Spring Cleaning Checklist: Tips For the Top 3 Problem Areas in Your Home

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rsz spring cleaning checklist

Aug 28, 2019

Spring Cleaning Checklist: Tips For the Top 3 Problem Areas in Your Home

It's that time of year again. The sun is beginning to come out, we've made it to the end of the chilly season, and after a few months of hibernation our homes are ready for a decent spring clean.

The problem is if you don't have much time on your hands to start with, how are you meant to fit in a whole house clean?

It can be a struggle if you're trying to get everything done at once, so our advice to you is to prioritise certain areas in your home.

If you're not sure where to start, we've got you covered with these tips.

1.  The Kitchen

You use this area of your home every single day. It's where you prepare all of your meals, store food and spend a significant portion of your time. Naturally, it's also one of the most unhygienic areas of the home.

In fact, the National Sanitation Foundation (US) found that areas where food is stored or prepared had more bacterial contamination than other places in the home. Specifically, when testing, they discovered E. coli bacteria on more than 75 percent of dish sponges/rags, 45 percent of kitchen sinks, and 18 percent of cutting boards - so we'd say this is the most important room to start!

Key Kitchen Cleaning Checklist

  • Clean the fridge

This is a space in every kitchen that is used every day and seems to always be overlooked when it comes to a good clean. Begin by taking out all of your food and throwing out any items that have expired or that you're not using anymore. Wipe down all surfaces with antibacterial spray and a clean cloth or disinfectant wipes. Finish up by rearranging your food strategically so nothing gets lost and left to go to waste without you knowing about it in future.

  • Clean the oven

Often the least favourite part of the kitchen to clean, thanks to the ferocity of which grime clings to the inside surfaces, but unfortunately it's also one of the most important. A dirty oven window can actually reduce the efficiency of your oven, and take longer to heat up, not to mention the fire hazard that burned food and congealed oils pose. For the most part, it's going to take oven cleaner, lots of cloths, and elbow grease, but if you're looking to get the job done faster check out our Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.

  • Wipe down bench-tops and sinks

Unless you're particularly vigilant in your kitchen cleaning routine after meals, chances are there will be crumbs and grease stuck in cracks and corners - which means bacteria can multiply. Take every single item off your kitchen counter, and wipe the surfaces with antibacterial cloths to get rid of the bacteria. Make sure the often overlooked inside of your sink isn't forgotten!

2.  The Bathroom

This one almost goes without saying: it's the area of your home you visit most when you're typically the least clean. Washing your hands, showering, an urgent trip for you know what... it's an area devoted to personal hygiene so it's no wonder that your bathroom is a bacteria hot-spot.

Sometimes, the most bacteria-ridden areas are where you least expect. For example, did you know that your shower curtain and your shower floor harbour 60 times more bacteria than your toilet seat?

Surprising, isn't it? With that in mind, behold, your spring cleaning bathroom checklist.

Key Bathroom Cleaning Checklist

  • Clean your shower

You may do this semi-regularly anyway, but if you're looking to execute a deep clean we'd suggest taking down the shower curtain and putting it in your washing machine for a soft-cycle. Follow this up by a scrub of the shower floor, handles, and shower head with shower cleaning products and bleach.

  • Clean the toilet - properly

It may be surprisingly less bacteria-ridden than you'd expect, but taking care of the toilet is still a quintessential bathroom cleaning job. We'd suggest putting on your cleaning gloves for this one! Wipe down all surfaces with antibacterial cloths, apply toilet cleaner to the inside of the bowl, and use a stiff bristled toilet brush to get rid of any persistent stains. By the end of the job, your loo should be sparkling both inside and out, as well as germ free.

  • Refresh your Manchester

It's recommended that you wash your bathmat at least once a week - for a very important reason, too. Bathmats are particularly unhygienic as they don't get a chance to completely dry in between people using the shower, which means they're left in a perfect condition for a breeding bacteria. Put all of your bathroom towels and mats through the wash on a very high temperature to make sure you'll kill any bacteria that is harboured.

3.  Every Main Surface Area

The final places we'd suggest focusing your efforts on are typically the most ignored areas in the home - the surface areas. By this, we mean all walls, doorknobs (and switches), and your carpets.

Here's how we'd break these down.

Key Surface Area Checklist

  • Wipe down all handles and switches

This is another classic one that people tend to overlook. Think about how many times in a day you flick on or off a light switch, or use a door knob to open or close a door. Chances are, it's a lot. Now think about all of the activities you usually do between these actions and how frequently you wash your hands.

Pair that with the frequency of which you wipe down your door handles and switches and you can understand how they get so bacteria-ridden. Luckily, all this takes is a quick antibacterial wipe to fix.

  • Clean your walls

You'd be surprised how much dust and grime can accumulate on the walls of your home over a period of time, particularly behind pieces of furniture that aren't often moved. Set aside some spring cleaning time to give your interior walls a once-over. The method we'd suggest is to fill a bucket with hot water and mix with a disinfectant cleaner, then use a band new mop head and mop to scrub your walls the same way you would your floor - you'll be able to reach all the tough-to-get-to spots.

  • Deep-clean your carpet

No matter how frequently you vacuum, there's always going to be dirt, germs, and dust left behind if you don't put the time aside to perform a deep clean. For this job in particular, we can help. You don't have to call a professional in and pay an arm and a leg to get your carpets spic and span - simply hire a Rug Doctor to do the heavy lifting for you.

If you need a little further assistance on how to maintain a healthy home, and kick the bacteria out of your house this Spring, download a free copy of our Healthy Home Guide - you'll have all the knowledge you need to go from there.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

 

Gina Gibbs

Author: Gina Gibbs

Gina is the Business Manager at Rug Doctor NZ. With over 20 years at Rug Doctor, she's dedicated to helping New Zealanders keep their homes clean and healthy. Outside of work, Gina enjoys hiking, reading, and enjoying Vietnamese and Asian fusion cuisine. Oh, and let's not forget her expertise in cleaning up after everyone, especially her two kids!