The Dirtiest Things in Your House and How to Clean Them

Even if you have one of the cleanest homes in your community, you’d probably be surprised by the germs that still abound around your house. Today, we’ll explore the dirtiest items in your home and the best way to keep them clean on a regular basis.

Cutting Boards

As far as cutting boards go, you should have at least two, one for meats and one for vegetables. Each one should be washed thoroughly after each and every use. Both wooden and plastic cutting boards can be cleaned by scrubbing with homemade paste made of baking soda, salt, water, then rinsed with hot water. Wooden cutting boards can be washed in the dishwasher, washed in hot soapy water by hand, or cleaned with a homemade blend of salt, lemon juice, and white vinegar which effectively cleans in the cracks and crevices below the surface. Once clean, rinse the vinegar, salt, and juice away with hot, soapy water.

Faucets and Faucet Handles

The faucet and faucet handles in the kitchen and bathrooms in your home are the place you and your family go to wash your hands, and in return the faucet and its handles become one of the dirtiest surfaces in your home. These surfaces should be cleaned regularly, first with water and dishwashing liquid, and then with disinfectant to kill bacteria and virus thriving in the damp environment. For hard to reach places, an old toothbrush or a scrub brush can get into those joints and seams to keep them clean.

Remote Controls/Gaming Controllers

Remote Controls and Game Controllers get handled a lot, making them a prime collector of germs. You can effectively clean both with a specialty electronics cleaning wipe or a lint free cloth and rubbing alcohol. Be sure to wipe thoroughly on all sides and for hard to reach crevices use a cotton swap with rubbing alcohol to wipe away all the germs.

Coffee Maker

This is one of those dirty things in your house that may have gone unnoticed. While you probably wash your actual coffee carafe regularly, do you ever stop to clean your whole unit? The water reservoir in your coffee maker is dangerous ground where yeast, mold, and bacteria can easily grow. Get rid of the grim and germs living inside by wiping the reservoir with a paper towel. Next add four cups of white vinegar for 30 minutes before running the vinegar though a ‘coffee making’ cycle. Once the vinegar cycle is complete, run two or three more cycles with water to get rid of the vinegar smell before brewing your next pot.

Sponges

Sponges supply the ideal breeding ground for bacteria and other germs. And it doesn’t help that you continually wipe up spills with them spreading germs all around your kitchen. The truth is the only way around this germ spreader is to sanitize your sponge daily. Two minutes in the microwave will destroy those germs as will putting your sponge in the dishwasher for next wash cycle. Even with daily cleaning, old sponges should be tossed and replaced every two weeks or so.

Knobs, Switches, Handles

Door knobs, stove knobs, cabinet and appliance handles, and light switches may be the most touched things in your house assuring they are filled with plenty of dirt and germs daily. In the kitchen, you even add food splatters from raw meat and other bacteria laden items. Use a disinfectant to clean knobs, handles, and light switches and prevent the spread of germs in your home.

If you need extra help getting the dirtiest things in your home clean, Signature Maids is always ready to help with all your cleaning projects – large or small.