6 Places You Probably Forgot to Clean

It’s that time again, for Spring cleaning. Every year, around daylight savings, those of us in the Western hemisphere transition from colder months and short days into long days and sunshine. This transition is marked by Spring cleaning.

 

Something about all the extra sunlight gives us the urge to deep clean and purge in preparation for warmer days. We don’t doubt that you know how to clean but there are a few commonly overlooked areas that we want to make sure you don’t miss this time around.  

 

The Faucet  

Who would have thought that the vessel from which our clean water flows needed to be cleaned? Well, it does.  

 

How dirty is it?  

Bathroom faucets can contain up to as much as 600x more germs than a toilet while kitchen faucets can harbor foodborne bacteria. 

 

 

 

The Drain  

Have you ever noticed a foul odor coming from the sink and there isn’t a dirty dish or other obvious culprit in sight? The smell could be coming from the debris and bacteria accumulating in your drain.  

 

How dirty is it? 

Over time odor-causing bacteria and mold continues to grow, feeding on the debris that is left behind in your pipes. The growing bacteria creates a bad-smelling hydrogen sulfide gas.  

 

 

The Vents  

Whether you have central air or window cooling units, the vents can attract quite the host of dust over time.  

 

How dirty is it? 

The air in your home can lead to buildup, especially if your HVAC system recirculates dirt, pet fur, and other debris. 

 

Sounds harmless enough but did you know that house dust is a mix of sloughed-off skin cells, hair, clothing fibers, bacteria, dust mites, bits of dead bugs, soil particles, pollen, and microscopic specks of plastic. 

 

The verdict is still out on how harmful dust is to our health but some of the health hazards of components found in a majority of dust samples include reproductive system toxicity, developmental toxicity, and hormone disruption. 

 

 

The Sheets  

Not regularly washing your bedding can wreak havoc on your skin and much more. Experts say you should wash your sheets at least once a week to keep bacteria at bay.  

 

How dirty is it? 

“A study found that unwashed pillowcases and sheets had up to 39 times more bacteria than pet-food bowls and several thousand times more bacteria than a toilet seat.” 

 

 

All Around the Toilet 

Every time you flush the toilet with the lid open, bacteria go flying everywhere. So, it stands to reason that only wiping the toilet seat and scrubbing the bowl isn’t enough.  

 

How dirty is it? 

Research published in 2013 by the University of Oklahoma and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that fecal matter, various pathogens, and water particles, “can blast through the air and onto surfaces after flushing the toilet without the lid on.” 

 

 

Your Car  

We could all probably agree that our cars aren’t as clean as our homes. We have a tendency to hop in and out of them transferring all the germs we managed to pick up between errands, commutes, gig work, and the list goes on.  

 

How dirty is it? 

A study by researchers in the College of Health and Life Sciences at Aston University revealed that “the inside of cars have significantly higher levels of germs than the average toilet.” 

 

 

Now that you know, get to cleaning!