6 Bad Cleaning Habits Every Homeowner Should Avoid

Cleaning or doing housework is often on the list of interesting or enjoyable activities of everyone. It can be much more fun to read a book, watch a movie, or hang out with friends. As everything in life is a balance, it is acceptable to leave some dust bunnies around your room for a few days, but there are a couple of terrible cleaning habits which you need to break as they can ruin the overall value and look of your living space. Let’s take a look at these common mistakes and solutions to deal with them.

1. Forget hidden areas – While cleaning, chances are most homeowners don’t give their venting system or clothes dryer a look. In fact, these daily gadgets or machines carry away grease components, cooking odors, lint, and moisture every time you operate them. Do you remember the last time when you cleaned or washed them? Ignoring those hidden spots would lead to extensive and fires in the long run.

Solution: Make some notes in your calendar or smartphone about those hidden spots to plan regular cleanings.

2. Ignore small plumbing problems – A toilet running constantly, a slow-draining sink, or small drips in your kitchen sink would all be annoying. Though these are not a serious issue, they would eventually result in many problems if you don’t resolve them immediately. For instance, clogged pipes and toilets would burst or overflow. Small puddles caused by leaks would encourage mold or mildew and rot away your supporting beams or wood flooring.

Solution: Clean shower drains and sinks regularly to remove grease and hair clogs. Carefully listen to find running drips or water outside and inside your home. Many plumbing problems would be solved with several simple materials and tools. Otherwise, make sure to call a professional plumber.

3. Use wrong cleaning products – Cleaning is good, but not all efforts are paid off if you use wrong products. Some harsh chemicals would strip off the protective finishes of your gadgets, and some cleaning products would accumulate and ruin everything that you want to clean. For instance, an acid-based cleaner would etch the stones on your marble countertops. This cannot be reversed if you haven’t ground down the stones, which can be relatively costly. Or, applying paste or liquid paste floor waxed on wooden or laminate floors would lead to a dirty and dull finish.

Solution: Make sure to read the labels carefully before using any cleaning products. Also, learn how to maintain various finishes from expert and manufacturer opinions.

4. Only focus on indoor cleaning – There will always things that need to be completed when you are responsible for cleaning both outdoor and indoor spaces. Some things can be simply unsightly, such as muddy concrete decking or weeds on the lawn. Others, such as pine straw or gutters with leaves, are likely to cause damages to your house and reduce its value and look. Overflowing gutters can result in pest problems, roof damages, and moisture issues.

Solution: It is advisable to walk outside and make a detailed list of cleaning tasks that you should do. This should be done each month or each season.

5. Allow clutter to build up – Clutter always shows up in every household, but many people might allow it to accumulate to a huge mess. As a result, it might lead to some daunting tasks that can be hard to organize. Difficulty finding your favorite pants is one thing, but having garbage and clutter to build up in excess can provide a great condition for fungus, spiders, moths, rodents, and other harmful creatures to grow and spread.

Solution: Empty the trash cans containing food waste and garbage on a daily basis. Sweep through your storage and living areas frequently to dispose of paper, particularly cardboards. Check every area for pests and exterminate them immediately.

6. Not complete the chores – Not completing the chores could also lead to some issues. Some tasks could be ended in small steps, such as removing clutter, while others should be started and finished in one process. For instance, when treating stains on a carpet, you have to complete the task by rinsing or blotting away the cleaning solution. Otherwise, the soapy residue would build up in the fabrics and attract more debris.

Solution: Learn the basic steps for every household chore before starting. Plan them accordingly to get the best results.