Note: This is a guest post from Dana White of A Slob Comes Clean.
As a teenager, I worked at a camp. A very clean camp.
I learned a lot over those summers. I lived by the detailed checklists we were given that told us exactly what to clean and how to clean it.
It was a magical time in my life, and I remember almost every moment fondly.
Almost.
The bedrooms in our staff cabin underwent daily inspections, and I still feel a little heat in my face and grumpiness in my heart when I remember being scolded for my messy bunk.
I doubt the scolding was much of a scolding, but I took it hard because I was so genuinely confused. I couldn’t understand what had caused me to fail the inspection. When I asked the inspector, the look on her face clearly showed that she couldn’t understand what I didn’t understand. She listed off multiple “obvious” things that I had neglected to do.
They were not obvious to me. Obviously.
As I became an adult with my own home, I learned that I had legitimate issues with not seeing things the way others see them. (Slob Vision is a real thing.) I became paranoid about missing cleaning tasks that should be obvious.
I’ve come a long way, and by keeping up with daily tasks and getting clutter out of my home, I’m much more aware of what needs to be done. I’ve also chilled out a lot and realized it’s more important to welcome people into a home with a potentially-overlooked mess than it is to keep them out for fear of forgetting.
But a list helps. So here’s mine. Here’s a list of cleaning tasks that can be easily overlooked, spring (with all of its natural cleaning energy) is a great time to tackle them.
I’ll start with the tasks that are most visible. That’s how I prioritize all of my cleaning and decluttering efforts. I call it the Visibility Rule. Progress in visible areas increases my cleaning energy and inspires me to keep going.
12 Cleaning Tasks that Can Be Easily Overlooked
Doorknobs
A doorknob and the grime that somehow gathers around it may be the first thing a guest sees. It’s annoying that hands I wash all the time get grime on things they touch, but it’s also satisfying to wipe that grime away.
Light Switch Covers
Again with the finger grime. I’m sure there’s a scientific explanation involving body oil and skin cells, but I don’t want to talk about that because it grosses me out. Just clean your light switch covers.
Light Fixtures and Ceiling Fans
I’m a big fan of turning on my ceiling fan in a pinch if I forget to dust it, but maybe you’re not as lucky as I am to be at an age where you can realistically call Hot Flash on a cool day. If you are paranoid about sending dust chunks flying, use a pillow case to do the job and catch the chunks inside. (Just don’t forget to shake it out into the trash.)
If glass light fixtures are easily removed and replaced, stick them in the dishwasher and they’ll come out sparkly. While I often don’t notice a slightly dirty light fixture, clean and shiny ones get my attention.
The Back of the Bathroom Door
It feels like the back of the bathroom door doesn’t qualify as visible. But it’s totally visible to someone who is in the bathroom. I don’t want to talk (or think) about how the door gets dirty, I’ll just tell you to clean it.
Plant Dust
Real ones or fake ones, I feel like plants should be self-cleaning, but somehow they aren’t. Dust them.
Tops of Curtains
Windows usually get attention during spring cleaning, but don’t miss the tops of your curtains. You could wash the curtains if they’re washable (and hang them right back up to dry), but if you’re not going to do that, at least dust the tops.
Window Sills
Grab a handheld vacuum and clean your window sills, especially ones behind curtains. That’s where bugs go to die.
Let’s move on to some things that aren’t as visible, but quietly get dirty and can really benefit from the focus of spring cleaning:
Silverware Trays
How exactly do crumbs end up in a place where only clean utensils go? I’m not here to solve that mystery, just to remind you that it happens. If your silverware tray is dishwasher safe, run it through a cycle. If not, wipe it out.
Dishwasher and Washing Machine
It feels like dishwashers and washing machines shouldn’t need to be cleaned because they deal with soap and water on the regular. But just like a bathtub, they do. Both will look better and perform better once they have been cleaned. Usually, it’s as simple as running a cycle with a special cleaner.
Walls
Dust your walls. I was upset, too, when I realized dust could collect on vertical surfaces, but being mad about it didn’t make my house look better as much as running a dry mop along my walls. The whole room looks brighter (and a little less fuzzy) when the walls have been dusted.
What are some things you forget to clean?
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Dana K. White is an author, podcaster, speaker, and (much to her own surprise) a Decluttering Expert. In a desperate attempt to get her own home under control, Dana started blogging as “Nony” (short for anonymous) at A Slob Comes Clean in 2009. Today, Dana shares realistic home management strategies and a message of hope for the hopelessly messy in her books: Decluttering at the Speed of Life and How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind.
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The floors under your big pieces of furniture (sofa, bed, dressers). At least once a year you need to pull them out and run the vacuum and/or a mop under them properly.
I didn’t read all the comments but I have a cleaning business. Disinfect your rubber piece over the garbage disposal. If it comes out run through dish washer. If it doesn’t. Put bleach on a paper or regular towel and stick your hand in to get the underside. You will be amazing at how bad some are. Also if they fit. Wash your air vent covers and cold air return covers in your dish washer. Lastly if you have a refrigerator to clean out. Put shelves and drawers in your clean bath tub. Spray with bleach or other cleaners(don’t mix cleaning products) and let sit. Then spray and wash down. Then let dry.
Thank you! Good advice
I try to remember to clean out the crumb tray on the bottom of my toaster at least once a month. I pull it out (over the trash can), knock the loose crumbs off, and wipe it down with a damp paper towel. Then I give the toaster a good shake and some hard taps to shake loose the crumbs lodged inside the toaster. This not only helps keep my countertop crumb-free but helps prevent a fire hazard.
Yes this is great advice. I use my toaster pretty much every day and I have a tray that just slides out and then shake it out and I also shake the crumbs out. It’s just that some of the crumbs that I should’ve tried to get out we’re pretty much stuck in there and I trying to figure out a way to get them out. Any suggestions?
I’ve watched a lot of housecleaning videos on YouTube (don’t judge; I find it strangely satisfying), and I find that most people don’t kno how to make a bed properly. Dana is not alone. Google “hospital corners,” people. It’s not rocket science! It will help keep your bed from becoming a complete mess every day.
I would tease my mom for washing light bulbs in hot, soapy water, until I was a household cleaner. Light bulbs get grimy, too. Clean ones don’t waste any precious lumens!
I would tease my mom for washing light bulbs in hot, soapy water, until I was a household cleaner. Light bulbs get grimy, too. Clean ones don’t waste any precious lumens!
I can see by the comments that many people have much cleaner houses than I do! Good for you! Appreciated the humor in this blog post.
I cannot tell you how excited I was when I thought this article was going to list things that could be easily skipped when doing spring cleaning. Sigh. Thought I was going to be given permission on stuff I did not have to do, ha ha.
I thought the same thing for a minute, too! Yay! Things I can skip! Oh, no, wait ….
Sanitize your steering wheel. From then on, sanitize your hands before touching the wheel.
Over washing hands is unhealthy. We have good bacteria all over our bodies…and it has a purpose, to fight the bad bacteria…Playing out side builds up immunities. On another note, if your house is perfect every time your friends visit, they will be uncomfortable if you drop by and there house is not perfect. People need to relax and enjoy each other more than worry about a picture perfect house. Only in modern times have folks had the time to clean so much. (yes, door knobs and cabinet knobs are over looked, and need a good cleaning monthly or so) but dusting walls?
Peggy – Wish you were my neighbor…we’d be instant BFFs! I have an inviting home – never looks dirty – but picture-perfect is not worth the time-energy-focus it takes. Life’s too short to spend that much time and thought on cleaning. There’s plenty of dust in the great outdoors, too. -merri
Yes! So true. You will never be welcome in their home if you are a perfectionist/ neat freak!
Chill out a smidge.
-Behind and under the stove (if it’s not built in on the counter). You can tell it gets bad if you’re reaching hard to get dust bunnies from the bottom or the sides.
-the refrigerator sides, underneath, and the grill like screen on the back get horrible dust bunnies, along with the top
-the inside of trash cans (even though we use a bag) can get sticky and crumby especially if you have tiny humans. Same goes for the recycling bin even if you’re washing out all the plastics, aluminum and glass. How? Idk. But I have to clean mine occasionally.
-under couch and chair cushions. Yes, the vacuuming was done, the leather or cloth furniture is clean in appearance, but couch cushions hide kids crumbs, drink straws, change, little wrappers, dust bunnies, pet hair, your favorite writing utensil you’ve been missing, etc.
-I love that someone mentioned base boards because that is so true!
-In my bedroom I forget that whatever I chose to keep after simplifying may collect dust on the top shelf. If I kept dress shoes that I wear maybe only on a special occasion those are great to dust. Last thing I want is to be freshly showered, hair/makeup done, dress on, and go to grab my high heels only to find them dusty. Ick.
-A huge per-peeve of mine is when people sanitize but don’t clean. Let me quickly explain. I spent a few years in the army. We’d have cleaning parties. You could smell bleach or a cheap knock-off PineSol brand everywhere you went. But people, we’d get yelled at and suffer the physical consequences because people were using the product but it wasn’t really clean. You see, if you do a crummy job of sweeping before your mop job you don’t get all the dirt or mud. You’ll still have that on the floor and you’ll just be moving it around with bleach water or the pinesol want-to-be products. When it dries it’s still dirty, you just have “sanitized dirt” on your floors, as my first sergeant loved to remind us. I’ll never mop a floor without a thorough sweeping first.
-one last one, then I’m done. You’d think it would be common sense to go from top to bottom because gravity exists. I know so many people who don’t have this common sense. Here’s what I mean. Dust your fans, blinds, counter tops, and dressers, then foot boards from highest to lowest. Then do your sweeping/vacuuming/mopping. Seems to me to be common sense but again, someone may not have taken the time to think this out with kids running around or if they’re new to their first place. I get it.
I love all the comments on other easily missed places! Great post!
Yes dust top to bottom, but if washing cabinets or walls start at bottom to top or you will get streaks.
I worked a temp job that involved re-typing a housekeeping manual for a local hospital. I learned a lot from that and yes, there IS a specific system for cleaning top to bottom!
Bathroom vents, kitchen hoods, air filters and their cavity. Stair railings (major grime on all sides) and decorative supports. Door jambs and leading edge of doors, esp 12″ above adult head to waist level (where they’re held). TVs and all electronics ( literal dust magnets). Kitchen – tile backsplashes and behind stove, microwave cabinet and inside unit. Bases of mixers, blenders, coffee makers… hurriedly put away. Inside tray, bakeware, cutting board cabinets.
Lightbulbs themselves ( no windex or ammonia, will pop bulbs) and insides of shades as well as outsides. Remove hair from vanity and tub/shower drains.
Laundry room – check dryer hose, vacuum behind/inside lint trap in machine itself. Check exterior of vent to clear lint . Laundry rm is place of gettinv clean and holds the yuck. Takes extra care.
Etc, etc
I have recessed iron radiators. Those hold soooo much dust, dirt and hair! I am forever trying to find gadgets for my vaccuum to get it all out! Not an easy task but a must.
I think a lot of people forget to clean their keys.
You use and touch them every day.
Same goes for bags and backpacks.
And I clean the edges of tables and desks. For some reason where you sit and touch the table with your belly and legs gets overload often too.
I bet we all remember now. :( A lot has changed since March 2020.
The top of tall furniture, such as china cabinets, entertainment centers, bookcases, etc. We recently bought a house where the tops of closets and built in cabinets had a thick layer of dust. You may not see it, but still unhealthy.
Don’t forget to clean the top of refrigerators. Pull out cooking stoves that are pushed into cabintry, and clean the sides of stove. Also clean the floor while the stove is out. You’ll be surprised of the dirt and grim that accumulates over time.
Tops of floorboards, picture frames, horizontal braces under desks and tables, glass lamps and bulbs, spiderwebs on the outside of the house and deck rails, crumbs inside toaster oven, top of shower heads.
I love Dana! I’ve followed her stuff for years! I always forget to wipe off the top of my range hood, and I once saw something on Apartment Therapy about how you can clean shower heads by filling a bag with vinegar and putting it over them using an elastic to soak for awhile. Crazy all the areas I’d never think to clean!
Thanks for the list! there were some I didn’t know.
I also dust over the door and door frame every chance I get.
Because this article hit my inbox with “becoming minimalist” on it, I assumed “cleaning tasks that can easily be overlooked” was referring to tasks that it’s ok to overlook or stop doing, i.e. applying minimalism to cleaning : )
But yes, I do notice grime on light switch covers and around door knobs, and dead bugs on windowsills. Will continue cleaning those things.
I was expecting (hoping?) the same thing : )
I really need to roll my sleeves up and get some dusting done!
Yep – I took it that way, too. And I still do! ;)
Laundry baskets. I actually have baskets I use to sort dirty clothes and others I use to remove clean ones from the dryer. But I’ve seen people put clean clothes back into baskets with the dirt and hair that fell off of the dirty ones.
I have considered that. I have one large hamper and one regular basket. After I get the first load into the washer, I clean the basket and the rest of the clothes are just sorted on the laundry room floor
Thank you so much for this! I didn’t know a hand vac would do window sills! I am totally going to do that today!
How do you clean baseboards? How about intake vents?
Baseboards : Sweep them with a broom or a long duster. Get the little round brush attachment on your vacuum and use that. If none of that is sufficient, you are going to have to wash the baseboards
Slob vision? Wow, I have that. LOL. I don’t see untidiness as most others do.
I will admit when I was a Cable TV service technician I always noticed dirty doorknobs, light switches and ceiling fans in the homes I visited.
All of my co-workers would complain about my truck. Go figure ;-)
A place under washing machine, dirty. The back of radiators. Cooker hood grid. Inside a cooker oven. All so very dirty sometimes.
Start your cleaning now.