Fall is upon us…per the calendar. Most of you are more than likely spending more time outside, opening windows and doors, and letting in plenty of natural light, dust, and pollen.  I often do posts about cleaning tips, this one is, however, focusing on the 6 things around your home that you never clean but really really need to clean.

If you’re like me, once you start the cleaning, you focus on those areas that you see that need the most help or the places you spend the most time, which makes perfect sense. There are items that we forget about and sometimes even dread doing. These 6 are the items most of us forget about or procrastinate doing – I am also guilty of this.

So together, let’s knock out the dirt and dust! Our future selves will thank us.

Refrigerator Coils

How many of you didn’t even know that refrigerator coils were a thing, let alone know it is something we shouldn’t overlook cleaning. Dirty coils cause the fridge to work harder to keep cool – therefore shortening the lifespan. So cleaning those coils now could help keep your refrigerator running long and cold!

These mysterious coils are located at either the bottom or the back of your refrigerator. Get out your vacuum with a small crevice or upholstery tool and a duster to get in deep and remove all of that built-up dust and pet hair.

Shower Heads

Are you plagued by mineral buildup on your stainless shower heads? Fill a small plastic bag with distilled white vinegar and attach it to the showerhead and let the magic be worked by the vinegar for an hour or two. Scrub away any residue with a toothbrush or soft cloth.

Have bass or bronze shower heads? These are more delicate, rub away any build-up with a soft cloth and warm water.

Ceiling Fans

Think of your ceiling fan blades as landing strips for all dust and allergens floating in the air. Now, remember these same fan blades are spreading air throughout the entire room…yumm!

There is an easy fix for this. Grab a ladder and damp microfiber cloth and wipe down each fan blade top and bottom. While you’re up there, wipe down any dust or buildup on the motor and fan shaft. If you reversed the blade direction in fall/winter, now is the time to go ahead and switch it back. You want them moving clockwise, pushing air straight down, creating a cooling breeze of relief from our warm summers.

Baseboards

While I will admit this is a task that I’m far from excited about myself, but it really does make a difference. Whether you have carpet or hard surface flooring; scuffs, dust and debris buildup on your baseboards over time. Depending on how bad your baseboards are, with an upholstery attachment run the vacuum to remove a majority of the dust, then go over all of your baseboards with a magic eraser or cleaning wipes.

Pillows

Most of us change our sheets and pillowcases for washing rather frequently. When is the last time you washed your pillows? Remember, pillows absorb your sweat, your dead skin cells and dust mites, what better reason can you think of for cleaning your pillows?

Of course, please check and follow your labels for each particular pillow. Most synthetic pillows can be machine washed on a short, gentle, lukewarm cycle. Got feather or down pillows (my personal favorite)? Use a washbasin with a little detergent, knead the pillow, drain and wrap the pillow in a towel. Airing or drying your pillows in the dryer? Throw in a couple of tennis balls to help fluff them up. 

 

Appliance Love

We often forget to clean the many appliances that do a great deal of cleaning for us. Food and soap scum build up in our dishwashers, dirt, and detergent in our washing machines, and of course lint and ink spots in our dryers. Well, cleaning these wonderful tools is much easier than you may think.

Dishwasher – place distilled white vinegar in a shallow bowl on the top rack and run a hot water cycle. If necessary, follow up by sprinkling some baking soda on the bottom and run a short hot cycle.

Washer – Kill any mold in your washer by adding a cup of bleach to the bleach dispenser and run the empty washing machine through the longest, hottest available cycle. Scrub down any removable parts and use a toothbrush on the hard to reach and little places. Leave the lid open to allow air dry.

Dryer – Vacuum the drum and lint screen. Unplug and remove exhaust hose and pull out any lint you can see and reach, vacuum or brush out the rest. 

I hope these tips help you knock out some much-needed cleaning at home. Have suggestions or other tips, I’d love to hear them!