Nine Important Cleaning Mistakes to Avoid

Majority of New Zealanders now resort to hire quality home cleaners on a regular basis even though they sometimes try do-it-yourself cleaning practice. Narrated below are some common cleaning mistakes people tend to do due to negligence or ignorance. After explaining the mistakes, SelectCleaning experts have given the correct cleaning procedures too.

1. Mixing cleaning products can be dangerous. For example, if you mix two cleaners which have ammonia and bleach as ingredients, a poisonous gas will be formed – and it’s life threatening if you happen to inhale it.  
2. Never clean your non-stick pan in the dishwasher. If you do so, it’ll affect the pan’s seasoning, thereby disabling the non-sticking quality.  
3. Using abrasive cleaners to remove tough stains on porcelain tile and bath tubs will dull their smooth finish.
4. Some of us don’t know that coffee grinders and BBQ grill also need regular cleaning. All traces of crusty bean debris can be completely removed by whizzing uncooked rice or stale bread in the coffee maker, and thereafter washing with water. Vinegar can be used to remove bad odour. Scrub each grill grate with crinkled aluminium foil while it's still warm to remove those charred black bits. This is necessary to kill bacteria growth also.
5. Some are ignorant that fridge and freezer need spot cleaning on a weekly basis and thorough cleaning once every quarter at least. 
6. A few people mistakenly use window cleaners on television and computer LCD screens, which can harm the electronic surfaces. Same way, cleaning with paper towels or tissues can also damage the TV or computer screens because of the presence of wood fibres. Instead, use a microfiber cloth along with approved LCD or IED screen cleaners.
7. Cleaning the windows when the sun is hot? Another mistake! And the result: your glass cleaner will evaporate faster due to the sun’s heat, which may cause spot marks. Good to do the window cleaning when there is no hot sun shining at the windows; that is, choose a cloudy day.
8. Oven cleaning mistakes: Some times we neglect to clean the oven. Sticky and greasy food particles, chunks, and spills may have been left behind in the oven from previous cooking. They get even more baked-on when you cook the next time. This can affect the smell and taste of the newly baked food. Apply the baking soda and vinegar cleaning method to make your oven clean and sparkling.  Add some water to a cup of baking soda to form a thin paste. Apply this paste thinly to the walls of the oven after removing the racks. Ensure that you do this when the oven is still warm.Take some vinegar in a spray bottle and spray it over the baking soda paste on the oven walls. The bicarbonate of soda and vinegar will react, thereby cleaning the oven walls. Let the paste stay there for some time and remove it using a damp rag.  The chemistry here is that the mixture of baking soda and vinegar helps to break down the sticky grease and grime in the oven, which can then be easily removed with a rag.  
9. Ignoring the common touch points in the house: Some common items such as the remotes, computer keyboards are handled by everybody in your home contain more harmful bacteria and dirt than you thought. They need a disinfectant wipe at least every week.Similarly, door knobs, hair combs, water taps, handles of appliances and such things which can be described as the most-touched areas in your home are severely affected by the germs. Failing to understand this and not giving them frequent disinfectant wipe is another cleaning mistake we tend to commit.

For a free cleaning quote, you can now call the Select Cleaning home cleaners on 0800 000 907. They service Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch.

Tips & Solutions for Common House Cleaning Mistakes

Maintaining your house in perfect shape is a mammoth task, and we all make certain mistakes because of ignorance or lack of knowledge in house cleaning practice.

Let’s look into common house cleaning mistakes and their solutions.

Dish-washing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Dishwasher loading-mistakes can damage the appliance. If you overload the dishwasher or arrange the items improperly, every dish won’t get sprayed enough and cleaned well. Place the cups, glasses and bowls upside down in the top rack that’ll allow the sprayer arms to spray water inside for better cleaning.

There is a trick to know if the dishes have been cleaned. Put the dishwasher soap in the reservoir and close it when you start loading dirty dishes. Then you can assume that if the soap holder is closed, they are dirty; if it's open, they've been washed and are clean.

Add two cups each of borax and washing soda in a plastic bottle and shake well.  Your dishwasher soap is ready- drop 2 tablespoons to the dishwasher soap compartment and see the magic. 

Now, how to replace dish-washing powder or tablets with natural, homemade product? We need only white vinegar (quarter cup), cornstarch (one tablespoon) and warm water (two cups). Collect these ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well till the cornstarch is dissolved fully to form a thin liquid that can be sprayed onto plates or glass surfaces for perfect cleaning.

Sometimes all of us make the mistake of using too much laundry detergent or fabric softeners- they’ll do more harm than good. Check and stick to the specified quantity. If your plates have spots even after using the dishwasher, try adding one and a half cup of white vinegar to the rinse compartment of the automatic dishwasher before the wash cycle. This is the best natural rinsing agent you can get and forget about spotty dishes.

General Home Cleaning Guidelines

Dust the windows with a microfiber cloth before washing them; otherwise the dust on the sills along with the cleaning liquid will be dripping into the window frame.

Always use a microfiber cloth instead of a feather duster to clean dusty areas in your home. The feather duster will spread the dust from one place to another while the cloth will absorb the dust. 

Your remotes, mobile and computer keypads, etc. contain germ colonies. Forgetting to clean them regularly will spread the germs around family members. Apply a weekly disinfectant wipe to keep germs at bay.   Same is applicable to common touch points such as taps, handles, and door knobs.

Another mistake is ignoring to clean the vacuum cleaners, and the sponges you use in the kitchen. They are the germiest places because they daily handle loads of dust mites, germs etc.  Clean the vacuum as per the company instructions. The sponge can be cleaned by heating it in the microwave for one minute. First wet the sponge before putting it in a dish you use in the microwave. 

Quick Cleaning Tips

Ink stain: Pour cold water on the ink stain on your white cloth. Mix lemon juice and a little cream of tartar and apply the paste on the fabric one hour before washing.

Grease stain on polyester: Make a paste of cornstarch and water, and apply it on the fabric affected by oil or grease stain. Allow the paste to dry before brushing away the powder and grease.

Mould problems: Add a cup of borax to the soapy water you use to wash down the walls or other areas affected by mould. You can also use a mixture of borax (half cup), vinegar (half cup) and water (one cup) in a spray bottle to clean mould affected spots- spray the liquid and use a damp sponge to clean.

If you have doubts regarding any home cleaning task, ask the Select Cleaning specialists next time when they visit your home.