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 forgettable places
The actual cleaning of these forgettable places isn’t that terrible.
Just because it’s easy to forget where to clean, it doesn’t mean the cleaning is difficult. Without further ado, here’s how I typically like to (safely!) clean the 20 forgettable places:
1. Under beds
In hard-to-reach places, I need help for my short arms. I use my microfiber mop with a sturdy, telescopic handle to 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. Instead, I either throw them in the dryer for a quick cycle or I spread them on a blanket outside on a sunny day.
3. Top of the fridge
I clear everything off the top of my fridge , then dust it either with a microfiber duster (they’re really helpful for petite people!) or if I really want to clean it well, I wipe it off with a damp cloth.
4. Window screens
Here’s a confession: I NEVER cleaned a window screen until a few years ago. The truth is, I never thought about cleaning them. But when I heard you could clean window screens with a microfiber 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 microfiber cloth 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 microfiber cleaning cloths, 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 non-scratch scrubbing sponge 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 a microfiber 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 a dusting mitt. Old, holey unmatched socks will work, too. (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 my microfiber dusting mitt. If a lampshade is really dusting, I use a loop of masking tape and gently stick it to the lampshade, then peel it off. The dust disappears quickly!
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 microfiber duster 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 microfiber duster 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 microfiber duster. When I’m cleaning the back of my microwave oven (or really, any part of my microwave), I use a microfiber cleaning cloth.
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 microfiber cleaning cloth.
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 broom.
18. Walls
Walls are another scarcely cleaned area in my home. If they need a quick dusting, I use my dusting mitt, my microfiber duster, or even a microfiber mop if the ceilings are really tall.
Of if I notice my walls have stains or drips, I use a damp microfiber cleaning cloth.
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 microfiber cleaning cloth 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.
Once I clean all my forgettable spots, the challenge comes with remembering to keep them clean.
I’ve found that sticking to a good seasonal cleaning schedule works wonders. Once I work through a regular deep cleaning routine every few months, the forgettable places in my home end up a lot cleaner.
Those are the 20 places I forget to clean … what are some places you forget to clean??
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Shirley Norman says
Great list! This will help me so much now when I am about to start spring cleaning! Thank you so much for sharing! Really thoughtful of you to write such a helpful post! Here is an inphografic that I found lately: http://visual.ly/things-you-are-probably-forgetting-clean. It also covers very big part of the places that we forget to clean. Cheers! happy cleaning!
Betty Coleman says
Where do you find microfiber dusting mitts ? I appreciate the tips .