clean session.

Your coffee machine.

Most people do not consider their coffee machine to be a prime spot for breeding mold. But it is.

Think back to when you cleaned out your coffee machine last. Was it last year? Or maybe never? Yep. Your coffee maker could be brewing things other than just coffee beans.

Once a month, clean out your coffee maker’s reservoir. One handy way to disinfect the inner workings of this machine is to add a vinegar-water solution to the water tank and turn your machine on to brew. After that’s done, brew a pot of water to get any lingering traces of vinegar out of the machine. This is not only a great way to decalcify your machine, but it is also a natural germ-killing method as well.