20 Places You Might Forget to Clean

Every home has places you simply forget to clean. Here are 20 places you might forget to clean (and here’s how I clean those areas).

Is it just my home, or do certain obvious places get cleaned the most?

Clutter’s cleared off of flat surfaces. Floors are swept. Dishes are put away in the kitchen. The bathroom gets scrubbed.

But other places just don’t get as much frequent cleaning from me. I know they need cleaned – so I try to get to the places seasonally (or at least twice a year).

More often, then not, though, I simply forget to clean these 20 places:

1. Under beds
2. Pillows
3. Top of the fridge
4. Window screens
5. Light switches
6. Doorknobs
7. Oven range hood
8. Cold air returns
9. Baseboards
10. Lampshades
11. Under and behind heavy furniture
12. Tops of door frames
13. Under couch and chair cushions
14. Backs of microwave ovens and refrigerators
15. Inside drawers
16. Inside cupboards
17. Closet floors
18. Walls
19. Under sinks
20. Inside wastebaskets

How to clean the 20 places you might forget to clean

The actual cleaning of these 20 places isn’t that terrible.

If you’ve been following my journey to safe cleaning over the past few years, you already know that I made a huge switch to Norwex products, and love the way they’ve made my cleaning extremely simple and quick. When it sounds like I use Norwex to clean just about every single space in my house, it’s because it’s true. I’ve slowly acquired my Norwex collection and stick to my favorite cleaning tools!

Without further ado, here’s how I typically like to (safely!) clean the 20 forgettable places:

1. Under beds

I turn to Norwex to help me with hard-to-reach places. I use my Norwex Dry Superior Mop Pad on the telescopic mop handle and mop base and quickly clean the hardwood floors under our beds.

2. Pillows

Pillows on our beds are easy to clean, because I toss them in the laundry a few times a year. (To prevent dust mites, I should do this more often.)

For decorative pillows, though, I don’t just throw them in the washing machine. I could and should follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning. Honestly, though, I forget. And I’m always worried about what the pillow shape might look like if I attempt to clean it. To get past the ick factor, I use a few spritzes of the Norwex Mattress Cleaner enzymatic spray. 

3. Top of the fridge

I clear everything off the top of my fridge (I typically reserve this spot for a couple of baskets that hold snack foods like pretzels and tortilla chips), then dust it either with a Norwex EnviroWand (so helpful for petite homemakers!) or if I really want to clean it well, I wipe it off with a damp Norwex EnviroCloth.

4. Window screens

Here’s a confession: I NEVER cleaned a window screen until two years ago. The truth is, I never thought about cleaning them. But when I heard you could clean window screens with the Norwex Dusting Mitt, I tried it … and it worked like a charm. (Simply wet with tap water, then gently rub it over your screen.) So long, spiderwebs!

5. Light switches

I’ve tried using rubbing alcohol to clean light switches in the past, but it ran down the switch plates and stained the walls. Argh.

Now, I simply wet a Norwex EnviroCloth with a little bit of tap water, wipe the switch plate clean, and voila!

6. Doorknobs

My doorknob cleaning method is the same as light switches. I used to deal with the mess of rubbing alcohol, but now that I’ve switched to the Norwex EnviroCloth, it takes just seconds.

7. Oven range hood

My oven range hood is one of the nastiest places in in my house. I don’t even fry food, yet grime can build up in a hurry. In my pre-healthy living days, I attempted degreasers – and they didn’t work very well. Now, I use a Norwex Spirisponge to remove the grease and grime in a matter of seconds.

8. Cold air returns

I used to try to dust cold air returns with a Swiffer or dry cloth diaper. It wasn’t so effective. Now I use my Norwex Dusting Mitt and it cleans it super fast, super effectively.

9. Baseboards

To clean dusty baseboards, I get on my hands and knees and use my Norwex Dusting Mitt. (Actually, this year I’ve given this job to my kids … way easier.)

10. Lampshades

Years ago, I used lint removers (those tape roller contraptions) that worked just OK. Now, I either use my Norwex Dusting Mitt, a Norwex EnviroWand, or Norwex Lint Mitt, depending on what I feel like using.

11. Under and behind heavy furniture

The trick of cleaning under and behind heavy furniture is actually moving it. I don’t always clean behind heavy furniture. I use my vacuum cleaner and attachments when I can move the furniture, and if something’s just too heavy, I use a Norwex EnviroWand to reach the dusty areas on the wall.

12. Tops of door frames

For the tops of my door frames, I used a Swiffer years ago, and the process took a while because of the flimsiness. Today, I use my Norwex EnviroWand and it takes a matter of seconds.

13. Under couch and chair cushions

When I’m cleaning under the cushions on my couches and chairs, I use vacuum attachments or a little handheld vacuum.

14. Backs of microwave ovens and refrigerators

If I’m ready to move my refrigerator and clean the dusty back, I use my Norwex EnviroWand. When I’m cleaning the back of my microwave oven (or really, any part of my microwave), I use my Norwex EnviroCloth.

15. Inside drawers

Another seasonal chore, I try to wipe out the inside of dresser drawers when I do my family’s seasonal clothing change. I tend to wipe out the inside of kitchen drawers seasonally, too.

16. Inside cupboards

Inside cupboards are another seasonal cleaning job for me. I clean out my cupboards and wipe with a damp Norwex EnviroCloth.

17. Closet floors.

Closet floors. Ugh. I only clean mine once a year, because it means moving everything out of my closets. I sweep it out – either with a vacuum or Norwex Mop System, depending on the floor.

18. Walls

Walls are another scarcely cleaned area in my home. If they need a quick dusting, I use my Norwex Dusting Mitt, my Norwex EnviroWand, or Norwex Mop System with the Dry Superior Mop Pad. (The telescopic mop handle makes hard to reach areas super easy to clean!)

Of if I notice my walls have stains or drips, I use a damp Norwex EnviroCloth.

19. Under sinks

Cleaning under the sinks could be one of my least favorite chores – and one I dread doing. I don’t keep very much under my sinks so they don’t get too dirty, but I try to clean up the area with a damp EnviroCloth a couple times a year.

20. Inside wastebaskets

I know I should regularly clean out the inside of wastebaskets (if they’re plastic or metal, just give a squirt of dishwashing soap and some hot water, the swish and rinse) – but because I use a plastic shopping bag liner, I don’t scrub them out too often.

Those are the 20 places I forget to clean … what are some places you forget to clean??

Disclosure: Because I love the products, I am a Norwex Independent Sales Consultant. Purchasing items through links in this post will result in a commission for No Place Like Home. Thank you so much for supporting this website!