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Have you cleaned before inviting family and friends over for Thanksgiving this year? Your home may look neat and tidy, but is it actually clean after two years of pandemic lockdown? Here are a few things that you might want to consider cleaning before your guests arrive.
Front Door, Door Bell and Exterior Furniture
The entrance of your home is one of the first things guests see as they approach the house. The front door, especially, is a high contact point High contact points around our homes tend to accumulate dust, dirt and fingerprints. Give both sides of your front door a light dusting, and use an All-Purpose Cleaner and cloth to wipe off any fingerprints, shoe prints, dirt and grime. If your front door has a window or glass panes, you can get a streak-free shine with a Window Cleaning Spray and a dry, flat-weave microfibre cloth. Use the all-purpose cleaner and cloth also to clean the doorbell and outdoor furniture or décor items by your front door.
Windows, Window-Sills and Window Treatments
Since natural light emanates light waves, the only thing small enough to get trapped in the light waves is dust. All of the dust in your home that gets pulled into light waves from natural light will end up in a few places: on window panes, on the window sill, on the window frame, or on blinds, curtains, etc. Use a dry microfiber cloth on your windows to trap any dust particles, dirt or bugs that tend to meet their timely demise. Use the glass cleaning spray and a dry, flat-weave microfiber cloth to clean your windows and leave a streak-free shine! If you notice that the window still seems dirty, it might be time to clean the outside windows too. Most windows are in areas where guests sit or eat, so ensure they are clean!
Baseboards, Ceilings, Walls, Doors and Doorframes
Many people become dirt-blind in their own homes. When dust, dirt, fingerprints, scuff marks, stains and water spots build up gradually over time, it's easy to ignore it until it becomes an eye sore and offputting for visitors. People prioritize vacuuming, mopping and sweeping their floors to keep them clean, but your baseboards, walls, doors and doorframes are equally as visible as the floor. Doors and door frames are also high contact points within the home, so when a guest goes to use the washroom and touches a discoloured and finger-print-covered door, they might become apprehensive about the cleanliness that awaits them behind it. Use a dry microfiber cloth or duster on your ceilings, walls, door frames, doors and baseboards. You may not think that you have that much dust in your house, but this one will surprise you! Once they are dust-free, you can use an all-purpose cleaner and a cloth to wipe them clean. For any stubborn stains, let the product sit for a few minutes before wiping it off.
Light Bulbs and Fixtures, Smoke Alarms, Ceiling Fans, Ceiling Vents
When was the last time that you turned off the ceiling fans in your house? The good news is that they can be cleaned, but the bad news is that ceiling fans kind of just blow dust around until it gets suctioned upward onto the ceiling fan itself - this one can be kind of gross, prepare yourself! Using an extendable duster with the head bent at a 90-degree angle, dust the top and sides of the ceiling fan blades, as well as the pull cords, light bulbs, coverings, etc. This isn't something that most house guests would notice, but taller guests might if you don't have high ceilings and you have ceiling fans in your kitchen, dining, or living room areas. Use this same method to dust any other light bulbs, smoke alarms, lamps, light fixtures or ceiling vents in your home. The dust accumulation in bathroom ceiling fans and vents can be quite surprising! For any stubborn and hard-to-reach dust, use a step ladder and a microfiber cloth or an extendable duster.
For light bulbs with glass coverings, it is usually possible to remove them by either unscrewing by hand or using a screwdriver. Then, you can use a flat-weave microfiber cloth to dust the glass, spray it with a glass cleaner, polish it clean with the glass cloth, and replace the coverings.
Shelving, Picture Frames, Mantle, Fireplace, Cabinets, Drawers, Cupboards and Refrigerator
Typically we display decorations, pictures or items we love on shelves around our homes. If. you are average or below-average height, you'll likely never see exactly how dusty the shelving in your home is. Take the perspective of an individual who is over six feet tall and take a walk around the house. You'll notice that this individual can then see the dust on top of the bookcase, shelving, on top of the refrigerator, clinging to the nooks. and crannies in upper cabinets, and lining the tops of picture frames, window frames and door frames. Now, take the perspective of a small child and walk around the house. At eye level, you'll notice that dust and dirt will also settle into drawer and cabinet grooves and handles, the top of drawers when they are pulled out, in the grooves of furniture legs or bases, underneath furniture, in floor vents and door tracks - you name it! If guests are seated at any point during their visit, they will see it.
Light Switches, Floor Vents and Outlets
If you're not a huge fan of cleaning, chances are that you've probably never thought about cleaning any of these items. However, they are high-contact points throughout our homes that build up with dirt, fingerprints, dust and more.
Warning: Do not ever attempt to clean the inside of an electrical outlet.
Using a microfiber cloth or duster, dust all light switches, floor vents and outlets. Dampen a cloth with an all-purpose cleaner and wipe off the light switches. Flip all of the switches in each direction and clean them again. If you notice any stubborn gunk that doesn't seem to want to budge, you can use a toothpick to gently scrape it off and get in between any grooves. Use a microfiber cloth or duster to dust any floor vents. Then, use a damp cloth or vacuum to loosen any debris. Most floor vents can be popped out of the floor and removed, or unscrewed using a screwdriver. It is best to lay it on top of a rag or towel that you don't mind getting dirty. Vacuum inside the duct. If your floor vents are metal, you can actually just pop them in the dishwasher! If your floor vents are made of plastic, wood, or are painted, they can be hand-washed in the sink with soap and water.
Sinks, Drains, Faucets and Taps
Although we use sinks for personal hygiene and cleaning other things, the taps and faucets can accumulate a build-up of mould, mildew, rust, limescale and water stains that can actually become corrosive and begin eating away at the tap or faucet itself. Fun fact: our Oven Cleaning Scrub can also be used on taps, faucets and drains. Liberally apply the cleaning scrub to the affected areas and let sit for several hours. Using a damp non-abrasive scouring pad, scrub off any build-up. For grooves and tight areas in facets or taps, use a toothpick or the edge of a damp cloth. Spray with an all-purpose cleaner and polish with a flat-weave microfiber cloth. You can also use a flat-weave microfiber cloth to polish stainless steel appliances and sinks, as well as to clean screens and electronics.
Bathroom Accessories
One of the most common things that people tend to forget to clean is their bathroom accessories. Although the toothpaste stain on your toothbrush might be from this morning, guests might wonder how clean the restroom they're using really is, if everything appears to be caked in toothpaste, soap scum, hair and dust, and who knows what else! Bathrooms can be difficult areas to deep clean since damp environments make dust and hairs stick to surfaces and objects. This can be extremely annoying and makes cleaning the bathroom difficult and tedious. Especially when you just cleaned the toilet and you know it's perfectly clean, but that one pesky little hair won't come off of it! Using a dry microfiber cloth, wipe down all bathroom accessories to trap any rogue hair or dust particles. Once the dust is removed, you can then easily clean all bathroom accessories using a microfiber cloth dampened with an all-purpose cleaner. Don't forget the base of the toilet - any male guests will be staring downwards!
There are plenty of household items, areas and surfaces that we neglect that tend to become dirty over time without us even realizing it. What is something in your home that you know needs cleaning, but you're not quite sure how to clean it or need an easier way to clean it? Would you rather skip the dirty work and have Peachy Clean Take care of it for you instead?