The Biggest Cleaning Mistakes to Avoid

Cleaning is never anyone’s favourite task at any given time, but it needs to be done in order to maintain a healthy and safe home.

Dorothy Simonovic from Simpo Cleaning has a few insights on the most common cleaning mistakes people make at home, and how each can be avoided.

Dorothy has over 30 years experience as a cleaner. Her experience in this field makes her cleaning advice invaluable to anyone who needs it.

Using Too Much Cleaning Product

Less is definitely more. The use of too much cleaning product on any kind of surface, i.e. wood floors, glass, vinyl, and marble can do more harm than good. It is always best to use chemicals sparingly. It is also dangerous using products that are heavy on chemicals especially for homes with small children and pets.

When you clean regularly (at least once a week), there is really no need to use harsh cleaners or chemicals. Most of the time, all you need a small squirt of dish washing liquid or vinegar and some water along with a microfibre cloth. Save the harsher chemicals for tough stains.

Not Doing an Area Test

When cleaning with a new product, it’s best to test a very small area before doing the entire space in order to make sure it doesn’t cause permanent damage to the surface. This is particularly applicable when cleaning hardwood floors and expensive rugs/carpets.

Failing to Maintain a Vacuum Cleaner

Vacuum cleaners can only perform at their peak power when they are emptied on a regular basis. If you are using a vacuum that has a dustbin collector, emptying it every few days helps maintain suction, which then allows for more efficient cleaning. In addition, it’s good practice to also take apart and clean the filter when doing this. This will also make your vacuum cleaner last longer since the motor doesn’t need to work as hard.

Neglecting to Replace Your Kitchen Sponge

Bacteria accumulates in sponges extremely fast, especially if you don’t squeeze it dry after use. To prevent the spread of harmful microorganisms that can make you sick, be sure to replace your kitchen sponge once a week.

If you are looking to be a little thrifty, you can put your sponge in the microwave after giving it a good cycle in the dishwasher. This can help you get a little more shelf life out of it.

Note: it is also a good practice to use separate sponges for cleaning the dishes and floor spills. Some people use the same sponge to wash dishes as well as cleaning the floors (your kids and husband probably does this when you aren’t looking). This not only sounds disgusting but can also be a cause of cross contamination.

Do not skimp too much on replacing sponges. You can always buy them in bulk to save money, if that is your priority. Check out this article for more tips on cleaning your kitchen.

Overlooking the Corners

Dusting is only useful if you get all the nooks and crannies of the home where dust builds up the quickest. Corners are generally hard to get to, so you might want to consider getting a duster or cobweb brush with extension pole to reach the high areas and a vacuum cleaner with attachments to get at the lower areas like behind the couch.

Cleaning is an unavoidable task, but shouldn’t be complicated or exhausting. Knowing what you can use and how often you need to clean certain areas of your home goes a long way in maintaining a tidy and healthy home.

Find this all too hard?? Contact us on 1300 390 399 and we’ll come out to give you a hand 🙂