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.