Your Total Guide To property

Common Cleaning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

As summer approaches and we open the windows and pull back the blinds; the dust, grime and cobwebs that we have been ignoring all begin to show up, suddenly glaringly obvious and making us feel like terrible homeowners.

Well, instead of battling away with the dirt and dust with a few old rags and not getting anywhere, have a read through these common cleaning mistakes and how you can do the best job, in the shortest time.

Cleaning windows on a sunny day

Windows (especially if you live next to a road) get dirty fast and it really starts to show in the summer when you’re being blinded by the setting sun while eating your supper. However, this sunny tropical weather isn’t what you want when it comes to cleaning the glass. Ideally you should wait for a cooler day where there isn’t much of a breeze, this way the solution won’t dry out so quickly. You can either buy some ready-made window cleaner and use one tea towel for cleaning and another for polishing or use newspaper and white vinegar.

Emptying the hoover too late

If your vacuum cleaner still uses bags, you’ll know that these are expensive, but vacuuming when your bag is over three quarters full could be filtering dust back into your home and missing the main dirt on the floor. According to the Daily Mail, ‘sand and dust residue reduce suction power, making your vacuum less effective as it becomes fuller.’ The same goes for food deposits that may have got caught up in your vacuum, as the bag heats up they will begin to smell and make your house seem the very opposite of clean.

Mixing chemicals

When starting to clean, it’s important to remember that mixing chemicals can be fatal. Bleach does not get on well vinegar, alcohol or ammonia so if bleach is your go-to cleaning agent, it’s best to just use that alone. ‘Make it a rule to never mix bleach with anything but plain water. Even other products like window and toilet bowl cleaners can have ingredients, like acids or ammonia, that shouldn’t be mixed with bleach,’ it says on the Good Housekeeping website.

Spraying directly onto furniture

If your method of cleaning involves you dousing furniture in a good covering of polish, chances are you’re giving yourself extra work. The material often absorbs too much of the cleaning agent making it difficult to remove. Due to this added moisture, as soon as you move onto the next task, the surface will gain even more dust that before. To combat this, spray cleaning agents directly onto the cloth you’re using instead.

When you start looking into your cleaning methods, you may discover you are using techniques that just aren’t cutting the grease and it can be worrying finding out how many germs you’re leaving behind. If you don’t have the time (and who does these days?) to brush up on your own skills, hire a cleaner to give your house a thorough

deep clean to give you a head start. You can find cleaners for your area on molly maid who can give your house the in-depth clean it deserves.