Are you guilty of making these mistakes when cleaning? Learn the 18 cleaning mistakes you might be making today and how to avoid them the next time you clean your home.
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As much as I love a clean home, I know that it takes a lot of work to get and keep it that way. As a busy mom, it can be hard trying to find a time to fit cleaning in among the other hundreds of things that need to be done during the day. The last thing we want to do is make cleaning harder than it has to be.
So, the trick is to find ways to work smarter when it comes to cleaning. And, one of the things we can do is to learn from our mistakes. Being aware of what not to do when it comes to cleaning our homes will help us be more efficient and save us time. And, let’s face it as a mom, we can always use more time.
18 Cleaning Mistakes You Might Be Making
Here are 18 cleaning mistakes that you should avoid to keep your home cleaner and your family healthier.
Cleaning procrastination
It’s no secret why cleaning is considered a chore. There are very few people who actually enjoy cleaning their homes. This doesn’t mean they don’t want a clean home but the thought of actually getting it done is another story. So, they procrastinate because it becomes too overwhelming to deal with. But, in doing so they are actually making things worse for themselves as their house gets dirtier and dirtier.
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Instead of waiting until the weekend to get your cleaning done, (and taking time away from things you actually want to do) try using a cleaning routine to keep your house clean. You are less likely to let the mess build up if you are chipping at it day by day instead of having to tackle it all at once.
Not cleaning from top to bottom
Cleaning your home doesn’t have to be complicated but there are a few things that you may be doing without even realizing it when you clean and that is cleaning from bottom to top.
Whether you are doing your morning cleaning routine or a deep clean, never vacuum, sweep, or mop your floor until after you’ve dusted or cleaned your surfaces. Otherwise, you are just making more work for yourself. No one wants to have to go back through and clean what has already been done.
The goal is always to work smarter, not harder. So, make sure when you start cleaning your home that you always work from top to bottom.
Forgetting to maintain cleaning tools
One of the biggest cleaning mistakes that people often make without even knowing is forgetting to maintain their cleaning tools.
Simply emptying the bag or canister of your vacuum will help it run more efficiently. Also, make sure to replace or clean your sponges frequently as they are a breeding ground for bacteria. You can disinfect your sponges by putting them in the microwave for a couple of minutes on high.
Using multiple cleaning supplies together
Never mix different cleaning products together as it can be dangerous and create toxic gases. It’s important to check the labels of your cleaning products just to be sure that you are not combining bleach products with other cleaning products, especially those containing ammonia.
Forgetting to clean certain areas of your home
As much as I love a good speed clean or power hour clean, I know that cleaning this way too often can result in missing different areas in your home. Especially, since the goal of a speed clean is to get your cleaning done as quickly as possible.
But, honestly, even if you use good cleaning habits to clean your home there are always going to be spots that you may be forgetting to clean.
The best way to keep on top of all these hidden places that you are not dealing with on a daily or weekly basis is to use a monthly cleaning schedule or tackle them in your spring or fall cleaning.
Not having a plan when it comes to cleaning
It can be difficult finding the motivation to clean your home. But, having a plan in place makes it much easier to accomplish. In order to make sure my home stays consistently clean, I use routines and cleaning checklists to help keep me on task.
Using the same cleaning cloth for multiple surfaces
Even though you are using a cleaning solution to clean your surfaces that doesn’t mean that the cloth isn’t filled with all the germs from the previous room. We obviously don’t want to spread that dirt and bacteria all over our home. In order to avoid this, try and use a clean cloth every time you move to a different room.
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Not soaking your dishes before you wash them
No one wants to spend all evening washing dirty dishes. Taking a few minutes to soak your dishes before you wash them will save you time. When I’m preparing dinner, I will fill up my sink with hot soapy water so that my pots and pans can soak while I’m eating. Then, after dinner when I’m doing my nightly cleaning routine, it saves me time because the dishes are easily wiped clean.
Cleaning windows when the sun is shining
Did you know you should avoid washing your windows on a sunny day? You’re not only missing spots due to the sun shining through the glass but it can cause streaking since your glass cleaner evaporates and dries more quickly.
Make sure when you decide to clean your windows to pick a cloudy day for this cleaning task.
Forgetting to clean the sink or dishwasher
Believe it or not, this is actually a very common cleaning mistake. We may assume that every time we wash a dish whether it be in the sink or in the dishwasher that they are also getting cleaned. But actually, they are filled with bacteria from food particles that have been left behind.
In order to keep your family healthy and your home cleaner be sure to occasionally do a deep cleaning of your dishwasher and wipe down your sink frequently.
Scrubbing carpet stains
If you have pets, you know that carpet stains are common. But, knowing how to deal with them can be helpful so you are not allowing the stain to spread or go deeper into the carpet.
Your first impulse may be to scrub or rub the stain out but actually, it’s much better to blot a stain with a damp cloth instead before using a carpet stain remover.
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Still using a feather duster
Are you still using a feather duster to clean your home? You may have heard that these dusters are supposed to trap the dust but in actuality, they just spread the dust around. If you have allergy suffers in your home, this is the last thing you want to happen.
When dusting your home, it’s better to use a microfiber cloth to pick up the dust particles instead.
Using a multi-purpose cleaner for everything
It’s easy to get confused when it comes to purchasing cleaning products for your home because there are a lot of choices. You may find yourself reaching for a multi-purpose cleaner thinking that it will clean everything. But, unfortunately, that is not the case.
While multi-purpose cleaners can clean a lot of surfaces, there are those surfaces that need a specific type of cleaner to make sure the job is done correctly such as marble or granite surfaces. Also, using a multi-purpose cleaner on your mirrors and windows can cause streaking.
Being unorganized
There is nothing that can slow you down more when it comes to cleaning than having your cleaning products spread all over. In order to save you time and make things easier when it comes to cleaning your home, make sure to store your cleaner in one designated place like in a cleaning caddy. Since they are portable, you can bring them from room to room.
Being organized, and having cleaning routines keeps my home clean all the time so when I have crazy busy days I know that I can clean my bathroom and kitchen quickly and easily so I can concentrate on other things.
Not cleaning the washer and dryer
Laundry is definitely not a job that I enjoy doing. It probably ranks as one of my least favorites. However, despite that, I want my clothes to come out clean every time, and to be sure that happens you need to make sure to deep clean your washing machine every now and then.
It’s no question that washing machines and dryers are easily overlooked when it comes to cleaning because just like the dishwasher, you may assume that it’s getting clean every time you are running a load. But, to keep these household appliances running well, they need to be maintained.
Cleaning before decluttering
Cleaning around clutter not only slows you down but actually prevents you from cleaning more efficiently.
Spend a few minutes before you start cleaning to pick up any clutter that has accumulated throughout your home. If you want to make things even easier for yourself, try to spend a few minutes every week decluttering your home. Here are 30 things you can get rid of in your kitchen today to help get you started.
Learn some easy tips to start decluttering your entire home:
- 9 Easy Ways to Keep Clutter Out of Your Home
- 5 Best Beginner Decluttering Tips
- 10 Quick 10-Minute Decluttering Tasks
- 30-Day Home Decluttering Challenge
Not asking for help
No one should be expected to clean up everything especially when there are other people that live in the household. Create chore charts for kids when they are young so they know how important it is to pitch in and help when it comes to cleaning.
Trust me, as a mom of teens, it’s a lot easier getting teens to clean when they were introduced to it at a young age and know what’s expected of them than waiting and trying to get them to pitch in and help when they are older.
Disinfecting before you clean
Not understanding the difference between cleaning and disinfecting surfaces may be the most common cleaning mistake on this list.
In order for surfaces to be disinfected, they must be cleaned first (removing the dirt and grime) otherwise the disinfecting product won’t work as it should. So, before you grab that can of disinfecting spray or wipes, make sure to clean up any spills, crumbs, or dirt on surfaces first.
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